Aerial Moves no.1
Welcome to Flight
School: how to bounce Step 1 F
reestyle kayaking has always been a sport driven by tech-
nology.Not long ago boats were developed with less volume in the bow and stern and enders and stern squirts emerged on the
scene.Then came the plan- ing hull; paddlers took to the waves and the flatspin was the move that swept the sport. Even newer hull designs boast shorter lengths, dead flat bottoms and loads of kick rock- er in the
ends.The new moves on the waves and in holes are aerial, getting the kayak hull completely clear of the water. On waves specifically, tricks have
Step 2 Step 3
by Jeff Strano photos by Scott MacGregor
Step 4a
evolved in leaps and bounds (pun intended) from traditional flatspins and carving blunts to aerial blunts, donkey flips and
pan-ams.Impressive to watch and even more impres- sive to do,these moves all begin with one skill, a platform on which to build your quiver of aerial wave tricks—the bounce. Learning to bounce will allow you to break free of the earth’s gravitational pull and test the flight capabilities of your kayak.
Step 4b
Step 1: Adequate Testing Grounds To get your kayak into the air you need to find a fairly fast and preferably steep wave to get your boat bouncing off the surface of the water. You need the type of wave where one minute you’re tee- tering on the top and the next you’re screaming down the face into the trough. Remember, it’s all or nothing. Falling off the wave and getting wet will be the only consequences on the learning curve to this move, so don’t hold back!
30
www.rapidmag.com
Step 2: The Runway Establish a controlled front surf on the wave. Carve back and forth across the wave to position your- self close to the top of the wave. If the wave has a breaking foam pile, position yourself in it. Angle your boat so you are pointing straight down the wave.
Step 3: The Take Off From your position at the top of the wave, lean slightly forward and take a big forward stroke so you gain speed down the face of the wave. Hold your paddle out in
Step 6
front of you at chest level to help with balance. Now, tighten your stomach muscles and lock your legs into your thigh braces. When you reach the centre of the wave (halfway between crest and trough) with everything you’ve gotˆ use your abs and thighs to lift your heels into the air. Quickly reverse this motion slamming your heels into the wave as hard as you can.
Step 4: The Flight
Slamming your heels back down on the wave should produce a hard smack when the hull of your boat hits the wave. Upon landing
Paddler: Jeff Strano, Feature: Big Smoothy at Lower Noname, Ottawa River.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66