If you want to improve your kayaking, go canoeing!
My fascination with the canoe started in my late teens. I’d been paddling for a few years, starting in my Scout troop’s old wood and canvas double kayaks, progressing through […]
Category Archives: Paddling skills
What’s the point of training?
The absence of skills pre-requisites from British Canoeing’s new Paddlesport Leader and Coach Awards may have led some to thinking there is no longer any need to bother with 3 […]
Coaching progressions
As anyone who has looked at the Level 2 Coach training course will know, the emphasis there is on progressive coaching; ie taking participants’ learning from one session and building […]
Taking things to extremes
Successfully encouraging learners to find the ‘right’ answer for themselves is, I find, one of the most rewarding aspects of coaching. We can only take things so far by showing […]
The joy of touring
It’s been encouraging to see the growing interest in British Canoeing’s Touring Awards. While initially seen by some as a soft option and in some way inferior to other awards, […]
Stacked Hands
Paddling as part of a peer group recently I was asked by a fellow canoeist what could I suggest to improve his paddling. We’d been on the water for an […]
The subtle Stern Rudder
Regular visitors to my blog will have noted my fondness for the stern rudder. I think it’s a very useful technique – invaluable to surf and freestyle paddlers and a […]
The 5 second rule
Have you ever asked a paddler to follow another down a rapid telling them to keep two to three boat lengths behind? And how many times do you find that […]
Banning the “goon stroke”
Bill Mason says it’s “to be avoided like the plague” but when I’m canoeing and want to take a break from paddling yet still maintain a straight course – perhaps […]
The rule of three…
With a good number of Level 1 Coach courses now completed this year I’ve been reflecting again on the IDEAS coaching model and what constitutes an effective Explanation. For me […]
