I'm a simple man. I see a new Alex Barham video I watch and like. thanks for the simple explanation and easy to follow terms. I'm only a 2/3 paddler but I hope to be good enough to paddle with you one day. 🤙
Thanks man! 2-3 is still part of the family! Think about coming to the Black River Festival this summer. facebook.com/Black-River-Festival-466373193392794/
A lot of good boat design information there. When I was learning to kayak, I could not get my boat to go straight, and it was a longer boat. What happened is that I learned the proper forward stroke. When you take a forward stroke, your foot on the paddle side should be pushing hard, helping put more power on your blade. Weekend paddlers need more power on the blade because they usually do not have the arm strength of a full time paddler. When you push on your feet, you are moving the kayak forward from the bow which makes it easier to go straight. If you are just using your arms, you are moving the boat from its center (below your shoulders) which makes it harder to steer straight., Have you ever watched a good paddler strain to make an "attainment move", what you will see is their arms are straight, and they are using their body rotation to give them more power to the blade. For a weekend paddler, this technique gives them that power all the time. especially women. Also, pushing the top hand straight out adds more leverage to increase the blades kinetic energy. Most of this technique I learned on flat water near my house. I could concentrate fully on the stroke technique, and not worry about what lay ahead. Once that technique became muscle memory, I was off. I found that with this technique I could glide across the water with much fewer strokes than my arm paddling friends, and I make it look easy.
Thanks for the great explanation! I've been running a 20 year old wave sport as my first boat (paddling about 3 months now) and was worried that I was making things much more difficult for myself. Your advice at the end about making any boat work has been my motto with most everything else I've gotten into, from audio engineering to whitewater. I'll be forming/shaping my foot block today based on your advice from another vid.
Yeah 20 years old is certainly pushing it. Look at what people were running 20 years ago and apply my statement to that. Glad you're enjoying and learning. Good luck!
Thanks for the videos! What do you think of the phantom in this subject? I have this problem in ferry kind of situations, been working on paddling more vertically, and i think i do it in important moments. I paddle comfortable 3+, surf holes, boof decent, but this problem sets me of line, or just waves my point around, when im not paddling really hard and focused. Been thinking that with a scorch i could have less of this problem, and also have more control taking eddies.
Hey Gonzalo! I think part of the issue is that at 75kg you are a little light in the Phantom. Try pulling up with your knees and leaning back a bit when you ferry instead of leaning forward. This should pull down your stern edges so they really grab and give you a nice powerful body position to take solid strokes. LOVE Chile, really need to get back there. I want to finally see all the sections of the Claro.
@@AlexBarham thanks a lot mate! I used to lay forward when doing harder ferrys, so definatly your advices are going to help me. Knowing my height and weight, where do you think my seat should be? Now i have it forward. Ill try it testing it little back with your technique Love Chile to! Jajaj Hope to paddle rio claro sometime
Basically, the skills and techniques for controlling a kayak are the same regardless of the type of boat. However, there are differences between boat designs that also impact how a boat will behave. Boats that are designed for touring flat water or the ocean tend to run straighter more easily than ones designed to turn easily such as play or slalom boats. Boats that are designed to turn quickly are directionally unstable, meaning that once a turn begins, the turn tightens and if not corrected, the boat will spin around to face the other way very quickly. It should be noted that the faster you go, the stronger this tendency is. Beginners tend to get into a situation where they are putting in more and more effort into correcting a turn with forward strokes and this leads to the boat going faster and getting more and more out of control while the paddler loses strength due to fatigue. The answer to this is to slow down using reverse sweep or stern rudder strokes to correct the turn. While these are less efficient strokes in terms of driving the boat forward, they preserve the paddlers strength endurance and therefore ability to control the boat. As a paddler advances in skill, they will become well able to control the boat with forward turning strokes. However, control is much more difficult in wind, waves, current, rapids etc than in calm flat water. It takes some time to develop stroke timing to match waves so that control can be maintained in rough water. So, just avoid adverse conditions at first and gradually push your boundaries as you gain skill. If your kayaking regularly, it won’t take long to comfortably handle waves coming over the deck. To begin with, all kayaks turn in response to leaning the hull. If a kayak is travelling straight, and you lean the hull to the left, the boats waterline shape is changed to curve to the right and the lean will tend to turn the boat to the right. This is true for all kayaks but what happens after the turn is initiated depends on the type of boat. A touring kayak can be steered on flat water by leaning alone. That is, you can just paddle evenly on both sides and steer the boat with leaning right and left alone. However, a play boat is directionally unstable and once a turn is initiated, it will continue to turn that way very strongly regardless of leaning the other way to correct it. It is important to understand that, regardless of how the boat is currently responding, leaning the hull to the left always has a right turn effect and leaning to the right always has a left turn effect. This is true for all kayaks even if the leaning effect is insufficient to counter wave, wind, current or inertial forces. Knowing this means that you can lean the hull to enhance the turning strokes you are doing, rather than fighting them. If you want to start a turn to the right, lean the boat to the left and do a forward left sweep stroke to enhance the right turn. Continuing the turn depends on which type of boat you have. A touring boat may well require you maintain the lean to the left or perhaps only lean on each sweep stroke (with some support) to keep a moderate turn to the right. A play boat that is turning will drift sideways in the turn and this may lead to water piling up on the outside of the hull (left side in this case) which will tend to capsize the boat toward the outside of the turn. You will need to counter this capsize force by leaning away from it (to the right in this case). Despite the lean to the right, the play boat will continue to tighten it's turn without any further turning strokes from the paddler. The turning force form this counter lean will be insufficient to overcome the boats turn to the right without adding correcting strokes, either a forward right sweep or a reverse left stern rudder. The latter being more effective but slowing the boat. Note that I have not gone into more advanced turning techniques, leaning right over onto the rail and combining major support with turning strokes. My intention here is only to show the importance of correctly combining leaning with control strokes. Timing of strokes is important, if the ends of the boat are buried in waves, the wave has control of the boat’s direction as the mass of water at each end has a significant leverage advantage over you. Your turning strokes will be much more effective when timed as the boat crests waves when the ends are out of the water. The point being made on speed is not relevant to the direction the boat is pointing but is very relevant to getting to a different position in the current. The current is sweeping you down stream and you need to aim the boat at a point well upstream of where you want to be so that paddling in that direction, combined with being swept downstream gets you to where you intend to be. Also, you need enough speed and power to get you safely through hydraulics (stoppers) but if you’re tackling that sort of thing, you should already have skill and experience beyond the stated scope of the video. If you are just doing pressure waves, relax you don’t need a lot of speed & you don’t need it to turn the boat either. You only need speed to change your position in the flow. You can even turn around, face upstream and ferry glide/surf across waves to wherever you want to be if you wish. You don't have to just run downstream. Have Fun!
Hey Alex love to know your thoughts on when you require deliberate practice to improve river running. So in your first few years people almost learn by immersion, but if you look at competitive freestylers or slalom boaters they're more akin to traditional athletes with specific goals and training plans
I come from freestyle, so I tend to say "Why wouldn't you always be looking to improve?" I think we should look like it the same as anything else. You should expect to get out what you put in. I don't know any elite boaters who haven't put in extra effort, but I knew a lot of average paddlers that have done what's normal
@@AlexBarham That's a good point. I suppose I was thinking that paddling is a pastime like music or climbing etc where you put your own structure and motivation on it. Coming from a team sports background with established progression pathways (like British Canoeing have for freestyle development actually), it took a while to realise this
It certainly can be, but if you want to push into Class 4-5 where by definition there are hazards which can cause serious injury or death, then I think we need to treat it as more than a pastime.
Hey Alex, I am a beginner and unfortunately I bought a jefe. It is definitely not confidence inspiring. Can you please tell me what the jefe is great at and what it’s not. Thanks!
Totally! Almost everything you can think of has been run in a Jefe or Jefe Grande. Evan Garcia became who he is paddling a Jefe Grande. Personally I think the shape has aged really well, you just need to paddle a size larger than how it was originally designed. The Jefe Chica is to date my favorite small paddler creek boat. Don't believe me? Go watch old Evan Garcia videos and you'll see him paddle the hell out of the Grande. Where it falls short by comparison now is simply lack of volume if you're paddling it at manufacturer specs. I remember when I was heavier in it I would land drops and submarine. That said learning to master my first moves in my orange Jefe is what made me into the boater I am today. Embrace it. Here's a flash back to me paddling a Jefe 7 years ago- ua-cam.com/video/ITOKGkYoUfM/v-deo.html
Should I trade my gen 2 Zen for a displacement hull? This year I intend to step up my game and begin paddling some local class V creeks in Colorado. I tend to think my ripper is not the best option to run my first proper creeks. I also tend to think that my Zen is a size too large, doesn't boof as well as the ripper, and will make 20ft drops more consequential when I accidentally land flat. I know almost everything has been run in a Zen before but I wonder if a boat with more rocker would be worth looking in to?
Totally agree with the Ripper not being a good choice for you as you step it up - although it will get more fun down the road as your confidence increases. This is the time and place to start trying everything you can get your hands on. Certainly more rocker and displacement will likely help, but it is going to be a matter of matching personal preference with your local geology to find the best match. Once you've got a better feel for boats hopefully my reviews will help steer you in the right direction. Good luck!
Typically you want to lean back a bit to keep the pressure on the stern. I also see a lot beginners who don't notice subtle currents in "flat water." With time and attention, you can start to notice those subtle currents that make all the better boaters somehow faster than you without paddling as hard in the easy water. Paddling a long boat really helps you notice those currents since they are harder to turn back when those currents start effecting you.
When stuck in the pack during a flat water race you're combining two things which make keeping a boat straight tough. Your hull is creeping upwards as it begins to plane which begins to release the chines, and you have subtle but significant waves and currents coming from boat wakes. Bringing the boat to top speed is similar to surfing a play boat. As the boat climbs upwards the chines are no longer grabbing, and the boat can spin more freely. Once that added momentum starts to run away it takes ever more energy to reign the boat back in from a spin. To Joshua's point pulling up on your knees while leaning slightly back can help the bow rise just enough to dig in the stern chines again. Unfortunately one of the things I hate about mass start races is that once a solid athlete is established in front of the pack it is very unlikely that they will be passed.
So i have a question then please. I feel im doing alright learning to control my boat in white water but on flat i spin alot. Like all the time i have a nirvana med at 125lbs more with gear. The few class 3 rapids ive done felt nice and controled. I guess my question is any tips?
Hey man I've just started getting into kayaking and have been watching some of your videos. You have really good content but your audio quality is absolutely terrible and honestly it can put me off watching. I reckon if you got a decent mic I reckon you'd improve your videos and viewership significantly
Buying a Dagger Kayak online? Please use this link: rb.gy/pv8h8k
Need outfitting materials? Use this link to find what I use on Amazon: rb.gy/7xc70c
I'm a simple man. I see a new Alex Barham video I watch and like. thanks for the simple explanation and easy to follow terms. I'm only a 2/3 paddler but I hope to be good enough to paddle with you one day. 🤙
Thanks man!
2-3 is still part of the family! Think about coming to the Black River Festival this summer.
facebook.com/Black-River-Festival-466373193392794/
A lot of good boat design information there. When I was learning to kayak, I could not get my boat to go straight, and it was a longer boat. What happened is that I learned the proper forward stroke. When you take a forward stroke, your foot on the paddle side should be pushing hard, helping put more power on your blade. Weekend paddlers need more power on the blade because they usually do not have the arm strength of a full time paddler. When you push on your feet, you are moving the kayak forward from the bow which makes it easier to go straight. If you are just using your arms, you are moving the boat from its center (below your shoulders) which makes it harder to steer straight., Have you ever watched a good paddler strain to make an "attainment move", what you will see is their arms are straight, and they are using their body rotation to give them more power to the blade. For a weekend paddler, this technique gives them that power all the time. especially women. Also, pushing the top hand straight out adds more leverage to increase the blades kinetic energy. Most of this technique I learned on flat water near my house. I could concentrate fully on the stroke technique, and not worry about what lay ahead. Once that technique became muscle memory, I was off. I found that with this technique I could glide across the water with much fewer strokes than my arm paddling friends, and I make it look easy.
Thanks for chiming in!
Thanks for the great explanation! I've been running a 20 year old wave sport as my first boat (paddling about 3 months now) and was worried that I was making things much more difficult for myself. Your advice at the end about making any boat work has been my motto with most everything else I've gotten into, from audio engineering to whitewater. I'll be forming/shaping my foot block today based on your advice from another vid.
Yeah 20 years old is certainly pushing it. Look at what people were running 20 years ago and apply my statement to that.
Glad you're enjoying and learning. Good luck!
Thank you
You're very welcome!
I read your Cadence series after watching the video and found the articles really helpful. Thanks!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Good stuff !
Thanks Sean!
Thanks for the videos!
What do you think of the phantom in this subject?
I have this problem in ferry kind of situations, been working on paddling more vertically, and i think i do it in important moments.
I paddle comfortable 3+, surf holes, boof decent, but this problem sets me of line, or just waves my point around, when im not paddling really hard and focused.
Been thinking that with a scorch i could have less of this problem, and also have more control taking eddies.
I weight 75kg and 185cm
Greetings from Chile!
Hey Gonzalo! I think part of the issue is that at 75kg you are a little light in the Phantom. Try pulling up with your knees and leaning back a bit when you ferry instead of leaning forward. This should pull down your stern edges so they really grab and give you a nice powerful body position to take solid strokes.
LOVE Chile, really need to get back there. I want to finally see all the sections of the Claro.
@@AlexBarham thanks a lot mate! I used to lay forward when doing harder ferrys, so definatly your advices are going to help me.
Knowing my height and weight, where do you think my seat should be? Now i have it forward.
Ill try it testing it little back with your technique
Love Chile to! Jajaj
Hope to paddle rio claro sometime
Ah! Okay I would suggest putting the seat back to center. I almost never move the seat forward.
Basically, the skills and techniques for controlling a kayak are the same regardless of the type of boat. However, there are differences between boat designs that also impact how a boat will behave. Boats that are designed for touring flat water or the ocean tend to run straighter more easily than ones designed to turn easily such as play or slalom boats. Boats that are designed to turn quickly are directionally unstable, meaning that once a turn begins, the turn tightens and if not corrected, the boat will spin around to face the other way very quickly. It should be noted that the faster you go, the stronger this tendency is. Beginners tend to get into a situation where they are putting in more and more effort into correcting a turn with forward strokes and this leads to the boat going faster and getting more and more out of control while the paddler loses strength due to fatigue. The answer to this is to slow down using reverse sweep or stern rudder strokes to correct the turn. While these are less efficient strokes in terms of driving the boat forward, they preserve the paddlers strength endurance and therefore ability to control the boat. As a paddler advances in skill, they will become well able to control the boat with forward turning strokes. However, control is much more difficult in wind, waves, current, rapids etc than in calm flat water. It takes some time to develop stroke timing to match waves so that control can be maintained in rough water. So, just avoid adverse conditions at first and gradually push your boundaries as you gain skill. If your kayaking regularly, it won’t take long to comfortably handle waves coming over the deck.
To begin with, all kayaks turn in response to leaning the hull. If a kayak is travelling straight, and you lean the hull to the left, the boats waterline shape is changed to curve to the right and the lean will tend to turn the boat to the right. This is true for all kayaks but what happens after the turn is initiated depends on the type of boat. A touring kayak can be steered on flat water by leaning alone. That is, you can just paddle evenly on both sides and steer the boat with leaning right and left alone. However, a play boat is directionally unstable and once a turn is initiated, it will continue to turn that way very strongly regardless of leaning the other way to correct it.
It is important to understand that, regardless of how the boat is currently responding, leaning the hull to the left always has a right turn effect and leaning to the right always has a left turn effect. This is true for all kayaks even if the leaning effect is insufficient to counter wave, wind, current or inertial forces. Knowing this means that you can lean the hull to enhance the turning strokes you are doing, rather than fighting them.
If you want to start a turn to the right, lean the boat to the left and do a forward left sweep stroke to enhance the right turn. Continuing the turn depends on which type of boat you have. A touring boat may well require you maintain the lean to the left or perhaps only lean on each sweep stroke (with some support) to keep a moderate turn to the right. A play boat that is turning will drift sideways in the turn and this may lead to water piling up on the outside of the hull (left side in this case) which will tend to capsize the boat toward the outside of the turn. You will need to counter this capsize force by leaning away from it (to the right in this case). Despite the lean to the right, the play boat will continue to tighten it's turn without any further turning strokes from the paddler. The turning force form this counter lean will be insufficient to overcome the boats turn to the right without adding correcting strokes, either a forward right sweep or a reverse left stern rudder. The latter being more effective but slowing the boat.
Note that I have not gone into more advanced turning techniques, leaning right over onto the rail and combining major support with turning strokes. My intention here is only to show the importance of correctly combining leaning with control strokes.
Timing of strokes is important, if the ends of the boat are buried in waves, the wave has control of the boat’s direction as the mass of water at each end has a significant leverage advantage over you. Your turning strokes will be much more effective when timed as the boat crests waves when the ends are out of the water.
The point being made on speed is not relevant to the direction the boat is pointing but is very relevant to getting to a different position in the current. The current is sweeping you down stream and you need to aim the boat at a point well upstream of where you want to be so that paddling in that direction, combined with being swept downstream gets you to where you intend to be. Also, you need enough speed and power to get you safely through hydraulics (stoppers) but if you’re tackling that sort of thing, you should already have skill and experience beyond the stated scope of the video. If you are just doing pressure waves, relax you don’t need a lot of speed & you don’t need it to turn the boat either. You only need speed to change your position in the flow.
You can even turn around, face upstream and ferry glide/surf across waves to wherever you want to be if you wish. You don't have to just run downstream. Have Fun!
Thanks Ken!
How about chimeless boats like perception phat 8.5 ft? Thanks
Chines certainly help you "grip" the water and make steering with edges easier.
Hey Alex love to know your thoughts on when you require deliberate practice to improve river running. So in your first few years people almost learn by immersion, but if you look at competitive freestylers or slalom boaters they're more akin to traditional athletes with specific goals and training plans
I come from freestyle, so I tend to say "Why wouldn't you always be looking to improve?"
I think we should look like it the same as anything else. You should expect to get out what you put in. I don't know any elite boaters who haven't put in extra effort, but I knew a lot of average paddlers that have done what's normal
@@AlexBarham That's a good point. I suppose I was thinking that paddling is a pastime like music or climbing etc where you put your own structure and motivation on it. Coming from a team sports background with established progression pathways (like British Canoeing have for freestyle development actually), it took a while to realise this
It certainly can be, but if you want to push into Class 4-5 where by definition there are hazards which can cause serious injury or death, then I think we need to treat it as more than a pastime.
Hey Alex, I am a beginner and unfortunately I bought a jefe. It is definitely not confidence inspiring. Can you please tell me what the jefe is great at and what it’s not. Thanks!
Totally! Almost everything you can think of has been run in a Jefe or Jefe Grande. Evan Garcia became who he is paddling a Jefe Grande. Personally I think the shape has aged really well, you just need to paddle a size larger than how it was originally designed. The Jefe Chica is to date my favorite small paddler creek boat. Don't believe me? Go watch old Evan Garcia videos and you'll see him paddle the hell out of the Grande.
Where it falls short by comparison now is simply lack of volume if you're paddling it at manufacturer specs. I remember when I was heavier in it I would land drops and submarine. That said learning to master my first moves in my orange Jefe is what made me into the boater I am today. Embrace it.
Here's a flash back to me paddling a Jefe 7 years ago- ua-cam.com/video/ITOKGkYoUfM/v-deo.html
Should I trade my gen 2 Zen for a displacement hull?
This year I intend to step up my game and begin paddling some local class V creeks in Colorado. I tend to think my ripper is not the best option to run my first proper creeks. I also tend to think that my Zen is a size too large, doesn't boof as well as the ripper, and will make 20ft drops more consequential when I accidentally land flat. I know almost everything has been run in a Zen before but I wonder if a boat with more rocker would be worth looking in to?
Totally agree with the Ripper not being a good choice for you as you step it up - although it will get more fun down the road as your confidence increases.
This is the time and place to start trying everything you can get your hands on. Certainly more rocker and displacement will likely help, but it is going to be a matter of matching personal preference with your local geology to find the best match. Once you've got a better feel for boats hopefully my reviews will help steer you in the right direction.
Good luck!
Please review the liquid logic alpha
I will come spring. Logic was supposed to send one up in the fall for us to check out at Moosefest but never followed through.
What about boat spin during flat water race sections? I experienced this while trying to paddle fast, I kept spinning out, losing speed and time.
Typically you want to lean back a bit to keep the pressure on the stern. I also see a lot beginners who don't notice subtle currents in "flat water." With time and attention, you can start to notice those subtle currents that make all the better boaters somehow faster than you without paddling as hard in the easy water. Paddling a long boat really helps you notice those currents since they are harder to turn back when those currents start effecting you.
When stuck in the pack during a flat water race you're combining two things which make keeping a boat straight tough. Your hull is creeping upwards as it begins to plane which begins to release the chines, and you have subtle but significant waves and currents coming from boat wakes.
Bringing the boat to top speed is similar to surfing a play boat. As the boat climbs upwards the chines are no longer grabbing, and the boat can spin more freely. Once that added momentum starts to run away it takes ever more energy to reign the boat back in from a spin.
To Joshua's point pulling up on your knees while leaning slightly back can help the bow rise just enough to dig in the stern chines again.
Unfortunately one of the things I hate about mass start races is that once a solid athlete is established in front of the pack it is very unlikely that they will be passed.
So i have a question then please. I feel im doing alright learning to control my boat in white water but on flat i spin alot. Like all the time i have a nirvana med at 125lbs more with gear. The few class 3 rapids ive done felt nice and controled. I guess my question is any tips?
Replied to your other comment. You are quite small in your boat. It is going to take more technique and strength to control it.
@@AlexBarham should i go for a small for my next boat in your opinion?
Definitely
Hey man I've just started getting into kayaking and have been watching some of your videos. You have really good content but your audio quality is absolutely terrible and honestly it can put me off watching. I reckon if you got a decent mic I reckon you'd improve your videos and viewership significantly
Thanks! I think you'll find my later videos improved a lot in the audio department.
@@AlexBarham cool man, will have to check them out!