Paddling Techniques for Kayaking

Basic Control Stroke

• 1

  Master this basic stroke mastered before trying the other techniques. This is the foundation technique for all the ones that follow. As you begin, make sure you are holding the paddle correctly. The smooth, concave part of the paddle blade should be facing you. You need to be holding the paddle right side up. That is not an issue with a symmetrical blade. Asymmetrical paddle blades are more tapered toward the bottom and need to be held right side up. Many paddle blades are offset so that if one blade is laying flat on the ground, the other blade will be lifted up at an angle. Your dominant hand is the control grip and does not change as you paddle. The other hand will have a loose grip and will slide around the shaft of the paddle so that the blades are always vertical when in the water. When holding the paddle your hands should be shoulder width apart.

• 2

  Be aware of several things so you do not fall out or tip over the kayak. 1) Do not paddle past your waist. Keep the paddle ahead of you. End your stroke before you draw the paddle past your side. 2) Do not bring your hands beyond the mid-line of your body in front of you. Pretend there is a barrier like a pole directly in front of you and you can not cross it with your hands. 3) Keep the blade of the paddle vertical, not angled forward or backward. 4) To paddle the kayak you need to sit up straight. Your thighs and feet should be braced properly.

• 3

  Begin paddling by rotating your body and extending your control arm. The other arm should draw back allowing your torso to rotate. Slide the blade of the paddle into the water near your feet. Rotate your body as you draw the blade beside the boat. Now bend your control arm as you extend your other one. This gets you into position for the next stroke.

• 4

  Let your loose grip hand slide around the shaft of the paddle so the blade is in the vertical position. It should be in place by the time you dip the blade into the water on the loose grip side. Once again, rotate your torso to draw the paddle through the water parallel to the kayak. Your loose grip arm should be retracting and your control arm extending by the end of the stroke. As you finish the stroke and reach to paddle with the control arm rotate the shaft of the paddle in your loose grip hand so the blade is in the proper vertical position for the next control stroke.

Other Paddling Techniques

• 5

  Try the Power Stroke. Every ninth stroke will be a power stroke. Perform one to one side of the kayak and then one to the other side, which will keep you moving in a straight line. If more power is given to one side due to a naturally dominant side the kayak may seem to pull to one side.
  During this stroke your hands are gripping the shaft of the paddle near the blade. You lean forward at the waist as far as you can comfortably. You will be using your torso, not your arms, to make the stroke. Plant the paddle blade and draw it through the water parallel to the side of the boat.

• 6

  Experiment with Forward Sweep and Reverse Sweep. For the forward sweep reach forward and out from the kayak. Your stroke will be an arc, like a half circle. As you draw the half circle in the water you are pulling toward the back of the kayak. This will steer the kayak in the opposite direction. The reverse sweep is drawn in the reverse direction. The sweep moves in an arc from stern to bow. This pulls the kayak toward the side of the stroke. You can use a power stroke followed by this move to make a 90 degree turn.

• 7

  Try the Stern Rudder. The kayak is most stable when it is moving. With this technique be careful not to overly slow your momentum or you might get caught in a trough of fast moving water. Use the stern rudder technique just to adjust your direction for a few seconds and then return to strokes that will give your speed in the water. For this maneuver you plant the blade of the paddle just behind the cockpit. You will only get the rudder effect if you have forward momentum to work against it. Remember the warning in the basic stroke about having the paddle behind you. It increases the chances of tipping the kayak. So don't reach very far back and use this move with caution.