Learning how to kayak in a straight line when you first get started isn’t necessarily a top priority. You want to be able to get where you’re going first and foremost, then work on the details.
So, to help you kayak in a straight line and hone in on those basic skills, we’ve put together 10 fun and memorable sayings and tips. Remember these when you next get on the water, try them out and see what difference they make!
You don’t need to try and remember all these tips at once though. Why not concentrate on one or two per session!? By the time you get to number 10, your technique should be spot on!
10 memorable tips to help you kayak in a straight line
- Sit tall – Sit on your sit bones and gently draw you tummy button to your spine.
- Pinch the fiver – imagine you are holding a fiver between your shoulder blades – keep it there.
- Darcie’s top line – keep your neck long and shoulders level – think graceful like a Ballet dancer.
- Start from the base – push with the foot to start the stroke.
- Hold the top hand – don’t move the top hand forwards until the paddle is in the water.
- Always moving forwards – focus on driving the hip and shoulder forwards on the seat.
- Cross linking – try and feel a connection between top shoulder and opposite thigh as the stroke goes through.
- Level running – keep the top hand at a similar height through the stroke.
- Clean and dry – once your hand is past your knee take the blade out – stops you and your mates getting wet!
- Pause at the top – don’t start the next stroke until the back hand is the top hand.
Once you’ve got these 10 tips in your head, keep on practising until they become second nature. It’s amazing how quickly your technique will improve!