Welcome to the second article in the series which aims to cover the B.C.U. (British Canoe Union) kayak and canoe Star Awards and looks in detail at how the required skills can be developed. The first article in last month's issue of "Paddles" covered the B.C.U. One Star award for closed cockpit kayaks. In this month's magazine we will be covering the skills needed at B.C.U. Two Star level. (Closed cockpit kayaks). Because the B.C.U. Two Star award is a progression from the One Star award, many of the strokes covered are similar but the paddler is expected to perform the strokes at a higher standard. We will therefore be concentrating on both new strokes within the Two Star Award, and the higher standard required on strokes which have been covered at a more basic level in last month's issue.

The award is divided up into three different sections, Theory, Practical" A" and Practical "B".

Let's look first of all at the Practical "A" section of the award.

Lifting and carrying kayaks.
Good lifting technique is simply about using a few basic principles. There are a couple of words we can use to jog our memory every-time we are about to lift something:

SAFE:

S        Stop
A        Assess the situation
F        Formulate a plan of how to safely lift the equipment
E        Execute that plan

Another word which is a useful check before we lift something is:

LITE:

L        Load    -                    look at the load
I         Individual                  Can the individual(s) safety lift the equipment?
T       Task                          Is this a reasonable task?
E       Environment             Is the environment safe. (I.E  go round slippery banks banks                                  rather that over them if necessary).

The following principles are also very helpful when thinking about lifting:

1.   Where ever possible, always share the load.
2.   Keep the spine in line
3.   Slide and glide rather than lift if possible
4.   Make sure the load is properly balanced.

Always work on the basic that we only have one back so protect it!!

Forward paddling.

Forward paddling

Good forward paddling technique was cover by Peter Astles in the Jan. '97 issue of "paddles". The specific coaching points to remember at Two Star level are that, you should now be paddling with a good upright sitting position, be able to keep the boat running in a straight line for at least 200m's and be able to cover short distances at good speed.

Reverse Paddling.

Again, this was covered in Jan. '97 issue of "Paddles". The main differences between the skill level of a One Star paddler and a Two Star paddler is that: 1. The paddler should be producing power from not only the arms, but also the back and shoulder muscles by twisting at the waist before placing the paddle blade in the water behind them, and then unwinding the body. 2. The paddler should be able to keep the boat running in reasonably straight line backwards by balancing out the power of each stroke on both sides and making minor adjustments by using reverse sweep strokes. 3. The paddler should be able to comfortably keep the boat on track by looking over one shoulder. 4. Don't forget to use the back of the paddle blade.

Stopping.

For stopping please see our write up in last month's issue of Paddles. N.B. At Two Star level the paddler should be able to reverse the direction of the boat from a good forward speed within four strokes. See picture in last issue).

Moving the kayak sideways.

Moving the boat sideways

The basic elements of this stroke were again covered in our article on the B.C.U. One Star Award in last Month's issue. At Two Star level, a paddler should be able to "draw" the boat sideways without going off course. The key to this is: 1. Always pull the blade in towards the boat at right angles to the boat. Twisting your body towards the paddle blade will help you to pull the blade in at right angles to the boat. 2. Find that "magic" point of balance on the edge of the boat (usually between the hips and the knees) which, if you pull the blade towards, will result in the boat going perfectly sideways. 3. If the front of the boat starts to spin round, pull the blade in slightly further back and visa versa if the back of the boat starts to spin round. 4. Try to keep the paddle shaft as upright as possible and keep the boat level or even tilted away from the paddle blade if you can. This will help the boat slide sideways across the water.

Preventing a capsize.

Low recovery stroke High recovery stroke

As we discussed in the last issue, preventing a capsize is all about using the paddle as a lever on the water to stop the boat tipping over. If the boat is pushed slightly off balance, a "low recovery stroke" is usually all that is needed to correct things. The key to a good recovery stroke is: 1. Push down firmly on the water using the back of the paddle. 2. Keep your elbows and wrists above the paddle shaft. 3. Recover the boat by quickly raising your knee and hip as you push down on the water. 4. Recover the blade by rolling your wrist back and knifing the blade out of the water vertically. If the boat is thrown off balance a long way, it may be necessary to use a "high recovery stroke". This involves: 1. Pulling down hard on the paddle using the drive face of the paddle for support. 2. The wrist and elbow of the supporting arm should be below the paddle shaft and it is essential that the support stroke is at right angles to the boat and is performed with a bent arm. See photo. N.B. Failure to do this could potentially result in damage to the shoulder joint. 3. Recover the boat by quickly raising your knee and hip as you pull down on the water. 4. Recover the blade by rolling your wrist forward and knifing the blade out of the water vertically.

Ruddering.

Ruddering

We discussed ruddering in last month's issue and looked at steering the boat through narrow gaps by trailing the blade behind the boat and either pushing the blade towards or away from the boat to maintain a straight course. This method applies equally at Two Star level, but an interesting progression from this is to control the boats direction by adjusting the blade angle rather than pulling/pushing on the the blade. Let's assume that you are ruddering on the right hand side. If you are doing this correctly, you should find that if you tilt the top of the trailing blade away from the boat, the boat will turn towards the right, and if you tilt the top of the blade towards the boat, the boat will turn towards the left. Try it!!

Turning the boat.

Low brace turn

Basic turning strokes called "sweep strokes" were again discussed in last month's issue. There is another stroke called a "low brace turn" which is very effective for turning the boat, particularly when moving from slow moving water into fast moving water and visa versa. We will be covering the moving water dynamics of this stroke in a later issue but the key benefit of this stroke to note at Two Star level is that it allows us to both turn the boat and support the boat on its edge at the same time. The technique: 1. This is a dynamic stroke and requires the boat to be moving fairly fast initially to be effective. 2. Start the boat turning by doing a sweep stroke on one side. 3. On the opposite side, place the blade on the surface of the water, level with your hips, with the leading edge of the blade tilted slightly upwards. 4. Edge the boat gently as in the photograph. You should now be turning and holding the boat on its edge at the same time!!

Returning to the back and getting out.

Getting out

Try approaching the back using a combination of strokes such as a low brace turn followed by stopping, followed by a sculling draw. (See below). Remember not to use your paddles when getting out, but just keep them close at hand. See photo.

Securing.

Securing

Securing the boat onto a roof rack or trailer correctly at the end of the paddle is essential for safety. Most paddlers tend to use purpose made straps when securing a boat to a roof rack, and ropes when securing boats to trailers. It is also well worth while investing in a quality roof rack particularly if you intend to carry several boats on the roof at once. One boat can normally be carried on a roof rack upside down as shown in the photo.

Practical "B"

Deep water rescue.

This is an essential safety technique which is really useful if another paddler capsizes and is some distance from the bank. It allows a paddler to empty another's boat and get the swimmer back in a.s.a.p. The essentials of this technique are: 1. Get the capsized canoeist to hang on to the front of your boat securely, and maintain hold of their paddle (if possible). Don't forget to reassure them, the water may be very cold!! 2. Get someone to assist you to pull their upturned boat across your cockpit and then empty their boat by rocking it up and down. 3. Turn their boat over so you can see which end is the front and which end is the back. 4. Carefully place their boat in the water beside yours, with the rear end facing them. 5. Ask them to pass you their paddles, tuck their paddles under your arms (resting on the deck) ,and then reach over and firmly grab the front of their cockpit on both sides. 6. Ask them to move forward between the two boats, and when their head is almost level with the rear of their cockpit, ask them to put an arm over both boats, tilt their head back and lift their feet into their boat. 7. Get them to slide into the boat and help them to put on their spray deck. 8. Don't forget to give them back their paddles! Apologies for the lack of photo, we had a lack of volunteers to brave the icy Jan. waters!!

Sculling Draw.

Sculling draw

This is a more advanced method of moving a boat sideways, involving a continuous pulling force resulting from slicing the paddle blade through the water rather than just pulling the blade towards the boat. The key coaching points to remember on this stroke are: 1. Twist your body towards the side of the boat you wish to perform the stroke on. 2. Try to place the paddle blade in the water with the paddle shaft as vertical as possible and in line with your hips. The drive face of the blade should be facing you. 3. Roll your wrist back slightly and slice the blade towards the front of the boat until it's in line with your knees. 4. Now simultaneously roll your wrist forward and change the blade direction by slicing the blade towards the back of the boat. Slice the blade back as far as you comfortably can, and then repeat the stroke. 5. Once you get the hang of this, try to edge the boat slightly to help the boat slip sideways.

Sculling Support.

Sculling support

This stroke is ideal for situations where the boat needs to be held off balance for a period of time. In whitewater paddling this would usually be when a paddler is in a stopper (see photo). It is very similar to the skulling draw in execution, except that the paddler is sculling the blade horizontally across the surface of the water rather than vertically through it. The key points of this stroke are: 1. Keep the paddle shaft as horizontal as possible 2. With the boat just off balance and the paddle blade in the water roll your wrist back slightly and skull the blade forwards across the surface of the water as far as is comfortable. 3. Now simultaneously change the blade angle and direction of travel by rolling your wrist forwards and sculling towards the back of the boat as far as is comfortable. 4. Repeat the stroke. 5. Remember to try to edge the boat using your hips and knees whilst keeping your body reasonably upright. NB. The key to an efficient sculling support is a long slow sculling motion, and ensuring that you only change the blade angle when you change the stroke direction (changing the blade angle too early results in the paddle blade diving slightly at the beginning and end of each stroke).

Eskimo Rescue.

The term Eskimo rescue sounds very complicated but all it means is giving a capsized canoeist the front of your boat to allow them to pull themselves up. At Two Star level this should be practised whilst still holding onto your helper's bow. The key to a good recovery is to remain calm, raise yourself up until your body is floating on the surface of the water, and then roll you boat back on balance by rotating your hips. It is important to do this because if you try to bring your whole body up first leaving the cockpit of the boat facing downward you will have nowhere to go, apart from back under of course!

Edging.

The final technique within the Two Star award is to practice paddling around in a circle whilst edging the boat. This will help improve your balance and help you find the point of balance of the boat.

Theory.

Lastly, a Two Star paddler should have a reasonable basic level of knowledge of different types of equipment, safety, fist aid, the river access situation in this country, and be environmentally aware. They should also have some knowledge of journey planning and group awareness. The Two Star award also requires that paddlers have made at least one reasonable journey in a boat of about two hours duration.

Don't miss April's issue of Paddles where we will be discussing the BCU Three Star award. Happy paddling!

All text and pictures Copyright Kent Canoes 2006