River Lesson Sun, 6/28/09
Hello Steven, Brad and Jay,
I hope that you guys are not to sore and tired today, you all worked so hard on Sunday. I hope that you all had a great time and that you learned allot. Attached below s some explanation about everything that we covered in the class. I would recommend that you follow up with the roll class to really hone your skills on the water and to be honest having your roll makes all the difference in the world.
Steven- you would really benefit from the roll class and the 2 day river course. Also when you are back in Cali and want some sea kayak action check out the Kayak Connection in Santa Cruz great people and paddling in the bay is so much fun also look into the Kayak Surf class. Also check out www.boof.com, www.cacreeks.com, and www.americanwhitewater.org I am not really sure what groups are still active in Cali so you will need to look into it. The above sites will help.
Jay- You would really benefit from the Roll class as well and it would be great for you to get into another river course I would recommend the 2 day glenwood trip. Keep those wrists above your elbows in that high brace.
Brad- stay out of the flat water and you are all good. The more time that you spend on the water the easier it will be. If you decide that the kayaking isn't your cup of tea I would really recommend that you try an IK (Inflatable Kayak) they are really forgiving and you can still run just about anything. Check out my friends site who does allot of IK paddling in California www.cacreeks.com there is allot of action out the for IKs.
Hope that you all had a great time, I had a great time thanks for being such great students.
Sincerely,
Marcus
Renaissance Adventure Guides
PS if you have a minute please use this great peer resource to give your thoughts and experience about your lesson here http://www.yelp.com/biz/renaissance-adventure-guides-llc-lakewood Thank you for taking the extra minute. Use this site even if you don't review find great restaurants etc.
P.P.S. Check out our Open Pool sessions ( http://raguides.com/kayaking-school/pool-classes/open-pool/ ) where you can come practice your roll and also Renaissance on the River ( http://raguides.com/blog/recent-adventures/join-ra-guides-for-renaissance-on-the-river-every-wednesday-night-starting-5-20-09/ ) happening every Wed night at the playpark in golden.
River Lesson
1) The five Essentials for kayaking don’t go on the water without any of these:
a) Helmet
b) PFD (Personal Floatation Device)
c) Skirt
d) Wet suit and or appropriate clothing for your adventure “Dress for the swim!!!”
· We also talked about making sure that someone in your group has a first aid kit and knows how to use it.
· Some form of communication incase something should happen a cell phone in a dry box works great.
2) Safety:
a) Never paddle alone.
b) Always check the conditions before you go. Including weather, flows, and logistics.
c) Know the group you are paddling with.
d) Become a first responder or get at the least basic first aid skills.
3) In the water:
· Proper fitting of your gear- you PFD should be tightened down with a full breath don’t tighten your PFD without a full breath or you will not be able to fill your lungs completely when you need to.
· When swimming out of your kayak you should always be floating face up with your feet pointed down
stream, toes up.
4) On the Water:
a) Always keep your head above your waist.
b) The more relaxed that you are the more functional that you will be on the water. The more rigid and hard that you are the more difficult that it will be to function on the water.
c) Make your strokes count. Keep an active blade in the water until you are comfortable in what you are doing.
5) Wet Exit:
*Remember that one of the very important aspects of kayaking is to be comfortable underwater.*
· Know with out a doubt that your grab loop is out.
· Nose to the deck; keep yourself tucked at all times.
· Pull your grab loop.
· Place your hand on the sides of the cockpit and summersault forward out of the boat.
6) Kayak Strokes:
· Forward Stroke-
a) Proper English posture, ergonomically correct, slightly forward and sitting up straight.
b) Purchase at the toes, paddle enters that water at the toes.
c) Rotate at the waist; turn the upper torso to get your power.
d) Paddle blade exits at the waist.
e) Paddle is vertical (this is best), at the least 45 degrees but more is better.
· Forward Sweep Stroke-
a) Proper English posture, ergonomically correct, slightly forward and sitting up straight.
b) Purchase at the toes, paddle enters that water at the toes.
c) Rotate at the waist; turn the upper torso to get your power.
d) Paddle travels from the bow to the stern, the head leads the stroke. “Where the head leads the body will follow.”
e) Low paddle angle, horizontal with the water.
· Reverse or Back Sweep Stroke-
a) Proper English posture, ergonomically correct, slightly forward and sitting up straight.
b) Purchase at the stern, paddle enters that water at the stern.
c) Rotate at the waist; turn the upper torso to get your power.
d) Paddle travels from the stern to the bow, the head leads the stroke. “Where the head leads the body will follow.”
e) Low paddle angle, horizontal with the water.
· Draw Stroke-
a) Proper English posture, ergonomically correct, slightly forward and sitting up straight.
b) Turn your body the direction that you want to go.
c) Purchase your paddle blade, don’t reach too far.
d) Draw your paddle blade in towards your boat.
e) Stop when your elbow hits your torso.
f) Rotate.
g) Slice out.
h) Repeat.
(Your paddle should be vertical or close to vertical during this stroke. Your dry hand or the hand furthest from the water should have little to no motion. Your paddle blade should not leave the water.)
7) T-Rescue:
a) Only works with a partner.
b) Smack your boat hard three times, and then sweep your hands as far as you can reach up and down the sides of your boat until your partner positions their boat for you to reach the bow.
c) Grab the bow of your partners’ boat and bring both hands together on their bow.
d) Place your hands on the bow of your partners’ boat.
e) Rest your head on your hands.
f) Hip snap your boat up and let your head follow up last.
8) J-Lean/Boat Tilt (Degrees of Lean/Tilt):
a) 1st Degree- Apply a little more weight to one rump cheek.
b) 2nd Degree- Instigate some lift with the opposite knee.
c) 3rd Degree- Stick out your ribs toward the side that you are leaning/tilting.
d) 4th Degree- To far, you are upside down please see T-Rescue.
(Very, very important key to success here is to make absolutely sure that your head stay above your waist.)
9) High Brace:
a) Wrists above elbows all the time.
b) All 4 degrees of Lean/Tilt.
c) Smack the water.
d) Rotate (wrist rotates forward).
e) Slice out.
f) Head comes up last. Think limp noodle or bobble head.
10) Low Brace:
a) Wrists below elbows all the time. Like a bull dog.
b) All 4 degrees of Lean/Tilt.
c) Smack the water.
d) Rotate (wrist rotates backward).
e) Slice out.
f) Head comes up last. Think limp noodle or bobble head.
11) Entering and Exiting Eddies:
a) “Your good friend SAT” Speed Angle Tilt.
b) SPEED- the more the better. Utilize a good powerful forward stroke to enter or Exit the Eddie.
c) Angle- You want your boat to be angled about 45 degrees to the current.
d) Tilt- the stronger your tilt the more you can use the water to move you and the less you will fight the water as well as using the water to your advantage.
12) Ferrying:
a) Boat pointed up stream at either 11 or 1 O’clock.
b) Paddle into the current keeping your boat pointed upstream.
c) Utilize the SWEEP stroke or the stern draw to get across the current.
d) The more calm and controlled your strokes the more effective they will be.
13) High Brace:
a) Wrists above elbows all the time.
b) All 4 degrees of Lean/Tilt.
c) Smack the water.
d) Rotate (wrist rotates forward).
e) Slice out.
f) Head comes up last. Think limp noodle or bobble head.
14) Low Brace:
a) Wrists below elbows all the time. Like a bull dog.
b) All 4 degrees of Lean/Tilt.
c) Smack the water.
d) Rotate (wrist rotates backward).
e) Slice out.
f) Head comes up last. Think limp noodle or bobble head.
15) Information and Resources:
a) Flows and Forums- www.mountainbuzz.com
b) Instructional Videos- www.youtube.com search for Kayak Instruction.
c) Books- Whitewater Kayaking: The Ultimate Guide by Ken Whiting and Kevin Varette (Paperback - Jun 1, 2008)
16) Where to go next and what to do next:
a) Renaissance on the River- Every Wednesday night check the website for times and location www.raguides.com, great place to practice your skills get some help from instructors and have lots of fun.
b) Roll Class- Get to spend the entire time mastering the kayak roll.
c) River Class- Time to take all of the skills that you learned on the lake and apply them to fun moving water. Local classes and the great Glenwood trip are all available for your learning venues.
d) Intermediate River Class
17) Last but not least:
a) Remember that if you do not use your skills you will loose them.
b) Never paddle alone.
c) Have fun.
d) Most importantly BE SAFE at all times.
Thank you so much for being such a great class.
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