Well the dawn was coming, / Heard him ringing on my bell.
He said, “my names the teacher, / That is what I call myself.
– tull

Thumbs Up! I say that now because honestly I get really board reading long-winded reviews when all I needed was a gladiatorial thumbs up or thumbs down. So if you’re looking for the Circus Maximus version of my Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown review its, “Thumbs Up”. Gordon Lives!!

Still here eh?  I suppose that means I better keep typing…

If you follow the world of sea kayaking at all you’ve probably heard of Gordon Brown at one time or another. Gordon is one of the most well known sea kayaking coaches in the world and certainly one of the top coaches in the UK. Keep that in mind when I tell you there is no way I or anyone else can tell you Gordon does not know what he’s doing. He does. Oddly enough knowing Gordon by reputation only is what set me up for a bit of a suprise when watching the video.

Instructional kayak videos often have a “thing”. They bring on a coach, tell you how good he is ( Or worse, he tells you how good he is!) and then  they go getting all officious, diagramy and posey (With the occasional hard core whitewater/musical interlude of course) (and yes, I do make up words) . For some reason that’s just how they’re done.  They also tend to open with warnings meant to protect people from paddling all together, “Paddling & Smoking may be hazardous to your health…“. The Sea Kayak DVD is having none of that.  It is simply a DVD that will help you become a better paddler.  That’s it.

Sea Kayak spends it’s time moving back and forth between instructional sections and a group trip along the west coast of the Isle of Sky in Scotland. The DVD then sets about showing you how each of the lessons integrates into real life through the window of the trip. You can also choose to simply watch the trip or the lessons. Good concept. It also means that just about the time my American attention span began to wane, the content would change and call me right back into the DVD.

With Gordon you will learn how to kayak, not how to talk about learning to kayak. There is nothing that personally drives me more crazy than a coach who talks strokes into millimeters and sets inflexible body and hand positions as laws. This is where Gordon’s years of experience come in. He simply does things. Whatever it is he’s demonstrating is so smooth, so hardwired that you imagine he could be reading Jane Austen with one eye, checking his Iphone with the other and it would have no effect on his demonstration. (At one point he does actually cut in and out of an eddy with his eyes closed.) He doesn’t preach or lecture, or dig down too deeply into the mechanics of boat control. Demonstrations are clear & concise without getting wordy. There are no props or charts to contend with. He simply covers the important bits and shows you how it’s done. Some coaches or reviewers may see this as a negative. I could image some stickler type calling him for a hand, paddle or blade position foul here and there.  They’d be missing the point. Personally I think the relaxed style is right on the mark.

I have a preview copy that the film-maker, Simon Willis was kind enough to send me. I can read right here on the cover that the production values are not what they will be on the final product. Even so, it looked good on my big screen and the sound was exceptional. I was impressed by how well Gordon’s mic worked in all conditions. There was no buzz, click or wind noise to be found. The demos were well thought through visually. Simon managed light, color and contrast very well, making it easy to see exactly what was going on at all times. Well, other than the bit where the rain was so thick you couldn’t see anything! (Even then the sound was perfect!)

So here’s the thing. I hate instructional videos. I’ve been doing this way too long. I’ve also had some interaction at one time or another with both Simon and Gordon. Oddly, I’ve never actually had a class with Gordon and only really communicated with him over Greenland Sticks.. (No comment). Given that, I have to say the guys did a good job with this one. Sea Kayak will be the DVD I recommend to my students going forward. Well, “Sea Kayak” and “This Is The Sea”.. Get ‘em excited, then show ‘em how it’s done. (Or is that the other way ’round?)

Sea Kayak With Gordon Brown will be available in the US December 1st. For clips, more info and to order visit SeaKayakWithGordonBrown.com (what else!?)

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