Oh Sweep Jeebus!
Published August 11, 2009 | 
But still the warmth flows through me / And I sense you know me well
No luck, no golden chances / No mitigating circumstances now
It’s only common sense
There are no accidents around here
- peter gabriel
When I took my ACA coach training I learned the dusty book of sweeps. Basically a tale of two hands. Your guiding hand setting the blade in the water as far forward as possible then “sweeping” your paddle into a wide arching “C”. The other (or inner) hand which holds the other end of the paddle, starts at your shoulder, then slices diagonally across your abdomen as you sweep then coming to a stop at your hip. Blah! You find yourself pantomiming a Japanese warrior committing seppuku, your kayak jetting forward and rarely turning an inch on early attempts. I know the method is bible based to some. I’m sorry, really.. but it’s an old, old method and as techniques go is akin to eating soup with a fork. You may be able to do it with practice.. buy why would you?
A sweep is much simpler than all that. In fact new paddlers can get away with blowing 80% of their technique IF they simply do one thing. Keep that fist down. If you have a look at the picture above you’ll see my inner hand is practically resting on my cockpit. When I perform a forward or reverse sweep my fist never rises above this position. It simply slides across the skirt as my torso turns and I sweep the blade. A sweep on flat water is a relaxed dance move.
For beginners keeping the (inner) fist low offers a taste of immediate reward by forcing the blade out and away from the kayak during the sweep and the kayak will turn. A coach will not need to spend so much time focused on the, “out and away”. What’s more, this low position along with a good edge (leaning into the sweep) will allow paddlers to reach a bit more forward (or back) as well. As if that weren’t enough a good diagram would point out that the method of placing your inner fist up by your shoulder and looking into the sweep opens up a dangerous body position that paddlers normally try their best to avoid.
Another important focus point of the sweep is of the “Body & Boat” variety. I spend a lot of time with my students talking about “body, boat, blade” as a priority list for each skill. “What is the body doing?”, “What is the boat doing?”, and lastly, very lastly, “What is the blade doing?”. In a sweep your body and boat act like scissors. The lower half, (below the waist) is one blade, your upper half (torso & paddle) is the other. In a forward sweep you simply open the scissors. Meaning you turn your lower body (the bit inside the boat) opposite or away from the upper half of your body. Your torso is the hinge. A reverse sweep simply closes the scissors. Often with a reverse sweep I have found having student concentrate on closing their outer fist and inner knee until they “meet” works well as a guide. The point here is that your whole body is engaged in the sweep, not simply your upper body or paddle.
In the end even if a new paddler struggles with their edge or struggles with the concepts of body motion, simply keeping that inner fist on the deck will pay off right away with some much needed early success.
One last, but also important tip I can offer on learning the sweep is simply “stop and do it again”. If your boat begins to sail forward or back… just stop. Don’t let it go one foot forward or back. The sweep is already blown at that point. Just stop, put that fist back down on the deck, reach forward and do it again. It will come.
** Credit where it’s due – Kayak Uber Coach Dale Williams first slapped my fist down and gave me the gift of a good sweep. Thanks Dale!
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