Shoulder, Shoulder, Shoulder!
Published May 30, 2013 | 
Splash, dash heard your call
Bring you back your golden ball
He’s gonna dive down in the deep end
He’s gonna be just like your best friend
- gabrial
So when I watched this video posted with an article in RapidMedia, the first thing I thought was “Shoulder! Shoulder!, Shoulder!” I mean, putting that arm out in chicken-wing fashion then hitting the water will put a lot of tension on that shoulder, right? Next I thought, is there really a safe way to learn this style of high brace on flat water? Then I thought, isn’t there this whole school of thought out there that there is rarely a need for a high brace at all? Then I thought, hey look at all the peer reviews at the bottom of the article!! That’ll cover it! Continue reading
Those who can’t… teach…
Published April 13, 2013 | 
This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I’m stepping through the door
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way – bowie
We’ve all heard the quote,”Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Can’t, Teach.” Personally I like the Woody Allen version.. “Those who can’t do teach. Those who can’t teach, teach gym.” Well, that certainly fit my middle-school gym teacher anyway.. Buh! I’ve always hated that quote, but sometimes there is a ring of truth in it as well. I mean, there are some careers you’d never take a relatively low paying job teaching if you could make real money actually doing.. As a sea kayaking / rolling coach there is one place where the phrase points it’s nasty little finger right at me however, that’s the Balance Brace. I can teach it, but I’ll be damned if I can do it! Continue reading
Learning to Learn
Published March 9, 2013 | 
Last evening Sue and I started a beginners fencing class at the local university. It was interesting to be on the student side of the fence. As a coach, you can become so used to examining your students learning styles and their progressions that you often forget your own. Coaches and teachers don’t always make the best students. 
Continue reading
Posted in Coaching, Fitness, Learning, Outdoor Recreation, Paddling, Random Thoughts | 
auditory, Coaching, discovery learning, fencing, kinesthetic, Learning, learning styles, visual | 
3 CommentsFloat Yer Boat
Published March 7, 2013 | 
It’s that time once again. Canoecopia is now stampeding across the outdoor industry messaging prairie leaving nothing but dust in its wake. Um, Or .. well, Everybody’s talking about Canoecopia March 8th through March 10th. We’ll be there of course… ‘Nuff said.. Now let’s talk about pool sessions, coaching and Sue’s new roll! Continue reading
Don’t Look Down!
Published July 2, 2012 | 
I’m at a place called Vertigo
It’s everything I wish I didn’t know
But you give me something
I can feel! U2
Every so often someone new to kayaking faces water vertigo. They just can’t fall out of their kayak without inducing panic. Yeah, they can swim. They can hold their breath. Sometimes they are even divers. It just happens. They just stare at the water and start hyperventilating at the idea of falling over. Wet exits can induce sheer terror. I call it water vertigo. It’s not rational fear, it’s something hard wired and beyond your control. Sometimes that’s enough to make someone give up paddling all together. Sometimes people are so determined to enter the sport, that they’ll do just about anything to overcome it. I love working with these folks. Once they get through it, it’s a beautiful victory. Continue reading
Grand Marais 2012
Published February 20, 2012 | 
What do you learn when you get a phone call from paddling sorcerer Kelly Blades? Why the answers to the mysteries of the universe of course! Well, not ALL of the answers, BUT I did learn that I’ll will be joining the annual pilgrimage to Grand Marais, Michigan July 18th through the 22nd to “confer, converse, and otherwise hob-nob with my fellow wizards” at the 2012 Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium. Of course I’m not allowed to share the secret spells or tell the tales of things to come. Not yet anyway, but I can say that a magical experience will be had by all who join the circle and dance around the fire on the shores of lake Superior… High heels are optional…
Everyone that I knew /And everyone that you know was in my dream
I saw a vampire / I saw a ghost
Everybody scared me but you sacred me the most
- randy numan
I’ve spent a lot of time writing about products over the years. I’ll do it again. Still to be honest, I must be getting old.. or maybe I’m just drowning in the product placement seas. When browsing the blogs, Facebook and the rest of the social media universe I have to admit I’m getting a little burned out on the newest and latest thing. I mean, can’t we just go paddling? Continue reading →