Instructions for How to Paddle a Kayak

Although the sport of kayaking looks easy--almost anyone can grab a boat and a paddle and head out--learning efficient paddle strokes makes it more enjoyable. You'll learn more by taking a lesson with a qualified kayaking instructor, but if you don't have access to or money for a lesson, you can learn strokes on your own. The forward stroke seems easy, but it has several nuances that you need to master before it becomes efficient. Because it's the most used stroke, having an efficient forward stroke makes it easier to paddle the kayak forward.

Instructions

    • 1

      Sit upright in the kayak. Put your feet on the foot braces, your back against the back band and your knees against the knee braces. Adjust the foot braces by moving them forward or backward until your legs assume a diamond shape.

    • 2

      Hold your paddle slightly wider than your shoulders. To determine the correct distance, hold your paddle centered above your head. Move your hands until your elbows bend 90 degrees. That's the place to hold your hands.

    • 3

      Hold the paddle out in front of you with your arms slightly bent. Twist your torso until the right-hand paddle blade goes forward and your left goes backward. Twisting your torso feels like a standing twist exercise for reducing love handles. The rotation comes from your hip and stomach area more than from your shoulders. When done correctly, your life vest's zipper rotates with you and always aligns with the center of the paddle.

    • 4

      Put the right-hand paddle blade into the water in front of your right foot. Keep the blade vertical as you submerge it. Paddlers call this "the catch."

    • 5

      Unwind your torso rotation by pulling the blade backward to your hip. Once your hand reaches your hip, pull the blade out. If you rotated your torso correctly, your left-hand paddle blade assumes the catch position.

    • 6

      Repeat the stroke on your left side.