Going back to basics and mastering the fundamentals is key to controlling a long boat in whitewater instead of the whitewater controlling your boat. They’re so much harder to turn that the fundamentals you use in a short boat won’t cut it in a long boat. Even if you aren’t paddling a long boat, the following fundamentals will really help you feel more powerful on the river.
You might find that some of this information is different or even contradicts what you have been taught in the past. Remember that these techniques are focused on longboats and that there is no “right” or “wrong” method of kayaking.
There’s no shame in revisiting the fundamentals even if you’re an accomplished paddler. I’ve spent hundreds of hours on flatwater trying to perfect my forward stroke. I still don’t have it yet.When incorporating any new technique into your repertoire, it’s best to do it gradually. First, get the hang of it on flat water or class I and slowly start using it in harder and harder whitewater until you’re using it in rapids at the top of your ability.
Warning!- This sweep stroke technique has the potential to cause shoulder injury. Problems can arise if you don't rotate at the waist enough. If you feel any discomfort in your shoulder, consider using a standard sweep stroke, which any basic kayaking video or book will cover.
The sweep stroke is the fundamental turning stroke. It’s without a doubt is the most critical stroke to master if you want to have fun in a long boat. Think your sweep stroke is good enough? Think again. 93.4% of American class V boaters don’t use the sweep stroke to its full potential. Actually, I just pulled that out of my ass. But it’s probably close to the truth.
There are two reasons nobody uses a good sweep stroke: it’s harder and they don’t have to. It’s harder because you have to contort your body in a way that doesn’t feel right, initially at least. They don’t have to because modern boats are so easy to turn that sparkling sweep stroke technique isn’t necessary.
This isn’t so in long boats. If you want to tell your boat where you want to go instead of the other way around, here’s how:
When you read the Forward Stroke section, you’ll find that the most efficient way to propel your boat forward is a straight forward to back motion with your paddle vertical and close to the boat. For a sweep stroke, you’ll want to do almost the opposite: An arcing stroke with a horizontal paddle, as far away from the boat as possible.
Now here’s the real key to the sweep stroke: Most of the power comes when the blade is closest to the stern. And, the further back you can get your stroke, the more leverage you have. Why? I will answer your question with another question. Which part, A or B do I grab if I want to get the most leverage on the boat?
The answer is part B. That’s because the further towards the outside of a wheel you push it, the easier it is to turn. Translated to paddling, the further back you do your sweep stroke, the more leverage you get and the more powerful it is.
The solution is to power the stroke by twisting at the base of the spine and (here comes the hardest part) keep your back arm straight. I’ll say it again because it’s so important, keep your back arm straight. This way, you can reach much further back, getting much more leverage. You get so much leverage this way its unbelievable. But believe it or not, most paddlers don’t keep their back arm straight. Why? They’re lazy. It takes more effort to do it this way and it feels awkward at first, but the rewards are well worth it. You’ll find that even in a short boat, you can do ferries effortlessly or hold your boat straight when your buddies get spun out.
Let’s break it down:
The power for this stroke should come from your stomach muscles. Once your paddle is in the water, your arms don’t actually move at all. Everything is done with torso rotation.
When you’re practicing this stroke in flatwater, go nice and slow keeping your eye on the blade and again, KEEP YOUR BACK ARM STRAIGHT! Of course, when you’re in a rapid keep your eye on the river, but always KEEP YOUR BACK ARM STRAGHT!
Like I said earlier, the sweep stroke, along with any kayak stroke should be powered by your stomach and back muscles. The only way to do this is by twisting from the very base of your spine
The test: Do a sweep stroke on your right side and hold it at the end of the stroke. Your left shoulder all the way to your right hand should be in a straight line. If there’s any bend, twist a little more. It’s surprising how much twist you need.
This stroke is so powerful that most of the time you won’t need to do the whole shebang. For minor corrections, just do the last part of the stroke. Remember, this is the most powerful part, so you might as well cut to the chase. If you do a short stroke starting at your hip and not going all the way to the back, it might be more comfy, but it’s not nearly as effective.
To see how powerful this stroke really is, check out the sections on Combo Strokes, One Stroke Ferries, and the Sustained Eddy Turn in the intermediate section. In reality, I rarely use a sweep stroke or even a shortened sweep stroke on its own. I use one of the above techniques.
Preface: This forward stroke technique I feel isn’t good for first time paddlers to concentrate on. For one, it’s too complicated and you’ve got enough to keep in your head when you’re first learning. Two, it requires more balance to use in whitewater. If you’re just starting out, skip this section on the forward stroke, but please, read my write up on the Sweep Stroke.
Before I start talking about the forward stroke, I’ll say a few words about the most vile, counter-productive “technique” plaguing the sport of whitewater kayaking today:
Just don’t do it. When I look at paddlers on the river, it’s the number one thing holding them back. Here’s why: For every backstroke, you have to do three or four forward strokes to get back up to speed. You actually waste much more energy than if you were to correct with a sweep stroke. I know it’s tempting, that one little tiny stroke that will turn your boat on a dime, but you’re much better off using a proper turning stroke which I covered earlier in The Sweep Stroke.
In a long boat, it’s even more important to avoid back strokes because you have more control when you’re moving faster than the current. I discuss this idea further in the “Active Vs. Passive Paddling Styles” section. That’s not to say you can’t ever use a backstroke for the rest of your life. Sometimes you just have to. Lets say you come screaming into an eddy any you’re about to slam into a rock. But give yourself a little slap on the wrist when you use one while running a rapid.
I could talk for days about the forward stroke. It can be a life long goal to master just this one motion. The following article by Brent Reitz was taken from http://www.usawildwater.com/training/fwdstroke.htm
I learned good forward stroke technique from him, so you might as well go straight to the source. It totally blew my preconceptions of good technique out of the water when I watched his video. It’s just an overview, though. His video is much more in depth and well worth the money.
This trifecta of basic river maneuvers is often in need of a little polishing up by many paddlers. Getting these down well can really make paddling a lot more fun and easy. Bear with me if you’re an experienced paddler and this seems a little elementary. Trust me, you’ll probably be able to glean a few nuggets of knowledge from this so read on.
An eddy turn is where you paddle from the current into an eddy. This is a super-critical maneuver that you need to master. Catching eddies keeps you in control on the river. It allows you to stop in the middle of a rapid so you can catch your breath, analyze the rapid to decide your next move, etc…
Overview: When you’re paddling downstream and you see an eddy you want to go into, point your boat towards the eddy, and aggressively paddle into it.
So, that’s your bare-bones, no-frills eddy turn. Some people make it more complicated than it needs to be by adding a lot of extra strokes. For a basic eddy turn, there are no turning strokes involved. Just forward strokes. The force of your boat plowing into the eddy water does all of the turning.