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[ teChnique ]


The English Gate A


few years ago while at a canoeing sympo- sium I took a break to go for a solo paddle. As I passed the beach a stranger launched


his canoe and joined me. We continued along the breakwater chatting and paddling until he pointed with obvious pride at two buoys spaced a few feet apart and asked what I thought of his English gate. I didn’t know what to say, because I didn’t


know what it was. It turns out it’s a simple but wildly effective skill-


testing drill for flatwater and whitewater canoe- ists. He insisted he demonstrate it and I watched bewildered as he blazed through the gate. His canoe slid forward and back, backward and sideways in precise movements close to,


22 SPRING 2009


This fancy figure-eight drill is the gateway to better boat control


but not touching, the buoys. The English gate, I learned, is a routine, made up of four phases or patterns that you follow through the buoys. By seeing how quickly and cleanly you can put the canoe through the phases you will get an immediate assessment of your skill as a paddler. Not only does it demonstrate your weaknesses and strengths, but it rewards you with evidence of quicker and cleaner paddling as you repeat the drill and improve. After a few botched runs I had it figured out


and realised that it’s really a fancy figure-eight with a few flourishes thrown in to keep you hon- est. Sometimes when you pass a buoy you stop and paddle backwards, sometimes you spin the canoe and continue. The diagrams explain the


patterns to follow. They seem a little simpler when you realize the fourth phase is the same as the second, just reversed.


Keep the following in mind to speed your progress:


• You’ll need strong, quick strokes on the straights to build momentum to carry you through the turns.


• Before each pivot, shift your weight toward your paddling side for snappy turns.


By keeping your speed up and paddling as close to the buoys as possible without touching you will hone your control and efficiency. Paddle the gate often and you’ll notice yourself becoming more graceful and powerful in all your paddling.


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