Forward Stroke Clinic

Torso rotation they say is the key to powering the kayak. That is what they say over and over in the kayak class. Torso rotation is all well and good but it's pretty useless if nobody ever explains how to translate the power generated by rotating the torso into the blade of the paddle to move the boat forward. And so champion kayaker Brent Reitz developed a one day workshop to address the issue.

On Sunday I walked into the kayak shop at Half Moon Bay confidently clutching my paddle to spend the day learning exactly how this torso rotation works. The first thing that struck me about Brent was how personable he is, he just immediately makes you feel at ease but at the same time very efficient. I was immediately introduced to my kayak and got my gear together. The group of eight students then met with Brent on the deck where he pulled out a harmonica and played a tune. We all clapped along to prove we had rhythm, because you can't kayak if you don't have rhythm. As the group went around the circle introducing themselves and talking about their kayaking experience I was surprised to find I was the least experienced - by far. One guy was an adventure racer, a few had been paddling for more than twenty years, another mainly did kayak surfing, and a couple like me had been paddling less than five years. I was starting to wonder if I was in over my head. But it's better to learn how to paddle right from the beginning rather than having to unlearn a lot of bad habits built up over the years.

We were soon out on the water where we paddled in somewhat of a triangle as the video camera rolled capturing our baseline stroke for later analysis. Usually when I paddle we're going some distance in a straight line, then either stop or turn around and paddle in a straight line back home. So I don't have a lot of experience in turning, which proved to be somewhat of a problem when trying to go in a triangle. Throughout the day I was able to sort of ungainly work it out, but this is where more experience would have helped me.

Generally the day went something like this: Brent would show us a piece of the stroke, we would all try it out in a group and then paddle around the triangle with the camera zooming on each of us in turn. It was sort an amazing experience to spend the day in the presence of someone who knew so much about kayaking. Brent trained for years and years, he knew how every little motion would affect your stroke, how that would translate into boat movement and why it was making the stroke more or less efficient. The forward stroke (or Brent's version of it) felt a little unnatural at first but he explained it's not that different from the motion of throwing a punch, or swimming. After working on the first three basic parts of the stroke for a few hours we headed in to lunch and watch the video.

It's not an easy job critiquing people all day without making them feel miserable. As we looked at each person's stroke Brent pointed out the good, the bad and the ugly. This is where being a great teacher is all in the personality and Brent was just so affable and knowledgeable everyone listened intently to what he had to say. It's fascinating to watch yourself paddle, it becomes so obvious as to why the boat isn't moving very efficiently. I wouldn't say I'm uncoordinated but my body parts don't move in complicated patterns without effort. As much as I would try to tell Brent that I couldn't rotate my torso without moving my head he kept telling me to look straight ahead so I could see where I was going.

Really there was too much going on for me to put it all together for very many strokes. But when I did get the motion I could feel how my torso rather than my arms was powering the boat, and it was awesome! By the end of the day I was exhausted from the concentration as well as the physical activity. We had one last video review and wow was it different from the beginning of the day. I certainly have a long way to go, but I learned a lot at the Forward Stroke Clinic. Most importantly it inspired me to want to be a better kayaker. I have a lot of mechanics to work on, and working with Brent Reitz for a day makes me see that I can have a pretty strong stroke. And if I work hard enough maybe just maybe I can beat the Kayak Guy in a race around Coast Guard Island!