K1 carnage

So we have been having problems with a lean that has been causing us to capsize and therefore it was time to get in a K1 so that Ad could work on his stability and technique independently. Sometimes, it can be the position of the seat that can cause a lean if it has shifted out of line, but it was obvious that was not the case so we have decided to spend the next 2 weeks or so solely in K1's, working on technique. I know that my paddling technique is far from perfect so it was going to be good for me to spend some time doing some drills and smoothing out the bumps.

The focus was going to be on Ad's paddle entry and exit and keeping his hips relaxed. On previous paddles we had worked on keeping a straight, high arm so now it was time to think about getting the blade in near the hull at a good, steep angle and then ensuring that the paddle came out at the hips. I figured that if these two points could be improved, particularly the exit then he would be much less likely to tip in.

We started again by doing some bracing in the shallows just to give Ad a fighting chance should he start to roll before paddling down to portage at Sunbury and Ad was maintaining a high stroke and was looking comfortable. His steering was interesting, but then I spent more time hitting the banks than in the water this time last year; now was not the time to worry too much about keeping a straight line. ;-)

We spent a good hour plodding up and down the Sunbury lock cut, Adam leading, me either following behind or alongside, watching his stroke. He went over quite a few times but kept at it and by the end, things were improving. It was good for him to feel his own stroke without me compensating and he felt that he was pulling harder on the left rather than the right. It was interesting to note that he was going over on the left most of the time (the same as was happened when we were in the Discovery) and therefore it will be worth focusing on how his stroke is working on that side. I'll get a video camera on him at some point so that we can have a really good look at what's going on.

At the moment, it's a little bit academic anyway as we have just found out this week that we will not have a club boat for the DW. :-( We have a couple of irons in the fire in order to get our own and it will not stop us being able to get out and paddle in the meantime. Anyone got a mystere knocking about?

I have to say, Ad was really plucky and stuck at it. He's very stubborn and will not be beaten by a piece of glass reinforced plastic and remained positive even though the session did not go as well as he had planned. I felt bad because at times I thought I was giving him too much to think about and overloading him. I know it's only a matter of time before he cracks it and then we can get down to some serious training. We just need to keep getting onto the water.