Basic Kayaking Skills

Getting in to the kayak on dry land

Getting in to the kayak on dry land is one of the easier ways to get into your kayak.

There are many different ways that you can get into and out of your kayak. In fact, getting into the kayak is more than likely one of the hardest parts of kayaking. You should always make sure that you know what you're doing before you start trying to get into your kayak. When it comes to getting in to the kayak on dry land, there are a few things that you'll want to pay attention to so that you are successful and don't get hurt.

When you're planning on launching from a beach, you should make sure that you check the surf conditions. Keep in mind that the lower the surf, the easier it will be to get out to sea. Therefore, you should always make sure that there is as little surf as possible before you head out.

Before getting in to the kayak on dry land, you should also check around the area to make sure that there are no rocks in your way. For this reason, you should really only get into the kayak on land if you're on a sandy beach. Otherwise, you might scratch or puncture the bottom of your kayak. Once you've determined that there are no rocks in your direct path, you'll be ready to get going.

Pull your kayak a little bit off the beach so that the bow is already floating. This will be important so that you'll be able to get off the beach once you're in the kayak. You'll want the kayak to be on the ground at least a little bit so that you'll be able to pull yourself away from the beach. However, you'll want to keep in mind that the kayak will settle lower in the water after you get in. With that in mind, make sure that you pull the kayak off the beach enough so that it will be able to slide into the water once you are inside.

If you are getting in to a two-person kayak on dry land, make sure that you pull the kayak a little bit further from the beach than you would if it was just a kayak for one person, since it will have the weight of two people in it and will settle even lower in the water.

After you are in the kayak, push off from the beach using your paddles, and you'll be ready to kayak!

Trunk Rotation

Trunk rotation is the most important part of being able to paddle a kayak.

One thing that most people may not realize about kayaking is that most of the power for kayaking will not actually come from your arms. The reason for this is that when you think about it, even if you are only going for a short kayaking trip, you are going to need to do a lot of paddle strokes. If it is just your arms that are taking care of this problem you will probably end up getting very tired very quickly. As a result, most of the power for each paddling stroke will come from something called the trunk rotation.

The trunk rotation is the way that you move your torso when you are paddling a kayak. This allows you to make stronger, larger strokes with your paddle, so that you won't have any trouble making sure that you are actually moving quite a bit with each stroke. Therefore, if you're thinking about learning how to paddle a kayak, you might want to see how well you are able to rotate or twist your torso. By having strong muscles in this area of your body, you should be able to make sure that you go further than you would go ordinarily in a kayak.

You should also make sure that you are actually leaning forward in the kayak somewhat. That way, you'll be able to keep yourself from injuring your lower back. After all, leaning back will make it so that you put a little bit of extra stress on that part of your body. Since this is one of the easiest parts of your body to strain, you should do whatever you can to make sure that it remains comfortable while you paddle.

One way that you can determine whether or not enough of your power is coming from your trunk rotation instead of your arms is to pay attention to what your arms do when you paddle. If your arms staying mostly straight while you paddle, then that probably means that you are using trunk rotation to propel the kayak through the water.

In order to use this paddling technique, you don't need to do very much. First of all, you need to keep your arms mostly straight. Then, when you paddle, you need to twist from side to side in order to move the paddles. In order to practice this, you should practice turning your torso from side to side while sitting still.

Once you've mastered how to use the trunk rotation, you should find that your kayak paddling is both stronger and more effective than it was before.

The Wet Exit

The wet exit (getting out of the kayak in the water) is not very difficult, but it is still important to have some experience with it.

If you're going to go kayaking, you should realize that there is a very good chance that you will capsize your kayak once or twice. This does not necessarily have anything to do with skill – it's just that accidents sometimes happen, and the more that you are on the water, the more likely it is that you'll have a situation in which you'll need to know how to perform the wet exit to get out of your kayak.

As a result, it's a good idea for you to practice this method before you actually go kayaking. (However, keep in mind that this is not necessary if you intend on using a sit-on-top kayak. In that case, you'll just be able to flip the kayak back over and climb back in.

The best place to practice the wet exit is, of course, in a swimming pool, or other safe, shallow water. If you don't have a swimming pool, then you should look for a lake or very sheltered beach. While you will need to learn how to perform the wet exit in situations where the water is not so calm, it's important to make it as easy as possible to learn the technique at first. You may want to look into buying a nose clip for kayaking in order to make sure that you do not get water up your nose. You should also make sure that you have a friend nearby to help out in case you are unable to do what you need to do.

First, take a deep breath and then capsize the boat. You might have a little bit of trouble doing this at first, depending on how broad the kayak is and how well it is built to withstand capsizing. Once you are underwater, wait until you stabilize. Next, you should locate the release strap on your kayak, and pull it. Once you do this, you should be able to lean forward, straighten your legs, and then push yourself out of the kayak.

As soon as you are clear of the kayak, you should float up to the top of the water and grab one of the tow lines on the kayak. One thing to keep in mind is that you should always hold onto your kayak when you are in the water after a wet exit. That way, you will not lose your kayak to the wind or currents.

Hopefully, you will never have to use the wet exit. However, if you do need to use it, it's always best if you have had some practice getting out of your capsize kayak, first.

Overturning "the right way"

Overturning “the right way” can actually help you regain control over your kayak.

If you're worried about overturning your kayak, don't worry. Just like most things, there is a right way to do it so that you won't have to worry about getting injured. Another thing that you should keep in mind is that even though in most cases your kayak is being overturned due to bad weather situations, you will almost always have at least a little control over what your kayak is doing. Therefore, with a little practice, you shouldn't have any trouble overturning “the right way”.

There are even some instances where you'll want to overturn the kayak on purpose in order to make sure that you either make it through some obstacles in a river, or so that you can complete a trick or two in a trick kayak. One thing you should keep in mind, however, is that before you practice overturning your kayak on purpose in order to do tricks, you should always make sure that you are very good at getting out of a capsized kayak.

One thing that you should also keep in mind is that if you're going to be overturning your kayak the right way, then you should be able to right your kayak if needed. This is generally a lot harder to do than a simple wet exit, so you'll probably have to practice for a while before you get it right.

Another reason why overturning a kayak “the right way” might be necessary is that sometimes it is just easy to overturn and re-right a kayak than it is to fight and keep it upright. If you're stuck in a situation where the waves are pushing your kayak so that it is almost out of control, you may just want to overturn your kayak before the waves can do it, and then re-right the kayak.

Luckily, if you're just getting used to kayaking, you will probably not be in a situation in which it is necessary to understand how overturning “the right way” works. In fact, this is usually only used by experienced kayakers. However, if you're not sure how to do this, and if you're not very experienced, you should make sure that you only go kayaking in situations where the weather is good and where you have somebody else with you to help out if you get into a bad situation on the water. Good luck, and remember that with practice, overturning your kayak might not be a bad thing.

Information courtesy of KayakHelp