I recently gave an introduction to kayaking course at my paddling club (Never Dry). New/potential members are invited to a series of three evening courses to learn the basics of kayaking. The courses is given by various members of the paddling club, and each instructor has their own approach. I was interested in getting involved, especially in giving classes in English, and decided that I wanted to give a bit some structure to my lessons. Below is the outline I developed, based on previous sea kayaking courses I taught in New York and San Francisco. It's very much a work-in-progress, so feedback is always welcome!
Did you stumble onto this blog, and are you interested in joining the paddling community in Rotterdam? Then please reach out! Contact form available on this page.
Did you stumble onto this blog, and are you interested in joining the paddling community in Rotterdam? Then please reach out! Contact form available on this page.
Since we only have 3 weeknight evenings (a total of ~6 hours), the lessons have to be quite condensed. This is quite different from my previous teaching experience, which involved full days and long-weekend trips. Therefore, I made a list of key takeaways, to help me prioritize what to teach. After the intro classes, a new member should:
Before I continue, I should say that I'm not an official "instructor" in the Netherlands, as there is a formal certification process here which I haven't completed yet. However, I took and taught plenty of (overnight) sea kayaking courses in New York and California, and am excited to contribute some of what learned there to my new paddling club.
**For me, items #5 and #6 are most important. I was lucky to be involved in numerous multi-day and overnight outdoor courses where I learned that the most valuable takeaways were the new friends and plenty of inspiration/motivation to come back and learn more. That's what makes a fun and sustainable paddling community! I'd like to emphasize these aspects rather than putting lots of pressure on new members to quickly learn a laundry list of required skills. My goal is to help potential members feel more at home at the club, make their first Never Dry friends, and motivate them to stick around and learn more by joining the club and participating in broader club activities. Below are some ways I hope to do this:
Below is a first draft of the contents of each class in the 3-class introduction course:
- Be able to get a boat from storage, select a PFD and wear it properly, choose an appropriate paddle, get into/out of a boat on their own.
- Be able to put on and take off a sprayskirt with ease and have practiced at least one wet exit.
- Be able to turn and stop the boat effectively, and paddle in a relatively straight line.
- Be familiar with the Never Dry approach to gear maintenance and storage.
- Start building a paddling community. Have a few new paddling friends - a basis for becoming an active member of the club!**
- Leave knowing that there are endless opportunities to learn new skills from fellow club members, and be motivated by the small glimpse of the possibilities they get during the intro course (i.e. you won’t be able to do all the fancy strokes/rescues, but at least be introduced to some of them so you know they exist). **
Before I continue, I should say that I'm not an official "instructor" in the Netherlands, as there is a formal certification process here which I haven't completed yet. However, I took and taught plenty of (overnight) sea kayaking courses in New York and California, and am excited to contribute some of what learned there to my new paddling club.
**For me, items #5 and #6 are most important. I was lucky to be involved in numerous multi-day and overnight outdoor courses where I learned that the most valuable takeaways were the new friends and plenty of inspiration/motivation to come back and learn more. That's what makes a fun and sustainable paddling community! I'd like to emphasize these aspects rather than putting lots of pressure on new members to quickly learn a laundry list of required skills. My goal is to help potential members feel more at home at the club, make their first Never Dry friends, and motivate them to stick around and learn more by joining the club and participating in broader club activities. Below are some ways I hope to do this:
- By sticking to a roster (i.e. students will be the same in all three classes, giving people time to get to know each other - a first step in building a network within the club) and setting the expectation that everyone is should attend all three courses
- Organizing the courses on a non-club-night, so we would have plenty of space and few distractions, especially for the first one or two classes.
- Setting up a whatsapp group for communicating outside of class, to reschedule in case of bad weather, share photos, build comradery, stay in touch etc.
- Defining a flexible lesson plan and adapt it to the needs/interest of the group (see below!)
- Managing expectations about what you should know at the end of the course, and which parts of the course are just a sneak peak into more advanced paddle techniques
- Organizing some follow-up activities to help integrate new members into the club (in progress!)
Below is a first draft of the contents of each class in the 3-class introduction course:
Day 1 - First introduction to kayaking
- Meet each other! Who are we, why do we want to learn to kayak, what brought us to Never Dry, and various other fun things about ourselves.
- Quick tour of the clubhouse/equipment.
- The PFD
- How to wear a PFD properly
- Loosen all straps, tighten from bottom to top
- Fit test
- Boat vocabulary
- Why are decklines/grab loops important
- Why are bulkheads important
- Brief introduction to different types of boats, and how to choose one for yourself
- The paddle
- How to hold your paddle (what is the front/back of the paddle)
- Slightly less than 90 degrees
- Why is the paddle feathered
- Drip rings
- Grip loosely - right hand fixed, left hand loose
- Concept of paddler’s box
- Sit in the boat for the first time
- How to adjust foot pegs
- Position in the boat - frog legs, posture
- Wiggle hips in the boat
- The sprayskirt
- How to wear a sprayskirt
- How to put the sprayskirt on the boat
- How to release it and get out of the boat
- How to carry a boat properly (for you and the boat)
- Getting in/out of the boat
- Show the technique for the Never Dry dock
- Mention that technique will differ for higher/lower docks, beaches, etc.
- Turning: the sweep stroke
- Use forward and reverse sweeps to rotate the boat in both directions
- How many strokes does it take to go 360 degrees
- Introduce concept of rafting up
- Paddle once around the lake - explain that sailboats have right of way, watch out for swans and swimmers.
- How to clean up and put boats/gear away
Have a snack/drink and chat back at the cozy clubhouse :)
Day 2 - Essential kayak maneuvers
- How to put the boat in the water by yourself (being careful for your back)
- Additional sweep stroke practice
- Stopping
- Be able to stop quickly and without turning
- Practice paddling towards a buoy and stopping just before reaching it
- Paddling backwards
- Look frequently over your shoulder
- Pick a destination behind you and try to paddle straight towards it
- Turning while paddling backwards
- Moving sideways: drawstrokes x 3
- Start with simplest stroke and build up to sculling draw
- Emphasize rotation
- Practice both sides, near a fixed object
- Forward stroke: some initial thoughts
- In at the toes, out at the hip
- Quick, short strokes rather than long powerful ones
- Concept of the paddler’s box
- Rotation!
- Paddle once around the lake as a group
- Wet exit practice (optional)
Have a (warm shower,) snack/drink and chat back at the cozy clubhouse :)
Day 3 - A taste of what's to come!
The contents of day 3 really depends on how much progress the group is making and the level of comfort with trying new things (all are optional). The goal is to continue practicing the essential maneuvers, but to also give a sneak peak into intermediate and advanced paddling technique and safety skills. It should be fun - no pressure to learn everything! It should motivate new members to come back and learn more!
Final (hot showers,) snacks, drinks, and chatting. Invite new members to provide a written introduction, for inclusion in the next club newsletter!
- Quick practice of sweep strokes, draw stroke, stopping, and paddling backwards
- Concept of secondary stability
- Capsize prevention - brief intro to high and low braces
- Fancy turns (try to do this on a day with very little wind - easier to see effect of turns)
- Edging while turning
- Edging versus leaning
- Importance of momentum for these turns
- Low brace turn
- High brace turn
- Bow rudder
- Wet exits (can also be done on day 1 or 2)
- Without sprayskirt
- With sprayskirt
- Focus on relaxing underwater
- Intro to some rescue gear
- Bilge pump
- Sponge
- Towline
- Assisted/self rescues - try the T-rescue
- Brief intro to towing + towing practice
Final (hot showers,) snacks, drinks, and chatting. Invite new members to provide a written introduction, for inclusion in the next club newsletter!
A laundry list of additional skills for post-intro-course practice!
- Practice high/low braces with someone moving the boat
- Side slips
- Rescues:
- Rodeo re-entry
- X-rescue
- Paddle float rescue
- Surfing!
- Navigation, additional safety skills
- Kayak camping
- Rolling - so many different rolls to learn :)
- How to safely carry a boat alone
- Loading a kayak on a car top/trailer
... and much more!!
Ideas for future courses...
- Organize a beginner trip together, inviting the rest of the club to join
- Organize a movie night where we watch and discuss a bunch of kayak technique videos! Popcorn!