In this video we’re going to figure out what’s the most secure position
to make sure you don’t capsize.
Is this the most secure position?
Imagine someone was trying to push you over. Would you stay sideways to them?
Or would you rotate to face them?
You would rotate and edge towards them, yes?
What if instead of pushing you over they decided to pull you towards them.
Now you’re in trouble right?
Not if you know what to do with your paddle.
Try this out.
Sit on the floor and just sit sideways with your paddle at 90 degrees.
Notice how secure this feels. Get someone to push you around a bit if you can.
Now sit with your body rotated, and edging towards your paddle,
and let your paddle be more like 45 degrees from the stern.
And just play with it. Imagine someone is trying to push or pull you.
Which position gives you the most control?
If you agree that this is stronger, the next question is
“how do I get into this position and rotate my pelvis while in a kayak?”
If you learned to jam yourself in your kayak like most people do,
you may not have this option. And you may find that paddling in the waves is scarry.
You may worry about losing your balance.
And capsizing.
On the other hand if you move your pelvis to get more rotation,
and you use your core muscles to move and adjust your balance when needed,
I think you will find that it transforms how confident you feel in your kayak.
You become a different kind of paddler.
Someone who is at home in the water.
And the kayak and paddle becomes a natural extension to your body.
And it gives you the agility to respond,
without having to react with force. It’s more like dancing.
And you don’t need any special talent to do this.
You already know how to move your body naturally. You just need to know how to do it in the kayak.
I first learned to wear my kayak differently over 20 years ago.
I was watching a video called “rolling with Maligiaq”.
And I was trying to learn the balance brace the way it was demonstrated in the video.
At first I could not balance brace even with an oversized paddle float at the end of my paddle.
I just sank.
Then I realized there is something different about how the inuit move with their kayak.
I asked myself “what do I need to change before I can move like that?”
And after adding thigh braces, and a lot of foam to create a better fit with my kayak,
I was able to move my body naturally, without the risk of falling out.
That’s when I saw the biggest breakthrough in my skill level.
It was revolutionary for me.
The funny thing is, it didn’t come as a result of practicing. Or even learning anything new.
I was now able to balance brace. And it felt completely easy.
As you can probably imagine, if you can lay on the water without having the kayak push you under,
rolling is pretty easy.
I quickly became very comfortable in the
waves because I was no longer limited to this weak position.
I could now rotate, and place my body in a powerful place
and have complete control of my balance.
There’s no need to rely on kayak stability anymore.
The paddler and the paddle create the stability.
That’s what gives you complete peace of mind in the waves.
Helping people move with their kayak is the first step I take when I help
the regular paddler develop extraordinary skills.
If you want to learn more about how to outfit your kayak to move like this, click the link
in the description below this video to sign up for the free “unlock your agility mini course.”
After you have a good fit with your kayak, you’re ready to learn to move your body in a strong way.
And place your paddle in a strong position.
You can generate a lot of power.
And it feels easy.
Because your body is in a naturally strong position.
When you have a good body position you don’t need a hard brace. It’s easy to stay in balance.
If you want to learn how to move naturally with your kayak, Click the link in the description
below this video and sign up for the first free lesson from the course “Journey to confidence”.
Where I take a near beginner paddler and show her how to completely transform her skills
in just a few months.
Thanks for watching.