1.1. Forward stroke
Catch: Pull your paddle frwd at a perpendicular angle to the boat while rotating but do not lean frwd.
Power: Pull back along the kayak while rotating yr upper torso (power stops at your hip).
Recovery: Exit when behind your hips (short strokes). All power stops at the hip. By the time your hand reaches your hip the paddle should be out of the water
1.2. Reverse stroke
Catch: Reach behind you with the paddle at a low angle to the water.
Power: Dip the paddle blade into the water at about a 45 (30 to 45) degree angle to the kayak. Do not make a sweeping motion because that will cause your boat to yaw; push down and forward. Power stopping between the hip and knee- boat dependent). Use your entire body to propell the blade forward, thereby moving the boat backwards.
Recovery: Pull the blade out of the water as it comes toward the hull of the kayak, and reach back for the next stroke.
1.3. Back stroke (for stopping)
Catch: Start with a flat blade 30 degrees away from your stern.
Power: Push down and stop all power somewhere between your hip and knee (remember eye contact when you rotate).
Recovery: See Power above.
2. Turning & steering strokes
2.1. Forward sweep
Catch: Pull paddle frwd while rotating.
Power: Rotate you body and pull the paddle round with your arms straight (remember eye contact); to get the maximum turning potential out of a forward sweep you must lean (not edge) toward your paddle to cancel out the effects of the long keel.
Recovery: Return the paddle to the stern some 6-8 inches behind yr hips by skimming it in the angle of 45 degrees along the surface (ready for low brace, if necesary).
2.2. Reverse sweep
Catch: Rotate your body and head to the stern (again, paddle parallel to the boat, both hands held over the water), place the blade in a low brace angle - back face flat on the water. Then when you begin the power phase the blade becomes vertical. Remeber the arm starts 6 to 8 inches behind the body.
Power: Push hard away from the kayak, sweep the blade out as flat as possible (not vertically) and forward in a long arc culminating at the hull of the kayak near your feet while rotating yr upper torso (remember: eye contact).
Recovery: Exit when at the hull of the kayak near your feet.
2.3. Stern strokes
Stern draw:
Catch: Rotate your torso toward the stern (paddle parallel to the boat, both hands held over the water); then place the blade well away from the side of the kayak with the power face toward the hull.
Power: Draw the paddle TOWARD the hull by dragging your rear elbow accross the back deck and the front had straight (remember: eye contact). When it is done the back hand should be 6 to 8 inches behind the body and the front arm will be extended, but still have a slight bend to it.
Recovery: Raisen the blade from the water when next to the hull return back to the starting point.
Stern rudder:
Catch: Rotate your torso toward the stern; paddle parallel to the boat, both hands held over the water (remember eye contact).
contact. Once again the back hand starts 6 to 8 inches behind the body and should have a bend in it.
Power: Knife the blade in the water like a rudder and push it AWAY (not forward) from the boat to change the direction of the moving kayak or hold the kayak to its desired course.
Recovery: Raise the paddle from the water; "not far away" from the boat.
2.3. Bow strokes
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
2.5. Side draw/sculling side draw
Side Draw:
Catch: Rotate your torso toward the stern; put the paddle as far as you can w/o leaning (the blade towards the kayak)
Power: Pull towards you, paddle in vertical position (remember eye contact).
Recovery: Rotate the blade away from the kayak and return back to the starting point.
Catch: Rotate your torso toward the stern; put the paddle along the kayak (the blade in 45 degrees angle).
Power: Keep the blade in a consistent distance from the boat, and perform a forward-and-backwards sculling motion with your hands frozen in a slight outward angle (remember: eye contact).
Recovery: See Power above.
3. Paddling strokes in wind & waves
3.1. Paddling upwind
To make good progress against the wind if you bear down and paddle effectively you can try any or a combination of techniques:
- When it's really windy and headway is difficult, wait for a lull in the wind and then paddle hard to the next spot where you can rest.
- Work your way upwind as close to the beach as possible.
- Take advantage of natural windbreaks like points or rocks or kelp beds for rest stops.
- Do accelerate down the backsides of waves, helping gravity accelerate your kayak into the troughs between waves.
- Keep the kayak flat, don't rock the boat.
- Control your stroke so that you don't pull too hard at the beginning or end of the stroke.
- Set mileage or distance goals, not time goals.
Don't try to power up the faces of waves, you'll wear yourself out quickly working against gravity, and your kayak will pound, slowing you down.
3.2. Paddling cross-wind
To keep the kayak on course in a crosswind (eliminate weathercrocking), you can try any or a combination of techniques:
- Buy a kayak with a steeper sterm
- Load your kayak with heavier gear in the back so that the kayak sits deeper in the stern.
- Edge your kayak into the wind (not lean) by pressing the opposite knee against the cockpit (most kayaks trun away from the tilted edge).
- Use wider sweep stroke on the upwind side and a stroke closer to the hull on the downwind side.
- Use rudder and/or skeg
3.3. Paddling downwind
To make a long downwind passage more efficient, you can try any or a combination of techniques:
- Load your kayak with more weight in the stern.
- Use a stern rudder, brace or even back-paddle to correct course when faced with a stern wind condition. While this can effectively get the job done, it really scrubs off speed, slowing the kayak and requiring more effort to get going once again. Unless you are surfing the waves, try to avoid the need to brace and especially avoid back-paddling.
- Time your correcting strokes to the best advantage. When rising on a wave the wind resistance on the bow will be the greatest, use this to push the bow back downwind. As the wave passes under you and the bow clears the water, the kayak will be easy to turn through the water. Concentrate your stroke to make the most of this moment. Lean the kayak to counteract the broaching tendency as you come down the face of the wave. Use a stern rudder if required and get ready to do the same thing on the next wave.
- Consider not trying to hold your course all the time but to average out to the correct course. Run straight downwind for a while, then run in the troughs for a while, zigzagging back and forth (tacking) so that on average you are getting where you want to go.
When paddling in the wave trough, watch out for the wind catching the paddle blade and pushing you over when paddling across the wind. Make sure your paddle has its leash attached to the kayak and let go if the wind catches your blade too strongly. Practice your braces and be ready to use a slap brace, low brace or high brace to keep from going over should a white cap or breaking wave come down on you. Also, if you are headed downwind or nearly so and the wave heights are within your comfort level, you can double your speed by surfing the waves.
4. Brace strokes
4.1. Low brace
4.2. High brace
4.3. Sculling brace
