Teaching Tips For Kayaking
Published September 9, 2011 | 
Poor Professor Pynchon had only good intentions when he
Put his Bunsen burners all away
And turning to a playground in a Petri dish
Where single cells would swing their fists at anything that looks like easy prey
– andrew bird
So.. If you are a kayaking coach, you’ll certainly want to check out the ACA’s Teaching Tips for Kayaking. There’s a lot of good stuff in there. I especially like the bit about learning styles… Of course I am quickly reminded what kind of learner I am NOT, when faced with thoes lettery-memory things like “EDRC” not to mention this paragraph heading, “Paddle Orientation for Efficiency – Basic Naval Architecture” (which includes the diagram above). If I had to absorb coaching and paddling techniques through acronyms and diagrams, I’d be taking up another sport entirely.. something simpler, like space flight!
Actually though, don’t let my side track, side-track you. The ACA is doing a great job providing lots of information for folks who can learn this way.. I’m just going to have to wait for the comic book edit.. Oh, a butterfly!
Just Gotsta Believe
Published May 11, 2011 |
don’t give up now / we’re proud of who you are
don’t give up / you know it’s never been easy
don’t give up / ’cause I believe there’s the a place
there’s a place where we belong
- gabriel
Sometimes its only faith that keeps you going; The belief that if you work hard enough, if you face your fears head on, you’ll always overcome. Eventually. That was last night’s pool session in a nut shell. I spent another evening just trying to resurface as my 10-year-old son spent his night on his knees on a diving board trying to make his body fall in.. head first.
On her website, GreenlandorBust.org, instructor Helen Wilson responds to a question about weight and flexibility this way, “With rolling I have found that a person’s size has very little to do with ability. A person’s flexibility however can play a huge role.”. Then she goes on to talk about various exercises and yoga. All good stuff. That said, I don’t really have a “size” role model when it comes to rolling. I’ve not seen anyone 5’7″ and 220 do a straight jacket roll. Not to say no one has, I’ve just not seen it. At 45 I’m pretty flexible though, so if size doesn’t matter I’ll get there.. It’s a matter of faith. Well, to be honest.. I don’t really care about straight jacket rolls, but there are a few more I’d like to add to the my own personal list. 
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The Achilles Stroke
Published June 15, 2010 | 
And a bearded lady said to me –
if you start your raving and your misbehaving –
you’ll be sorry. – Tull
It’s O.K. to suck at something. Kayakers often forget when they were afraid they would fall over on flat water, but most of us have been there. Over years we learn all sorts of fun, fascinating, and “cool” kayaking skills. Even so, there are always things we’d like to be better at, and certain skills that we can never seem to perfect, our “Achilles Stroke”, if you will. Mine is using sweeps to turn-in-place. I struggled perfecting it for so long I think I developed a mad case of sweep-on-a-dime-o-phobia, I can do it, cleanly, smoothly and the rest..but I never and I mean NEVER feel comfortable. It’s that one move that still makes me break out in sweats when I have to demo it. As I said, we all have those moves that drive us crazy. For some it’s an offside roll, for some it’s side-sculling, for others it’s a hanging draw. What’s you’re Achilles Stroke? What’s going wrong? Maybe someone around here can offer some tips!
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