It’s often said that the primary reason for practicing paddling skills such as bracing or rolling is to make it a reflex action so that when you really need the skill, you can instantly perform it without thinking about the details. In the case of rolling and bracing, you need to overcome the natural instinct to get your head out of water to get a breath of air. As those who know how to roll or are learning to roll have discovered, one of the keys to a successful roll is to have your head come out of the water last, even though that goes against your natural reflex to breathe. Similarly, when learning to perform a recovery high brace, you may have to fight the impulse to brace too soon, that is, before you’ve tipped over far enough that a brace is even necessary.
For the past several years, I have assisted a friend in teaching a beginner class, so I’ve had the opportunity to witness a lot of people capsize in a kayak. One thing I’ve noticed is that, in almost every case, paddlers capsize in the direction in which their paddle is in the water. Typically, they’ll try to stay upright by leaning away from the water to keep from going in, as in Image 2. This is a natural reaction for novices—if they’re about to fall in the water, the instinct is to avoid going in by leaning away from it. They will also push down on the paddle, but it’s usually at an angle that will only cause it to go deeper in the water.
Image 2: A novice will often lean away from the capsize and push the paddle down,
making a capsize inevitable.
Most of these paddlers will learn how to perform a high brace and may even practice it often, but the technique they use may only work when the boat is only partially tipped over, as it is during an edged turn. Typically, paddlers will tilt the boat with their hips but try to keep nearly centered over the boat. From this position (often referred to as a J-lean), a quick slap of the power face timed with a hip snap brings them back to a fully upright position. That same technique may not work as well when a high brace is used for recovery from getting knocked down to the water. Fortunately, there are several exercises or drills you can use to develop a high brace that will work well when the going gets rough.
When you’re using your paddle for a high brace, think of it as a lever. Sit on the floor, holding your paddle horizontally about chest high and your elbows tight against your sides. Touch the right blade to the floor by raising the left (inboard) hand, using your right (outboard) hand as a pivot point. Notice the angle of the paddle shaft. Now try the same exercise, but keep the left (inboard) hand fixed and touch the right blade to the floor by lowering the right hand (pivoting off the left hand). Again, note the angle of the paddle shaft. As you can see, if you allow the inboard hand to come up, the angle of the paddle shaft is more vertical. If you were to try to brace with the working blade at this angle, it would provide so little support that it’s no more than a pointer indicating the direction you will likely be falling: down. Using the outboard hand to bring the working blade to the water and keeping the inboard hand stationary, or anchored, will keep the blade at a shallower angle and provide a more effective brace. |
