With the inlet at HPP now being a really nice clean surf-able wave I thought this latest topic would be about the wave I have spent a lot of time on over the past couple of weeks.
This wave is fun to surf, and with it being so clean it is really easy to learn things on. I love surfing a wave, weather its a smooth glassy clean wave like this, or a fast steep dynamic one, like the one currently after the muncher. One of the main reason I go canoeing is for sensations. I love the feeling of the boat gliding across the surface of the water, trying to get more speed out of every carve, creating more pressure with every edge, or having more grip on the paddle everytime I turn.
So lets talk about surfing/carving and edges.
This wave is fun to surf, and with it being so clean it is really easy to learn things on. I love surfing a wave, weather its a smooth glassy clean wave like this, or a fast steep dynamic one, like the one currently after the muncher. One of the main reason I go canoeing is for sensations. I love the feeling of the boat gliding across the surface of the water, trying to get more speed out of every carve, creating more pressure with every edge, or having more grip on the paddle everytime I turn.
So lets talk about surfing/carving and edges.
Surfing/Carving and Edges.
Once we are on the wave and surfing directly upstream, this is now the time to start carving across the wave.
Only using edges
From surfing and pointing directly upstream in the middle of the river if we want to move we need to edge an edge to get the boat to start carving off in the direction we desire.
To move left we look left and lean right. We lift the left knee and put pressure down onto our right knee (in C1 esp) Once the boat is moving we need to flatten off the edges otherwise the water flowing from upstream will catch the edge we have engaged (we will now effectively be leaning upstream) and flip us over.
To move right, we do the opposite. We look right and lean left. Lifting the right knee and putting pressure down on the left knee.
Our balance leaning forwards and backwards depends upon what is happening to the boat. We need to lean to lean back to lighten the nose, esp if we are already carving in once direction, but we also want to then lean a little forwards to edge the edge at the front of the boat. This is just a careful balance.
Once you get the feeling of the pressure on the edges, the whole process is actually easier without a paddle. If you can stay relaxed without the paddle, you can feel free'er. You can use your arms and rotate more to engage the edge more.
When transitioning between edges we want to be smooth. Like we are pressuring the edge to grip and turn us back.
Start with small movements left and right, then as you start to feel the pressure on your edges more and more go for longer carves.
The biggest thing is learning to relax, and on this wave due to its smooth nature is be progressive
Note – I also try to use this pressure to carve off the edge in a lot of staggers (to prime the turn before or as I turn with a bowrudder/slice) in upstreams (or rail the boat upstream and therefore get my hips above the gateline) and in tracking the boat in general. A lot of this becomes subconscious, and is the foundations of how I want more move my boat progressively, maintain control, and keep the boat flowing rely on this edge control and not relying on my arms to turn the boat.
Only using one blade fixed in the water
Here we can see that we can surf in both directions with just one blade in the water. This isnt hard, but takes control and feel with the blade.
Quite often when people surf a wave they use the paddle as a break to turn, rather than using the paddle to guide the boat along with edge control in the direction they wish to go.
So how do we guide the boat?
Edges help, but where the blade is in relation to the boat, the angle or the blade and the direction of pressure on the blade are also key.
Imagine we are using the left blade in the water.
Start on the flatwater – paddle forwards and put in a stern rudder. If the boat stays in a straight line, you know you are doing the stern rudder correctly. If the boat is not, then something is wrong with the rudder. More likely than not the blade acting as a rudder is either not perpendicular to the boat, or in at an a tilted angle. What we want is the blade neutral and guiding us forwards.
Now to move left and right have a look at this link, it shows and explains it very well http://www.kayakpaddling.net/2-3 (2nd clip down) Now take a watch of how these blade positions act upon the boats carving across and back along the wave. |
Carving off bow rudders and cross bows
Carving off a bow rudder or a crossbow often gives you a lot of momentum off the turn, A reverse can break the boat, losing speed, and a guiding/trailing rudder like described above has less force to it, than a bow rudder or a cross bow. With the blade at the front of the boat, more connection with the water can be made to more the boat forwards and therefore also more edge away from the blade can be created (due to the increased grip) and more speed carried across the wave because of it.
Carving off punts
As the title and video suggests, with a the punt off and immovable object (the wall) the boat can fly back acoss the wave.
Overall
You may ask, why will surfing make me any faster at canoe slalom? I need to get quicker around gates, and stronger and more powerful in the gym. This is true, however we need skill and control around gates. The better we are with out edges, and the more feel we have behind the blades, the more control over our boat we have. If we have control, we can go fast. If we don't have control, then we end up late on staggers, low on ups and this means we are slow around gates.
I would not say to devote whole weeks of training to this, but a little bit each session is very useful. Surfing can be fun too. Learning to relax on the wave and have control, but push yourself, don't just be satisfied by being able to front surf, be able to move around the wave, trying to also feel the sensations of the different parts of the wave, and challenge yourself to do harder carves, smoother changes of direction, or be able to create more pressure behind your blade.