Kayaking Skills

B.C.U. 1 Star Award

 The One Star award is designed for complete beginners and covers all the basic kayaking  skills to safely manoeuvre a kayak on flat water. This award can usually be completed in a day and would be run by a B.C.U. Level 1 Coach or above.
The award is divided up into three different sections, Theory, Practical" A" and Practical "B".

• Practical 'A'
• Practical 'B'
• Theory

[ read more... ]

B.C.U. 2 Star Award

Because the B.C.U. Two Star award is a progression from the One Star award, many of the kayaking skills covered are similar but the paddler is expected to perform the strokes at a higher standard. We will therefore be concentrating on both new kayaking skills within the Two Star Award, and the higher standard required on strokes which have been covered at a more basic level in the previous article.

The award is divided up into three different sections, Theory, Practical" A" and Practical "B".

• Practical 'A'
• Practical 'B'
• Theory

[ read more... ]

B.C.U. 3 Star Award

The Three Star award by definition, requires the paddler to be at high standard. With the exception of eskimo rolling, the award requires the paddler to be able to perform all the basic kayaking skills perfectly. N.B. This is one of the prerequisites of becoming a B.C.U. Coach, so it is essential that if you are intending to instruct, you must be capable of perfect kayaking skill demonstrations. Remember, the better paddler you are the better potential instructor you will make!!

The Three Star award is divided up into three sections, Theory, Practical "A" and Practical "B".

• Practical 'A'
• Practical 'B'
• Theory

[ read more... ]

B.C.U. 4 Star Award

The Four Star award is where we put into practise all the kayaking skills we have learnt on the BCU 1-3 Star courses.

The Four Star award is very different from the other awards in that it mainly concentrates on controlling a boat on moving water by applying the strokes we have already covered in the last three issues.

The award is divided up into four sections; theory, equipment, practical on flat water and practical on grade 2 water.

• Theory
• Practical on Flat Water
• Practicle on Grade 2 Water

[ read more... ]