12-step program for getting beyond class II - more tips?

[yarnellboat]

Hi,

For our club newsletter and discussion on our local forum, I put together these ideas about how to improve one's paddling. Clubs see a lot of people get interested and do the class II runs, but far fewer get over that first hurdle of paddling more agressively and controlling their boats in class III, so this list is targetted at getting to that first next level.

It's the conservative approach, not fullgnarlz, but I think it could help a number of paddlers. I think part of the problem is with instruction - we teach people how to do things, but we don't teach them where to do them and how to get better.

What tips would you add to get novices over the hump?

Catch every eddy. Don’t just stop in the big “collector eddies”. Find your own eddies, especially mid-stream. Catch eddies on your onside and offside. Start looking for eddies above the drops instead of below them! This can be a real key to paddling/scouting harder runs.

Surf every wave. Surfing gives a good benchmark of how you’re controlling your boat. The regular surf spots are often popular as much for their eddies as their surfiness, and they may be better suited to experienced surfers. So, always be on the lookout for the waves that suit you. Don’t be shy - start trying to surf while you’ll struggle to catch a wave, and then your successes will be all the sweeter! Plus, a swim doesn’t count if you were surfing!

Don’t follow everybody. As above, there’s more to the river than the obvious features that the group will use, so find your own groove between group stops. Even where the group does gather, maybe there’s an alternative eddy above them or across the river?

Follow somebody. Not sure what eddies and waves you could catch? Pick another boat to watch and try following their lines. Get a friend to play follow-the-leader with you, and take turns leading each other on creative lines.

Swim less. Develop a good low-brace, you’ll love it!

Swim more. Go for those eddies, ferries and waves that just might flip you, that’s part of learning. Self-rescue is an important skill to develop too!

Make a plan. River reading is a huge part of improving. Never leave an eddy without identifying options for your next moves. Look 5 metres downstream for ferries or s-turns, not just 50 metres downstream for the next big eddy. If you don’t know where you were trying to go, how will you know if you’re getting there??

Go upstream. When leaving an eddy, don’t just look downstream; look across the river, and even up the river, to see if there are any features you could get to. Throw in a ferry or a surf before you turn downstream. Leaving an eddy to ferry above an obstacle is a great way to put a bit of pressure on yourself, so ask yourself whether you can make it above that rock and over to that next channel!

Know your river. When you pass a little eddy or wave that maybe you could’ve gotten, remember it for next time. Make your home river a different run every time. Find spots like a recognizable cross-river ferry that you can use as a measuring stick to test your progress - try it every time you go by, and see how it feels as you improve. Getting to know a few spots like this will also help you recognize what the river does at different water levels and how to use micro-currents.

Scout. Scouting can help on the rivers you are doing – take a 2nd look at the rapids and search out gutsy new lines. And scouting can help on the rivers you want to be doing – if you’re not sure what the rapids are like on a new-to-you run, go for a drive, ride or hike and check them out for yourself.

Pick your spots. Not just on the river, but with your group. A first run on a harder river isn’t just about the river, also give some thought to water levels, weather conditions, and especially who is in the group and how they’ll be paddling. It’ll be most comfortable with a leader who knows you and vice versa (so get to know lots of trip leaders!), and on a day where there’s a good supply of experience and patience.

Know thyself. The best indicator of being ready for a new run is when you’re at the point of relying on your own judgement in place of advice from others, something akin to: “if you have to ask the price of a menu item, you probably can’t afford it”. When a trusted instructor, leader, mentor or peer advises that you’re not ready and need to sit this one out (we’ve all been there, and it beats walking out from the middle of a run!), and you find yourself confident in your disagreement with their assessment, then you’re probably getting there!

Pat.

[Bill M]

I don't know that I would add any more. I would emphasize not trying to do all these things at first. Pick 2 and do them till the attitude becomes ingrained then pick another etc. After a while all will be part of the river habit.
I would add one: Make sure to have fun, thats what it is about.
Bill

[Shep]

I also think it's a great list. To build on Bill M's statement, I would say don't just pick two or three, but do pick two or three per day to work on. It all depends on the river you are paddling and who you are paddling with.

Shep

[philcanoe]

... remember just the big parts of your guide book
... leave the video camera at home, it just slows everyone down
... always find someone better to paddle with, and never let his cooler run dry
... always-always-always stay put in your boat, so you can keep up
... don't get out to look - until told
... don't worry excessively - until told
... safety is in the eye of the beholder
... have airbags in or get there early
... always remember rule one (if you want it, tie it in).
... no one wants to hear about OMG-Falls one more time
... chuck all lists
... have fun

[milkman]

Pat,

This is a great list. Do you mind if I publish it in our club's newsletter, (giving you the byline, of course)?

[Craig Smerda]

the more time you get on the water... the better you're bound to get.

[FullGnarlzOC]

Good List Pat! I favor the 'Swim More' mentality the most... Best way to get better in my opinion... going for moves that challenge you and that think you may not be able to hit, yet you know you have the ability to...

This causes the paddler to 'Swim more' and like you said... thus learning valuable skills like self-rescuing, and judgement. Also learn to 'react instinctively' when you get bled out of the back of an eddy because you didn't hit it high enough... so now you gotta run the rest of the rapid backward or get urself turned around in a hurry...

"Make it work" skills are very important beyond class II...

[yarnellboat]

Great comments everyone, thanks.

Craig, the exact reason for the article was that time on the river doesn't necessarily equate to improvement for too many people! People have gone down the beginner runs 10 times, and now they want to move up to the next river, but their 10th run was a lot like their first: bobbing down the middle, not powering their boat, oblivious to features, stopping in only the easiest shoreline eddies.

Same can be said of veteran club paddlers who've paddled these runs for years, and their 100th run isn't much different, hitting the same eddies and surfin' only at the same ol' waves.

So, I think novices need to be taught how to make use of their time on the river. Once they've had an instructor to help them with technique, they need a mentor to help them with improvement. Too many people flounder for too long and never learn how to learn. Even people who are keen and want to move up to the class III runs don't seem to know how to improve.

Milkman, the full article, complete with reference to FullGnarlz, is in the Beaver's current newsletter (June 2011):

http://beavercanoeclub.org/

I'll e-mail you a Word version for your LCCC newsletter. Good idea, as I'm sure most clubs see the same phenomena happening year-after-year. On our local "paddlenet" forum, you've been mentioned as a good guy to follow.

Phil, I think a lot of your points are the flipside of my "pick your spots" advice to novices - only hit new-to-you runs with those who have the patience for you!

Cheers, Pat.

[jroneil]

NH AMC Paddler flew up NOC instructors and I took the OC1 instruction.
This is what I learned
When going into an eddie look at the rock and the tree on the bank that way have 2 points of focus when they are out of align you know you are off course.

Do not look down at the rocks look ahead to your next eddie that way you will react rather than freeze when you see the rock.
Hit eddie line at 90 degrees paddle into use a rear draw or pry to keep the boat straight when you cross the line look at the rock and lean and the boat will be in the right position

When ferrying in a strong current look for a wave you can ride across
Lot of people wont like this but they said switch hands because that is stronger than your offside and if you don't you will not be able to do it in the future

You see a pour over don't go around just go over it



The thing I like most about them is they told you to do what felt comfortable and work of perfecting the moves over the next year or
so.

The thing that helped the most was looking ahead rather than the rocks especially going over big drops

[bkebs]

great list. As a newbie, I can say that those are all things I am working on. I ran my first class 3 2 weeks ago. There were probably 30 boaters running a release on a small creek, many of the more experienced boaters were encouraging me to push myself a bit harder on the easy class 1 and 2 along the way to the main rapid. I survived the run without dumping and felt my confidence skyrocket.

A few days later i was out on the local river really pushing ferrying and peelouts before going to the surf wave. Those guys helped me realize that pushing it on smaller stuff will help me improve. I think I have improved my skills, but also my comfort level. I am much more confident in my boat now, and in my ability. It does not hurt that it is warm now so I do not mind swimming as much.

I will be keeping these things in mind tomorrow then I hit the water.

[Don Beyer]

That's a great list, Pat. I have had a few of the same thoughts but never saw it put so well. I'd like to put it in our club newsletter, too with your permission.
I like your list, too, Phil!

[TNbound]

A good list indeed.

However, I think Phil mentioned what I feel to be the best advice for progressing, be it from class II to III or from IV to V: Find a better boater and watch them!

This is the, for me at least, the best way to learn short of actual instruction. Whenever I take up something new, I find the best person I can and try to follow them and emulate what works for them. While this may lead to a bit of a crash course learning style, some swims here and there are a good thing, as stated above.

[Craig Smerda]

Pat... you know what your club needs?

Hire a guest instructor... "inspireror" type of person to pay y'all a visit.

http://www.thecanoeguru.com/

[Smurfwarrior]

I heard that Eli is kinda heading that way (Yukon) after worlds in Germany.

[yarnellboat]

bkebs, Glad it works for you, sounds like you're in the target audience, and luckily with some good mentors. Thanks for posting.

Craig, you're so exactly right! I tried to get Eli out here last season, but didn't quite pull it off. Somebody else's turn to try to schedule something like that. Unfortunately I can't make it to Yukon this summer.

The other thing I've done is start a slalom race, which I think goes a long way to push people and teach them to catch small eddies and leave the eddies with a plan! I think the local slalom race will see a lot more class II paddlers graduate to class III more quickly.

Two other things that've been mentioned: leave eddies with authority/power/timing, and learn good acceleration. These ones I think are technical skills that instructors could do a better job of teaching.

If anyone else wants to re-print the list in a club newsletter, e-mail me and I'll send you the full article. You can edit as needed for your newsletter, but keeping my name to it would be appreciated. Glad it resonates with others.

Cheers, Pat.