kayaker’s
journal TECHNIQUE BY MEAGHAN HENNESSY Never Flip Again GET ROCK SOLID STABILITY WITH SCULLING BRACES
Two points of stability allow you to balance more effectively than one. Sculling braces help you stay upright in tippy situations by acting as a second point of stability to your kayak. Practice the sculling brace by breaking it down into these three elements: body, boat and paddle.
BODY For a high sculling brace, your elbows should be low with the paddle held horizontally near your shoulders. For a low sculling brace, your elbows should be high, directly over the paddle shaft, which is held horizontal above the cock- pit of your kayak. Use torso rotation to move your blade through the stroke. Your lower body controls the position of
your kayak. Use your hips and knees to either hold your boat on edge, or to right the boat as with other bracing strokes.
BOAT Transferring some of your weight onto your sculling paddle will allow you to hold your boat on edge or recover from a near capsize on the sculling side. With a high sculling brace, your kayak can be held on almost any degree of edge, including nearly upside down.
PADDLE Skim your paddle back and forth across the water beside your kayak, maintaining pres- sure on the power face (high sculling brace), or the non-power face (low sculling brace). Keep the paddle on the surface by slightly lifting the leading edge of your blade. To get a feel for this, swish your hand back and forth across the water, feeling the water pres-
sure on your palm. As your thumb leads the way through the water, angle it slightly towards the sky. As your pinky leads, angle it towards the sky. The transition points of the stroke—the
points where you change your paddle’s direc- tion of movement—offer little stability. There- fore, move the paddle at a slow to moderate pace and use longer strokes to reduce the num- ber of transitions.
SCULLING FOR SUPPORT Use a high or low sculling brace to salvage a sloppy roll, to stabilize yourself when working your legs back into your kayak during a rodeo re-entry, or in any other situation where you need consistent extra stability. Practice your sculling technique by mov-
ing your kayak in multiple directions using a sculling draw (sculling with a vertical paddle). Then bring the paddle back to horizontal and begin adding a little weight to the paddle as you scull back and forth. Finally, work on holding your boat further and further on edge while sculling for support. This gradual pro- gression will help develop both your muscle memory and your confidence.
MEAGHAN HENNESSY is a Paddle Canada Level 2 Instructor Trainer and BCU Level 3 Sea Coach based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She cur- rently teaches for SKILS.
PEER REVIEW
The scull should be about as long as your cockpit with the blade just under the surface. Done properly, there should be very little aeration of the water. Your inward hand is just an anchor; it is your outward hand that does all the work changing the angle of the blade. » Michael Pardy, Paddle Canada level 3 instructor trainer, Victoria, BC
The angle of the blade will give more turn propulsion if it is closer to vertical, like a sweep, and more support if it is flatter to the water. This is useful for learning how flat an angle you want for a graceful sculling brace, and also how to put some support in your sweep stroke for confident edged turns in lumpy water. Blade angle is controlled by raising or lowering the elbow relative to the wrist, keeping the wrist neutral to prevent injury. » Ginni Callahan, ACA level 5 instruc- tor and BCU level 4 coach, Cathlamet, WA
To be biomechanically friendlier as you edge further into the water, rotate your chest to the sky and roll the boat off your body, lessening the load on the paddle. This is similar to a Greenland static brace position. » Shawna Franklin & Leon Sommé, BCU level 4 coaches, Orcas Island, WA
I tend not to look at sculling for support as a stand-alone skill, instead it is a way to en- hance or add confidence to other skills and maneuvers. For example, when performing sweep strokes on the move, finishing a roll, or to perform braces on the move and prevent the blade diving. » Doug Cooper, BCU level 5 coach, Aviemore, Scotland
Read more peer reviews from leading coaches and instructors, and add your comments,
www.adventurekayakmag.com/0019.
www.adventurekayakmag.com 23
PHOTO: VIRGINIA MARSHALL
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