Using edge control to drive a boof stroke on the first drop of the Upper Palguin.

You might be asking, why should I improve my edge control? The answer is simple : If you can’t control your boat, you are not going to be able to control where it goes.

Everything in kayaking comes back to the most basic skills, especially edge control. Edging your boat teaches you balance, and it makes you more comfortable with your boat. How you weight your edges determines how your boat turns and interacts with the water, whether it is a skill as fundamental as peeling out of
an eddy or attempting a McNasty.

One drill I really like to work on edge control in the flat water is practicing tilting your boat on edge while keeping neutral and centered. This is a great drill to try to do without having your paddle in the water. Keeping your paddle out of the water teaches you balance, and forces you to use your abdominal muscles.

This is what you are going to do. Keeping your body neutral, pull your right knee up, keeping your left edge in contact with the water.

To make yourself more stable, make sure that your body position isnice and forward over your cockpit. Look straight ahead, finding a point to focus on. Some coaches will have you look down towards the water, to emphasize the proper body position for this drill, and to clearly see how far you can maintain holding your edge out of the water.

Try and balance without placing your paddle blade in the water! If you need to brace, or start to lose your balance, decrease the amount of edge you are using.

Once you have this drill dialed on both sides, try rocking your boat once you have it balanced on edge. You don’t do this by thrusting your paddle back and forth in the water. Your body weight is responsible for the movement of your boat. Your paddle is only there to give you a little extra leverage.

Start trying this drill without using your paddle first. You want to hold your boat on edge, while throwing your body back and forward, first towards the stern and then towards the bow. It is easier to throw towards your stern first because your stern has less volume, and is easier to slice underwater. The momentum from throwing back will help slam your bow forwards and under. This will help to transition into working on the double pump.

Another  drill I like to do is when you are on edge, try paddling in a circle while maintaining the edge. If you have your right edge engaged, you are circling towards the left, and visa versa. This is a great drill to try in a pool, where you can easily pick visuals to guide your circle, starting and stopping in the same spot. I always have people start by trying to only paddle on the outside of the circle. This is because having your paddle on the outside of the circle helps guide your boat into the circle more easily.

Make sure you try these drills on both edges!

River runs with Kids Camp

Rarely do beginners have the chance of learning basic kayaking skills in Chile. In the last  week at Pucon Kayak Hostel we taught kids how to read water, roll with style and throw the brown. Learning to kayak in Chile could be one of the best experiences a kid could ever have. First you start out with roll practice in a beautiful lake just north of Patagonia. Then we crank up the heat, taking them to a local hot springs where every student got their roll. Next they take advantage of the classic rivers, like the lower Fuy and the Rio Tolten. But the boys told me that  by far their favorite run was the lower Maichin.

Chile holds some of the best white water in the world. So no matter what skill level you are, from class V in a kayak to strolling down a beautiful class I on a stand up paddle board Chile has it all.

Sick Runs on the Fuy.

From class III boaters to Class V there is something for everyone. Last week Galen Volckhausen, Jake Greenbaum, Seth Dow, Hunt Jennings and I were able to go down before the school comes back into session and ran a possible first decent above a 140 footer. There are many more first descents to be had in Chile this one just happened to be our first.

First D

For the past 3 weeks I have had the privilege of testing the Villain S out in Chile on some of the worlds best creeks. When it comes to technical fast moving waters where you need speed and precision to hit that last second boof, the Villain S is the way to go. In any high volume run your going to want more volume in your boat. Moving up to the Villain for that extra stability may be the way to go big and run the Brown.

Getting some Air on the California Slide, Rio Nevados. Photo by Alex Zegart

When it comes to out fitting your creek boat or any boat for that matter, you will want to make sure that you feel completely secure, and that there is not extra space between you and your hip pads. I like to move my seat forward to limit the possibility of my stern catching in a hole, ender-ing and falling back on my self. Hunt Jennings a boater from Chattanooga, Tennessee, describes the Villain S as “a boat with speed and the ability to punch anything.” Hunt also finds that with the Villan S,  ”It’s easy to fix your line if you do end up on the wrong course.”

I have loved paddling the Villan S so far in Chile, and am excited to test it out its (and my ) speed in the Palguin Race this December.

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

Everyday we practice river safety at NRA. We alternate morning workouts to work on perfecting our throw ropes skills. Last week we had the privilege of showing off our skills to Mr. Muck, when he boldly took on the upper Tracura. I have to give him some credit; he stuck with it and did not give up. Rarely do we run into problems on the river, but when we do its good to know that there is a group of well trained boaters that have your back.

Hayley Stuart and Alex Muck warm up with some throwbag catch

Safety is every thing. You never know when you may need it on a run so it is best to always be ready for it.

Accuracy test: Can you get the rope over the cockpit ?

The question is, how can you be ready for “it?” Some of the skills we have been practicing during morning workouts are designed to give us greater proficiency with our ropes. We want to be able to accurately throw our throwbag both near and far, with the rope still coiled in the bag, and also with it out.

Galen Volkhausen does pushups after missing a throw.

It is equally important to practice a “double throw” in case of missing your first throw.

To work on accuracy and distance, we start off our morning workout by playing catch with our ropes. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with your throw rope- because the more you use it, the more you will know how it throws, and gain greater accuracy with each toss.

Alex Zegart Repacks his Rope.

After warming up our throwing muscles, we set up boats at different distances away from us. The goal: to get the rope across the cockpit, or if we are being nice, with-in the grab handles. Miss a toss? 5 push-ups ! If you make your toss, congratulations. Move your boat even further away.

We practice under “pressure” situations, doing a 20 yard sprint to our throw bags and back before tossing, or having simulated swimmers in safe spots on the river.

Galen holds the record for the fastest recoil, or repacking his rope into his bag for his next throw. Currently, his fastest time is around 40 seconds. This is a great skill to practice because on the river, every second counts if you need to rescue someone.

Alex Zegart was surprising good, having some of the most accurate tosses under pressure. The girls have been getting better at throwing the ropes, and have gotten really good at throwing the rope once it is out of the bag. Seth, Myself and Galen are still competing for furthest throw.

One of the most shocking mistakes? Forgetting to hold onto the rope when you throw it ! Remember, you need to hold onto something to tow someone back to shore.

Practicing skills like throw ropes and general safety- knots and pins and z drags, can make your group more efficient on the water, and brings the group together because you begin to trust each other. It makes everyone feel safer to know that we have the skills we need to support each other on and off the water.

* All photos Thanks to Anna Bruno

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

This run is short, but sweet. It is perfect for practicing your boof and running waterfalls after class, and is where they hold the infamous Palguin Race (won by our coach Jake Greenbaum last year).

At the put in you drop into a granite gorge that is filled with wildlife. The first decent starts out with a double drop, with has a very easy scout on river right. The standard line is right boof stroke off the left side ridding up on the wall of a 4 foot ledge. You land in aerated water and have about 15 feet before dropping a 10 footer.

Kincaid Wurl lines up for the second part of the double drop

You can go off the 10 footer any number of ways. I prefer going off the left side again with another right boof stroke. you will land in a big pool with plenty of time to gather your self before moving on.

Kincaid Wurl sits in the eddy below the first drop. Photo Kincaid Wurl

The second drop is a 12 footer. Depending on the level, but you usually  want to go off the right side taking a left boof stroke. Make sure to have a bit of speed at the top because there is a kicker rock about half way down. Trust me when I say you don’t want to hit it. This drop has no eddy to get out and scout from so your just going to have to trust my word.

The last drop is a 20 footer which has a huge boil at the bottom of it. The river splits into two water falls. On river left you have an easy plug with very little chance of problems. On river right you have a more technical line with a narrow lead in. If you do find yourself running this in a play boat, the right Chanel is perfect for Hail Marys (When you do a front loop off a drop). The mane line off this one is center left with a delayed right boof stroke.

Hunt Jennings runs the twenty footer on the Upper Palguin. Photo by Kincaid Wurl

Be careful not to land to far left, because the boil is more straight out from the drop then too the left. Its very green over there and if you boof you may get the wind knocked out of you.

Below this drop, be sure to watch out for Fishermans hole. It doesn’t look like much, but the river wide hole can be sticky! I’ve seen lots of people get tumbled here and swim out.

If your take out is on river right you will go down about 1/4 of a mile and your take out is a smale boat size slot. This slot is right above a very nasty drop so don’t miss the eddy. If you take out is on river left then you will have two options. Wall around the crack drop or run it. The easiest line off this one is the center crack. Be sure to twist you paddle and wear elbow pads! This is not a very forgiving drop. Your take out will be down on the left and can be challenging to make the eddy.

This take out is also right above a nasty 40 footer, that does not have a very nice lead in. I recommend taking someone that has run it before because both takeouts are tricky.

Hayley Stuart sees the upper Trancura as “Lots of fun”. Hayley came to the school with very minimal kayaking experience last year and is still working on perfecting the finer points of river running. She described the run to me as seeming  “scary but at the end it’s really rewarding. It has lots of big waves and some fun optional boofs, so it is a great place to work on your technique.” Hayley is continually improving in skills and confidence and will soon have all the confidence she needs to run all rivers.

Alex Zegart who is new to the school this year and a complete beginner to the sport before this fall, explained the run as “very fun!”  To him,  the river was “like a big cold snake with all its twists and turns”.Colin, who is from Oregon, said it reminded him of Uganda because of its pool drop feel.

The Upper Trancura has huge horizon lines, and is big volume, but the lines are wide and pretty forgiving, with pools at the bottom of its fast drops. Over all the river is a great spot to practice all different moves. “Dont forget to watch out for the bear sharks!”  says David Miller.

Felipe with the ladies

There are many new and eventful things that we get to experience every day at New River Academy. The second day we arrived in Chile we met Felipe, who would be our cook for the first two weeks. Luckily for us he does not speak one word of English. This gives us all a great opportunity to practice our spanish. When I first arrived in Chile my spanish was close to non existent. As the days when on I was able to spend more and more time with Felipe. It is easy to practice spanish with someone that you get to see three times a day and sometimes more. When you both don’t speak each others languages it makes you learn.

I quickly learned that as a non spanish speaker, the only way to survive in Chile is to use your hands to describe things. Even though my spanish is not very good and Felipes english is terrible we still manage to communicate with each other. Felipe is a professional Titiritero, or in english, a Puppeteer. He is now teaching the art class how to make puppets out of the trees in the Maipo Valley. When I asked him, What thing brings you the most joy in the world? His response was, “Seeing the smiles on the Children’s faces when I putting on a Puppet show.”

Felipe in front of the Restaurant

Felipe is originally from Santiago but has spent a lot of time traveling. A few places he has been are Germany, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Costa Rica, Bolivia and Brazil. When I asked him out of all these places witch was his favorite he said “Brazil, because the people are so beautiful”. Both of his parents are from Chile and he has one younger sister who lives on the border of Chile and Peru.

Felipe and I about to get into a wrestling match

Felipe lives a very simple life style and I envy him for it. He is every well connected with nature and his inner self. He has been showing us that there is an energy that flows throw everything. In the mornings when he leads work out he makes us do things like feel each individual muscle and how to strengthen them. We have been stretching muscles that I didn’t even know I had. We will be sad to leave Felipe behind and wish he could come with us for the rest of our trip.

There are many different ways that you can be taught how to flatwater loop. I find it easiest to think about learning the flatwater loop in 4 main steps. The double-pump to bowstall, the bounce, the throw, and the loop stroke.

The first step is to learn the double pump. The double pump is a two stroke step where you take a forward stroke and then a back stroke while on edge. This will eventually lead to a bow stall.

After you have mastered the bow-stall, you must practice “bouncing”.  I always compare bouncing compare to a buoy or a “bobber” out in the ocean. It is always moving up and down, rather than staying still. This also helps when you are learning your bow-stall because if you keep a little bit of a bounce going it is much easier to balance and stay in your stall.

The bounce

Next, you must figure out how to get your boat aerial.  This is one of the hardest parts of learning the flatwater loop because you must learn to time your bounce to get the most air when you throw. The easiest way to learn how to time this is to count out your bounce. I like to go on the third bounce, so I would count “bounce, bounce, throw.”

Initiate the throw using your paddle, which should be in the water in front of you, helping to stabilize your bow-stall. Remember to keep your paddle well out in front of your boat. I like to have mine at least a foot away from my cockpit. This helps me maintain my balance more effectively. It helps if you think about your boat and body being like the legs on a tripod for a camera: The further apart the tripod legs are, the more stable the tripod is, and the less likely your camera is to fall.

As you initiate the throw, you want to pull the water towards you, release your paddle, bringing it up over your head, and then throw your paddle towards your toes bringing your body in contact with your front deck.

The throw

The biggest mistake that people make with the “throw” is that they start to throw too late.  What happens if you throw to late is that you can’t get your paddle out of the water, and you fall on your face. This is because as you start your bounce, people feel themselves rising up from the water and go to throw, but leave their paddle in the water too long. This actually forces the boat/bounce back down into the water, and does not let your boat release, which is why you fall on your head.

To avoid this mistake, you want to start the throw by pulling the water towards you. Start your bounce by pulling your paddle up, not by pushing down, so that you are in position to throw as your boat is RISING.

The last step of the flatwater loop is that you need to finish your throw. As you go forward, you have to go back. Throwing towards your toes only brings your boat halfway around. You need to pull on the water to finish the rotation of the loop, allowing your boat to land upright.

The loop stroke

To pull on the water, take a full on back stroke using both paddle blades. This is also called a “loop stroke”.  After throwing your paddle towards your toes, bring your paddle back towards your stern. Your body should move from having your chest in contact with your front deck, to having your back and your head touching the stern of your boat.

Land on your back deck

When you are beginning and learning how to loop, I never have people bring both blades back over your head, because it is an unfamiliar motion. I like to have beginners come up with one paddle blade, because it mimics the motion of a roll.  This, however, twists your boat. You will land your loop, but you will rotate and twist slightly sideways, causing you to “shank” your landing.

Once you get comfortable pulling on one blade, try the full loop stroke. Try to hold the loop stroke as long as possible to force your loop around. Often when people land their loops, you will still see their body all the way back on the stern. It can be good to practice finishing your loop in this position to really emphasize the loop stroke.  This also helps keep your boat straight on the landing.

Sometimes, you will be all the way back on your stern, looking at your bow up in the air. To force your bow back down and finish the loop without twisting, you may need to crunch or throw your body forwards, “sitting up.”

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH AN OVERTHRUSTER?

If you have an overthruster, you may find it harder to hold the bowstall, but it will make your flatwater loops much more aerial, because it gives you more volume in the front of your boat, allowing for more “pop.”

Not all amazing playboaters make great coaches. But, there are a few kayakers who are as good at coaching as they are at kayaking. At New River, we are fortunate to have one of the best as our coach. Stephen Wright will be coaching full time for NRA’s third quarter in Chile, but we got a taste of his coaching experience when he helped us on the Gauley last monday.

Half of us went upstream to run the Upper Gauley from the top, and the rest of our group did a freestyle clinic with Stephen at “Sweet Spot”, a shallow but perfect hole for working on any trick.

With Stephen’s expertise, David and Drew got their first cartwheels, Ziggy nailed a spin, and Drew threw a massive aerial loop.

Stephen showed me how to get more pop on my McNasty by using less edge and slowing down the back blast. Because I often do my back blast too fast, my boat has a hard time catching up with my body, making my McNasty flat. By slowing your boat down as much as possible in the beginning, the bigger you can go. (the more air you can get.) Even in one day of working with Stephen, I could feel my skills increase. I can’t wait to get to have him coaching us all the time!