Paddle To Victory: Demystifying The Kayaker’s Code For Race Success

Embark on a journey into the heart of kayaking wisdom with a set of race training principles that transcend the water’s surface, guiding you through the intricacies of paddling excellence. From the relentless pursuit of improvement to the symbiotic relationship with your kayak, each code is a revelation, laying the groundwork for a successful and fulfilling racing experience.

It never gets easier, you just get faster.”

– Greg LeMond

Join us as we decode the secrets that make a true kayaking champion and master the art of training like never before. Are you ready to paddle into a realm where the river becomes your ally, and victory is not just a destination but a way of life? Then let the journey begin.

Training is like fighting a gorilla. You don’t stop when you get tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”

– Greg Henderson

The Kayaker’s Code To Race Training:

1. Live your life by The Code!

2. The road to success is always under construction

Strive to be the strongest version of yourself! Always work to get better and faster. Be a model of physical conditioning, proper form, and intestinal fortitude. Additionally do all you can to help others to do the same. Also keep a positive attitude and let the endorphins flow!

3. Size matters!

So going fast begins with the kayak. Paddling a boat less than 11 feet in length will seriously inhibit your ability to prepare yourself to race, be a part of a training group and compete with the big dogs. Therefore if you want to go fast, treat yourself to a fast machine! Leave the half slice at home. Above all don’t bring a knife to a gunfight! Therefore the Calleva River Store has some great boats for sale.

4. Free your mind and your arms, shoulders, and torso will follow

A troubled mind can be a detriment to a full and enriching workout. So leave all of your worries behind you on the bank. Once your blades start to turn, immerse yourself in the exhilarations of the paddle – the smell of the air, the sound of the river, the velocity of your kayak sprinting across the water!

5. Suck It Up, Milquetoast!

To clarify, toughen up!

6. Training sessions are measured by quality not quantity

Push yourself hard! Consequently, you get out of training what you put into it. Hence paddling downstream is not for recovery. Go just as hard on your way downstream as you do on the way up! Training, attaining, and racing are supposed to be hard. Because it’s the hard that makes them great.

7. Embrace the suck!

Stick to your schedule and get out there regardless of weather or water level. As a result, if you are out kayaking in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period. 

8. Your paddle stroke is your best friend

Keeping your hands high, with the top hand traveling along your forehead will give you more power and engage your torso more. Your body’s natural tendency is to drop the top hand but, as you build strength and endurance, you will be able to keep the top hand high and stay in the power zone for longer periods of time.

Timing your strokes properly will also help you to be successful, a powerful stroke is ineffective when taken at the wrong time. Your strokes will not only be used to propel you forward but also to get you over features to keep you moving fast toward the finish line.

9. Paddle smarter and harder!

Use the river features to help you. The river gives you a great amount of help in going fast but you need to learn to use it. If you are going up, use the eddies to gain speed and use waves to help get you where you want to go. However if you are going down, keep out of eddies and slow areas, stay in the fastest current, and try to avoid the tallest waves. Furthermore using waves, rocks, and drops to keep your bow on the surface will allow you to maintain your speed and control.

10. Smooth is fast but fast and smooth is even faster

Timing, speed, precision, and power need to work in harmony. Holding back and slowing down can help make sure you run the rapids well. So practice on the course and dialing in the moves will allow you to make the moves at race pace. Attacking the river features aggressively with well placed strokes and the ability to put your boat where it needs to be will make you faster and more efficient.

11. Love your kayak

In order to control and get the most out of your long boat, you must spend lots of time to get yourself in tune with it. Paddle nothing but your long boat for at least a week or two before a race. As a result your body will adapt to the boat’s tendencies and you will be able to put your boat where you want it more consistently.

12. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail!

Practice and know your race course. Lack of knowledge and certainty can cause subconscious pauses in your paddling. Know where you need to go and be confident that you can put your boat there. On the other hand learning the fast lines in the rapids can make a big difference in where you finish in a race.

13. You gotta go up to get down

Downstream travel should be earned by paddling upstream. Shuttles are reserved for long paddles (10+ miles) only!

14. Take care of your paddle and it will take care of you

Having a full blade on your paddle can make a huge difference in how fast you can make your kayak go. Attaining can be tough on a paddle and can eventually wear it down to the size of a Q tip.

If you are able to, get yourself a beater paddle for attaining and a different one for racing. When you show up on race day, you need to have an adult sized paddle! A longer paddle can get you extra leverage to go fast. Depending on your height 200-204 cm is a good all around race paddle length.

15. Don’t skip leg day!

Cross training is a great way to improve your fitness, endurance, and overall strength. Running, biking, lifting weights, or even using an exercise machine are all healthy ways to get a workout that can rest some of the joints and muscles you use while kayaking.

16. Unleash the fury!

Creating your own fiction to get you fired up can motivate you to focus and paddle harder. I often will convince myself that a boater in front of me that I’m chasing is the worst beater in the history of kayaking and have gone so far as mentally deciding to quit kayaking if I don’t catch that person.

If I know I have a lead, I will envision the bow of the paddler behind me pulling up beside me to pass. I was passed by my friend Dave “The Mayor” Collins late in a race a few years ago. The image of Dave is always in the back of my mind! Refuse to lose! It can be extremely motivational to light a fire inside to keep you paddling hard and going your fastest.

17. See the glass half full

Focus on taking positive strokes only. Eliminate negative strokes entirely. Use a stern draw to help you steer and keep your momentum. It is a great stroke that engages your torso and sets you up for a quick return to forward strokes with little to no loss of speed. Rudders and especially back strokes will destroy your forward energy and slow you down. To motivate you and to atone for your sins, do 20 pushups on your knuckles in the gravel at the parking lot for each negative stroke that you take on your workout. 

18. Strike first, strike hard!

The river will show you no mercy so it is important that you are on offense throughout your training and in a race. Well placed strokes will make your boat go where you want it to go. They need to happen before the river causes your boat to change course. Speed and aggressiveness are your friends. Proper leaning is also necessary to control your boat.

A whitewater kayak is not designed to sit flat all the time, lean toward your stroke and that will help keep your bow free of the water and under your control. Plan your angle, pick up speed, and time your attack! Refuse to let the river win! Defeat does not exist in this dojo!

When in doubt, focus your thoughts and understanding on Rule #5 and train more!

This post was inspired by “The Rules”. Retrieved on March 12, 2022, from https://www.velominati.com.

You can find all the kayak trainings and classes we offer at Calleva River School here.