Paddling Techniques

A variety of different paddle techniques are used to guide, propel and turn the boat in various ways. Some strokes are used in combinations to perform maneuvers such as the 'S-turn.'

Ready Position

Kayaking, especially in whitewater is all about always having your paddle in the water, however holding the paddle properly is best learned in the air. To properly hold a paddle you should try to make a box with your arms and paddle, shaped with 90 degree angles at your elbows and wrists. The blades on the paddle need to be equidistent from each hand, and the power face of the blade, or scoop, should be facing your stern. This position ensures your hands are in the correct location on the shaft.

Forward Stroke

The forward stroke is the most intuitive paddle stroke in kayaking although proper technique is important to master. To do a forward stroke the paddler holds his paddle vertically, with one hand close to the face, and the other hand outstretched outside of the knee. The paddle enters the water near the toes of the paddler, and the paddle is pushed out with the upper hand and pulled in with the lower hand, keeping the paddle vertical. To incorporate more than just the arms and upper back the paddler should twist their torso to reach and twist back while pulling to maximize their reach and power. The blade should leave the water by the paddlers hips, and the low hand comes up to the face, with the face hand reaching out to outside the knee on its side in order to initiate the next stroke.

[ more information about forward paddling ]

Back Stroke

The back stroke is almost the forward stroke exactly backwards, although often it is shorter in length and the paddler may need to time "peaks" at his destination during the stroke to ensure tracking.

[ more information about reverse paddling ]

Low Brace

This is an important stroke to learn as paddlers move from flat-water to whitewater, as it is a flip prevention stroke. The low brace is a manipulation of the ready position in kayaking. With the box commented on above, the paddler rotates their elbows up so the power face faces the sky. To brace the paddler takes "the box" and moves it out to the side they are falling over on. Keeping their elbows high they can slap the outstretched blade down on the water and push down and slide it back towards their boat as they redistribute their weight over of their boat, stopping themselves from flipping over.

High Brace

If the paddler is already well on their way to flipping over they may use the high brace to right themselves. By dropping their elbows and reaching the necessary blade to the surface on the side they are flipping on the paddler can use the power face to pull down on while doing a side crunch to redistribute their weight over their boat. It should be noted that the High Brace is the exact same technique as the C to C roll when the paddler is closer to being upside down.

Forward Sweep

In order to turn the paddler needs to master the forward sweep. In paddling momentum is the paddlers best tool for successful advancement, and so ruddering or back sweeps as a way of turning, results in decreased momentum and a higher chance of getting flipped or caught in a hole or wave. To forward sweep right the paddler will need to bring their left blade to their toes like they would in a forward stroke although this time they will drop their right hand from their face, to their bicep, making the paddle more horizontal. They will then move their blade in a semi circle around their boat finishing at their stern.

Back Sweep

The back sweep is the forward sweep in reverse, move the blade from the stern to the bow in a semi circle. Matching forward sweeps and back sweeps together is the fastest way to turn a boat if needed.

Duffek

When paddling downstream paddlers can use some advanced paddle strokes along with differing currents to quickly turn their boat, one of these strokes is the duffek. In a river current generally moves downstream, but behind rocks or on shore the water may be still or actually move upstream. When a paddler moves from one of these currents to the other they can use the duffek stroke to quickly turn their boat into the direction of the current. A good visual representation of the duffek in real life is thinking about someone running down a sidewalk, grasping a pole on the sidewalk and swinging around it with legs outstretched to end up running in the other direction, momentum intact. In a kayak this can be achieved by putting a vertical paddle blade in the opposing current when crossing from one current to another. The hardest part of the duffek is keeping your paddle vertical right by your knee, and keeping the power face always facing exactly perpendicular with the current you are grabbing or in other words the scoop of the blade always needs to be facing where the current is coming from. This is tricky because as you turn your blade will turn with you unless you twist your wrists to keep it static. If done correctly paddlers can enter and exit opposing currents with one duffek that can be turned into a powerful forward stroke upon completion.

Rolling

Rolling is an essential skill in whitewater kayaking. This technique allows a flipped boater to regain an upright position. There are a variety of different styles of rolling but in whitewater paddling the styles which offer protection of the face receive special emphasis.

[ more information on rolling a kayak ]

Boofing

Boofing, in whitewater kayaking, refers to the raising of the kayak's bow during freefall, while descending a ledge, ducking behind a boulder, or running a waterfall. This technique is used to avoid submerging the bow of the kayak by ensuring it lands flat when it hits the base of the waterfall. The term is an onomatopoeia which mimics the sound that is usually created when the hull of the kayak makes contact with water at the base of the waterfall.

Another type of boof is the "rock boof" which is a move that uses a glancing impact with a boulder at the top of a ledge to bounce the boater over a downstream feature, often finished with a mid-air eddy turn. Rock boofs result in sounds both at the top of the drop (boat impacting rock) and the bottom (boat bellyflopping into the water).

Towing Another Kayak

While there are a lot of different techniques to get people back in their kayaks should they capsize while they're out kayaking, these techniques are not all foolproof. It is always possible that no matter what you try, there is no way you can possibly get all of the water out of the kayak. If this is the case, then you'll probably have to drain the kayak on the beach, and then re-launch both kayaks.

Knowing how to tow another kayak is an important part of being safe on the water. After all, if there is some reason why the other person cannot paddle back to shore, then you are going to need to provide a tow. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you cannot continue paddling, then you should also make sure that you're prepared to accept a tow. There are plenty of reasons why you might need to be towed, and you should not feel embarrassed about any of them. Anybody can become tired or injured, and you should always ask for help when it is needed, especially if you are kayaking out at sea.

[ more information about towing another kayak ]

Launching your Kayak

Launching your kayak does not have to be difficult as long as you know what you’re doing.

[ more information on how to launch your kayak ]

About the authors
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.kayakhelp.com.  Please visit his complete kayaking guide for all skills and ages.