Introduction

If I was starting over with zero kayak skills, which

techniques would I focus on?

When I got started with kayaking most paddlers I knew with

10 plus years of experience didn’t have the rock solid low brace
for confidence in rough water. A few had this explosive power
roll which is not likely to work in real conditions. I wanted the
skills needed to have peace of mind in any conditions so that I
would have the freedom to explore anywhere I wanted,
without putting my life at risk.

I discovered little known simple to learn techniques that

took me from clumsy, to having massive confidence at sea. It
only took months. I’m not saying that to brag, I’m not more
gifted than average. It’s the techniques that made it quick and
easy for me and so many others.

I want to share these 10 breakthrough skills with you

because I haven’t seen them taught anywhere else. That’s why
I call them secrets.

I think these techniques will help you gain more competence

than you ever imagined possible.

I know I wouldn’t have the competence I have without

them.
Copyright © 2019 by Paulo Ouellet.

All rights reserved.

http://dancingwiththesea.com
 More by the author

CLICK HERE TO Learn More About The Author

For video course go here:

https://www.dancingwiththesea.com/product/sea-
kayak-secrets-mastery/
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 ..................................................................................... 1
Chapter 2 ..................................................................................... 5
Chapter 3 ................................................................................... 11
Chapter 4 ................................................................................... 14
Chapter 5 ................................................................................... 19
Chapter 6 ................................................................................... 22
Chapter 7 ................................................................................... 25
Chapter 8 ................................................................................... 30
Chapter 9 ................................................................................... 34
Chapter 10 ................................................................................. 37
 CHAPTER 1
How To Use Your Paddle Like A
Lever. And Look Like You Are
Hardly Working While You Go
Past Even Your Fastest Friends.

I ’m in the waves on a windy day with a student. He

struggles to keep up with the rest of the group. He seems
to be working harder than the more experienced
paddlers. Seems like he is taking two hard paddling strokes for
one of theirs. And I wonder why.

It’s hard not to notice the difference, isn’t it? Some people
are plowing their way with a hard, steady paddle stroke while
others give the paddle a little nudge here and there to move
faster than everyone else. It looks like they are not even trying.
So I want to help my student paddle with more ease, but I don’t
know what’s going on. I start paying more attention.

Most of us think we need more practice, more hours on the

water, before we are efficient. Or we need to take a few more
lessons. Paddling into a head wind feels like we are not only

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

fighting against the wind, but also against the waves; yet some
paddlers glide through the waves with little effort.

I discovered a way to use the energy of the wave to help you.

I don’t mean surfing the wave. My approach works going into
the waves, moving broadside to the waves, or with the waves
behind you. It works even on little ripples to help you get more
distance with every stroke. Even on a nearly calm day. Why do
some paddlers have access to this power while others do not?
The problem starts with the focus on moving the paddle back.

Have you ever seen penguins swim? They move their fins
the way a bird moves their wings while flying. There is very
little backward movement. They move their fins up and down,
on each side, propelling themselves forward at incredible
speed. It’s striking how agile they are in the water. So why are
they not using their wings to push water back the way ducks
kick with their feet? Have they discovered a more efficient
way?

Here’s what I discovered: When I feel like I’m borrowing

energy from the wave, I use my paddle like a penguin uses his
wings. Except I’m lifting the wing instead of moving it down. I
may pause and hold the paddle to let a wave create the lifting
motion. Or I add my own lift by pushing down with my upper
hand. The force on the water is mostly lifting, not moving back.

I will talk more about using the energy of the wave in

chapter 6. Before you can absorb the energy of the wave, to use
it for going forward, your body needs to be in a strong position.
That’s what I want to teach you with this exercise. I want you
to forget about paddling for a moment. Imagine you are
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 Sea Kayak Secrets

holding a shovel full of heavy dirt. Hold a stick or a shovel in

your hands.

Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell you to move water when
paddling. I want to give you the feeling of positioning your
body in a powerful way. It will make paddling feel easy.

Notice how you keep your lower hand close to your side
when lifting a heavy shovel. This makes it easier to lift the
weight. If you move your hand further from your core, it feels
hard, doesn’t it?

Now notice what you do when you want to move the heavy
dirt a little distance. Are you not using your core muscles? You
rotate your body. Move your hips. Keep your abs tight. Notice
how much power you have when you hold your body in that
position, with your lower hand close to your side.

Now replace the shovel with a paddle. Use this strong body
position to pry with your paddle. It doesn’t need to move
much. Notice how much power you can apply to the paddle
using your core muscles. Keep in mind: We are not going for a
big movement here-a very short pry with a lot of power.

When you practice this in your kayak, remember how it

feels. As you move your whole body, you will feel a pushing
pressure with your top hand. You will feel pulling with your
lower hand, as if you have weight on your shovel. You will be
using your core to apply that pressure. No arms. If you didn’t
sign up for the free video that goes with this lesson, you can do
so here:

3
 Sea Kayak Secrets

https://www.dancingwiththesea.com/product/sea-kayak-
secrets-mastery/

You will learn about an exercise to practice this motion on the

water.

4
 CHAPTER 2
How To Use The Power Of A
Breaking Wave To Make Paddling
Broadside To The Wave Feel More
Secure Than Paddling On Flat
Water.

I ’m paddling with a friend who is fairly new to kayaking.

It’s a bit windy but not very choppy. As we round an
island, we are exposed to the full fetch of the wind. The
waves are bigger than anything he has experienced. They are
coming from the side, with the bigger ones breaking right over
his kayak. Waves are pushing him out of balance, as if trying
to capsize him. He nervously reacts by smacking his paddle in
the water on the other side.

He avoids another capsize. Each time he is getting more

terrified. He knows he’s going for a bad swim if he is not quick
enough.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

This is something I see often. Those without much

experience in the waves are nervous. You can see it in their
eyes. In how stiff they look. They can’t wait to get to the calm
water.

You can tell the more experienced paddler by the confidence

they have in using their paddle to stop a capsize. They have a
brace which can keep them upright most of the time.

Then, you have those who are completely at home in rough

water. They understand how the force of the wave moves the
kayak. They know exactly how to place the paddle and their
body to use the force of the wave. They look like they are
playing with the wave, not fighting it. They are not in a hurry
to get out of rough water, but instead they enjoy the moment.
There is no fear of capsizing. There is no having to be hyper
alert. Calm and collected works fine.

Seeing my friend with that stiff nervous look, I decide to raft

up with him. I show him how to place the paddle on the other
side for bracing. On the side the wave is coming from. I tell him
to stop waiting for the wave to knock him over. Instead, leave
the paddle in the water to let the incoming wave bury it. I show
him how to time his forward stroke to place the paddle in the
right place; how to pause to let the wave wash over. I tell him
to relax his hips to let his body rotate towards the wave. Be
ready for a quick sweep for support, if needed.

It all took less than a minute. He is calm during the rest of

the paddle home. Completely relaxed. I think I even saw him
smile as a big wave washed over his kayak at one point. He is
a different paddler.
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 Sea Kayak Secrets

Here’s an exercise for developing a strong position for

bracing in the waves:

1. Sit on the floor with your paddle pinned under

something heavy. In the water the wave will hold
your paddle in place.

2. Sit facing forward and hold on to the paddle.

3. Have someone push you over.

4. Notice how much force it takes to push you down.

Now try this:

1. Sit with your hip back and body rotated towards the
brace side.

2. Have someone push you over.

See figure 1.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

Figure 1

Notice if it’s easier to stay in balance.

I think you will find that it feels a lot more secure when you
are rotated towards the paddle.

Here’s an exercise to practice on the water for developing

the blade angle to give you tons of support:

1. Start with the same position you were in for the

previous exercise. Your paddle side hip is pulled
back. Your body is rotated toward the paddle. Your
paddle is near the surface of the water, 45 degrees to
the back of the kayak.

2. Practice sweeping it forward and then back again.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

3. Use your hips. Your whole upper body should rotate

as you move your hips.

4. Find the blade angle that gives you support without

moving water.

It will be quiet. It will feel like the blade slices cleanly through
the water. It will feel like you can put your whole weight on the
paddle and still get support. Notice how much support it gives
you.

If you learned to use your hips when paddling, it will feel

natural to rotate towards the wave.

Here’s an exercise I like to show new paddlers:

1. Practice turning your forward stroke into a brace

without taking the paddle out of the water. A brace
does not have to be something you do to regain your
balance. It’s not a reaction. It is about paying attention
to the waves. It’s about placing your paddle and body
in a strong position to stay stable.

2. Practice this by paddling forward normally. After

you have a bit of speed, imagine that a wave is
coming from the side.

3. Change the angle of the blade to make it rise to the

surface on the side of the incoming wave.

4. Place your body in position. Your same side hip is

pulled back. You are rotated towards the incoming
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 Sea Kayak Secrets

wave. You place your paddle at about a 45 degree

angle from the back of the kayak.

5. Pause for about 1 second; then keep paddling. Keep

practicing this on both sides until you feel confident
putting a lot of pressure on the paddle.

6. Pay attention to the angle. Most people will use too

much of a climbing angle. You can hear the water
moving. You can see how it moves water. It doesn’t
give much support.

Play with the angle until it slices cleanly up through the water
with all your weight on it.

See figure 2.

Figure 2

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

CHAPTER 3
How To Use The Wind Like Power
Steering To Turn Your Kayak
With Ease.

I still see even experienced paddlers completely ignoring the

wind when turning.

Have you ever had this experience? You’re paddling on a

windy day, your kayak is constantly turning upwind. So you
do a sweep stroke to push the bow back downwind. It feels
hard. The more you force the bow to move downwind, the
more the stern gets pushed downwind as well. In the end you
are still pointing upwind. It feels like you are playing tug of
war with the wind, doesn’t it?

I remember meeting a kayaker one time as I was paddling

with my 191/2-feet-long kayak. He said to me it must be so
hard to control in the wind, and I thought about it for a while.
It made sense.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

But here’s the thing. There is as much extra length in the

front as there is in the back, so actually it makes no difference.
Not if you understand how the wind affects your kayak.

I remember a time when it was hard to control in the wind.

I used to get pushed all over the place. I had to use all my
power to keep the kayak pointing the right way. And the next
day I had shoulder pain. Then I realized that the kayak is like a
weather vane. You can fight against the wind, or you can make
the wind work for you. When the kayak is not moving, you are
sitting in the middle, so the tendency is to move sideways in
the wind. The kayak doesn’t have a tendency to point into the
wind or downwind.

When you are moving forward, more resistance is added in

the bow. It is like moving the pin of the weather vane closer to
the front. Now the back gets pushed downwind more. This
results in the kayak pointing towards the wind. The faster you
go, the more resistance in the front. It’s like moving the pin
closer to the front of the kayak. So the kayak wants to go into
the wind more.

If you lean forward it’s like moving the pin even closer to
the front.

Here’s an exercise: Think of where to put the pin to get the

kayak to do the desired turn. If you want to turn upwind, you
can paddle faster to create more resistance on the bow. Let the
wind push the stern downwind. You can lean forward to
release the stern to make it turn quicker, or place the paddle
near the bow to pin it in place.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

If you want to turn downwind, you can slow down; lean

back, and place the paddle near the stern to pin the stern and
let the wind blow the bow downwind.

Think about this before you get in your kayak to paddle on

a windy day.

When you find yourself in the wind, pay attention to where

it’s coming from. Ask yourself: “Am I trying to point upwind
more or downwind?” You will find that it soon becomes easy
to maneuver in the wind. Most of the time I just shift by body
forward or back. You can let the wind do the work, but it starts
with paying attention to which way the wind is blowing.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

CHAPTER 4
Learn The Secret That Allows You
To Paddle Smoothly Past Your
Friends Without A Sound.

W e all know how to kayak right? Simple enough:

Place the paddle near the front, move it back. The
kayak moves forward. We take kayak lessons to
learn everything else about paddling. We learn what muscles
to use, and how to use the foot pegs to help us. We learn how
to plant the paddle to make it more quiet; how to move our
torso in a way that allows us to keep our arms straight.

I say by far the most overlooked part of kayaking--the part

even neglected by experienced paddlers--is moving the paddle
back. Tweaking this will bring you the biggest energy saving.

One day I’m on a multi-day trip when, after hours of

paddling, I notice that my blade makes a splashing sound with
every stroke. Even though I try to make it quiet, it keeps
splashing. After several hours it becomes a disturbance not
only for everything around me but also a major distraction for
me. I find myself getting annoyed by my own paddling noise.
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 Sea Kayak Secrets

I like to move without disturbing the wildlife. I want to see

the seals as they go about their regular day. I don’t want to see
them freaking out because they perceive me as a threat. I want
to experience myself as an invisible visitor.

A few weeks later I’m paddling by myself one sunny day,

still trying to avoid the splash, when an older couple glide past
me without a sound. The way they paddled looked so smooth,
effortless, quiet-like in a dream. This was my first time seeing
the Greenland paddle.

I had to stop them to ask about the paddle they were using.
After downloading a plan, I’m back on a nearby beach to look
for a log which would provide the wood for my first Greenland
paddle.

I still remember the first time I used it. It had no power. It

fluttered. I kept using it, not because it worked, but because I
had just spent 12 hours carving it. It was a nice paddle. I was
proud of my work. I was proud that it started out as a beach
log. I wasn’t ready to throw it in the fireplace. Not yet.

I kept paddling with it until suddenly something shifted. I

went from feeling like I had no purchase on the water, to
feeling like it was rock solid. The fluttering was gone. I started
moving. I mean moving fast.

Did I learn how to use it, or did it teach me how to paddle

more efficiently? If you took kayak lessons, someone probably
told you to move the kayak past the paddle, not move the
paddle back. I realize the paddle was teaching me how to use
it. When you move the Greenland paddle back through the

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

water, it flutters. When you move yourself past it, the flutter
stops, and you start to move fast. It feels smooth. Easy. It’s
quiet.

I remember years ago. I’m drifting down the Yukon River in

a canoe when a curious moose decides to swim towards me.
Apparently to get a closer look. It swims right around me and
back to shore. I was amazed at how good a swimmer it was.
How can moose swim so fast with only skinny legs to paddle
with?

The thing about water is it gives little resistance when you

move something through it slowly. But try to move something
fast and the water stops it like a solid rock.

I realized that when using the Greenland paddle, it is more

efficient to let the paddle hit the water--like it’s a rock--than it
is to move it back. You don’t want to waste your energy
moving water.

This exercise will help you develop this approach.

1. Start with the kayak at rest. I want you to start

paddling forward, but focus on avoiding moving the
paddle back. It will look like placing the paddle on
one side, and hitting it the way you hit a tennis ball.
You are placing your body in the position you
learned in chapter 1 when you were pretending to be
holding a shovel.

2. Place your paddle in the water while placing your

body in a powerful position so you can punch it. You

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

will feel a push on the top hand, but you are using
your core for power.

3. Use your upper arm, at least at first, to get a feel for

it. Later on you can get the same result with your core
muscles alone.

The important thing is to not move the paddle back. Just

quickly release the energy before changing sides. Don’t worry
about moving the kayak yet. At the beginning it will look like
you are not doing anything. As you start to move, your paddle
will look like it’s moving back.

If you hear water moving, be more explosive when applying

the power. Change sides more often. Most kayakers move a lot
of water when they accelerate from a dead stop. The tendency
is to keep this same energy sucking technique even after getting
up to speed.

It’s just not as noticeable when you are moving fast. You
may not realize how much energy you are wasting. As you gain
speed your paddle will end up further back. That’s perfect. The
kayak is moving past the paddle.

Another exercise:

1. Tie yourself down, or get someone to hold on to your

kayak.

2. Focus on paddling without making a sound. If you

are not moving forward, your paddle should not be
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 Sea Kayak Secrets

moving back much. Or as little as possible like a

moose kicking its legs; it’s a quick push, not a long
slow water moving process.

As you pay attention to how it feels to accelerate efficiently,

you will develop that same feeling as you paddle. You will
notice that you can go much further with less effort. It is
quieter.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

CHAPTER 5
How A Smaller, Older Man Can
Out Paddle A Young And Stronger
Man All Day Long.

Here’s a story from one of my students. He’s on a multi-day

trip with friends. On a longer than usual day of paddling along
a rugged shoreline with nowhere to stop for a rest, one of the
young men experiences tiredness in his arms. Maybe it has
happened to you at some point. It happened to me one time
where I had to pause every 10 seconds or so to let my arms rest
before paddling on. Once the arms get tired, it’s pretty much
game over. Arm muscles are designed for quick strength, but
not for endurance.

On this trip an older man, who isn’t very strong, is using his
core muscles to power the stroke. He is very efficient. His hips
are moving, his stomach muscles are engaged. He applies the
power when his body is in the strongest possible position. With
his core muscle. Core muscles are designed to give steady
movement all day long. They are built for endurance.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

Even a strong man who uses his arms will get tired before the
end of the day. How can you avoid tired arms?

1. You keep your arms in a strong position while you

apply the power. The power comes from the hips and
core, while the arms stay just slightly bent, in a strong
position.

2. Make sure you can power your forward stroke with hips
and torso rotation alone.

What happened to the young man using too much arm? He

needed to be towed back to camp by the older man. He wasn’t
happy about it. If you want to avoid getting tired when you
paddle, you need to use your body in a natural way. Use the
right muscles. When you walk, notice how you use your hips.
Your core is engaged. When you paddle try moving the hips. If
you need to be jammed in the kayak to feel secure, you may
need to adjust the fit. Here is a free course to show you how:

https://www.dancingwiththesea.com/product/outfitting-
your-kayak-for-performance/

When you move your hips freely, it’s very natural to also
move your torso. Notice how your core is engaged. Now focus
on making sure your arms stay in a strong position until you
are done applying the power. You may need to look at your
arms to make sure you are not bending them. You don’t need
to lock your arms straight. A slightly bent position is powerful.
Look at your top or pushing arm. Make sure it doesn’t bend.
Look at your lower arm. Does it have a tendency to bend before

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

you are done applying the power? If so you will tire out much
more quickly.

As you use your body in a powerful way, you will become

more efficient. Paddling will feel easier. More pleasant. You
will arrive to camp with more energy left for setting up your
tent and making dinner. Your outdoors experience will be
overall more enjoyable.

21
 CHAPTER 6
Why Some Kayakers Are
Diminished By A Wave, While
Others Can Tap Into The Energy
To Get A Boost Of Power.

H
ave you ever struggled to keep moving forward
when kayaking into a head wind? Not only is the
wind pushing you back, but you actually have to
work extra hard to get up and over the waves.

I recently started mountain biking and there is something

called pumping. It took me a while to figure out what was
meant by pumping, but now I can actually keep going around
and around the track without ever pedaling. I can create
forward momentum using the bumps on the track. It requires
some effort because the bumps are not moving. You have to
create the energy. On the water the waves have plenty of
energy to give. When you learn to tap into it, you can paddle
into a head wind with ease; by using the power of the waves.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

You may have noticed that when paddling with a group

some people seem to go a little further with less paddling.
Maybe you had the experience of having your paddle in just
the right place to get a little extra help.

This lesson will be short. Using the waves to give you power
will come with practice on the water, not from reading. As I
mentioned in the first lesson, using the paddle as a lever is a
critical aspect. If you have not mastered this approach, please
go back to practice this in calm water.

You can create forward thrust by moving the canted blade

up through the water. The Hobie kayak uses that principle to
propel their kayaks forward, instead of using a propeller.

One way to make the blade go up is to hold it with your

lower hand, while you push down with your top hand. If you
want to make it stronger, you can apply the force with your
core muscles. Use your whole body.

Now imagine applying the force to make the blade go up as

your kayak goes down a wave. As the bow drops down the
wave, the stern floats up and puts more force on the blade.
When your paddle is in just the right place, with your body
applying the lifting power on the blade, the motion of the stern
going up creates extra lift. It feels like you are getting help from
the wave.

When you pay attention to this approach, you will notice

that paddling in the waves gets easier. You will notice that you
are using less energy while still keeping up with the faster
paddlers. You will see others working hard to power their way

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

through the waves while you can relax. You are focusing on the
timing of your forward stroke to get the most energy from the
wave. It feels like a dance. You are responding to the
movement of the water, working in synch with it.

It’s not man versus wild; it’s more like man figures out how
to play with nature. You become part of the force.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

CHAPTER 7
Why Having The Good Knee
Contact That Most Of Us Learn,
Actually Prevents Good Kayak
Control When On Edge.

W e all know how powerful our hips are. Can you

imagine having to walk without moving your hips?
How much harder it would be? Do you think your
legs would get tired more quickly?

When I started kayaking I was taught to tighten my foot

pegs to push my legs bent, until my knees were braced against
both sides of the kayak. The idea is to have a solid connection,
so that moving your hips results in the kayak responding
instantly. That worked for me. Usually. I was able to get quite
a bit of strength rotating my upper body. Then, something
changed. After seeing what the Inuit of Greenland could do in
their kayaks, I went on a journey of discovery to figure out how
to develop this much agility. The first thing I started practicing
was a balance brace. See Figure 4.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

Figure 4. Resting at Sea

The Inuit, according to the stories, did not allow the young
paddlers to join the hunters until they could perform this feat.
In Greenland you can’t just go to shore anytime you like. The
shoreline is rugged, with few places suitable to land, making it
critical for the hunter be able to rest while at sea. The hunter
must be self-sufficient. The balance brace allows a paddler to
take a break and get a good stretch. He can even take a short
nap, if necessary.

This idea of floating on your back on the water while in your

kayak is not something which is commonly taught. The
modern kayak industry is mostly about getting back in the
kayak after a capsize. Rolling is not even considered useful for
most paddlers because it is taught in a way which is hard to
learn. Not so in Greenland. The kayak was designed to be easy

26
 Sea Kayak Secrets

to roll back up because going for a swim in the freezing cold

arctic water is not an option. So I went to a nearby lake and
started practicing the balance brace. I put my float at the end of
my paddle. I dropped myself on the water. The kayak pushed
me and my paddle underwater, forcing me to do a wet exit. I
would get back in the kayak to try again many times before
realizing I was missing the most critical piece.

After a lot of frustrating practice, I realized I needed a better

fit with my kayak. I needed the freedom to rotate my hips to
get more flexibility. I needed a looser fit. A loose fit that still
gives me enough control for edging the kayak while staying
securely seated without feeling like I could fall out.

After transforming my kayak with new thigh braces, and a

lot of foam, I was able to rotate my hips to get my back flat on
the water. Doing a balance brace is now easy. It’s not a matter
of practicing a new skill.

Moving my hips was the key to competence. Not only for

the balance brace. It’s also what makes rolling easy. I have since
taught the layback roll to many people. But it’s not just about
rolling. Moving the hips gave me a low brace that is solid. It
allows me to use the power of my hips for paddling forward,
the way kayak racers do.

But here’s the challenge. I’m paddling along with a lot of

power and agility. Ready to brace with the hips, if needed. But
as you know agility in the kayak depends upon using the
natural shape of the hull to help you maneuver. You need to
put the kayak on edge to make turning easier.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

Figure 5. Edging kayak for a turn

You can put your kayak on edge when paddling in the wind
to help you keep going straight. But here’s the thing. When you
have to lock your hips in place to edge, your turning stroke
becomes gutless. Unless . . . There is a way to outfit your kayak
while still using all the hip power, even when edging. It’s really
quite simple. You just need to make sure your knees are free to
move.

If your knee is making contact with the kayak, rotating your

hips feels very uncomfortable. But if you pad your kayak in
such a way so it makes contact with your thighs instead of your
knees, you can move your thighs freely. Now you can use your
hip power for forward paddling, even when your kayak is on
edge. You can also use that same hip power to make your

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

turning feel easier. You will be bracing quicker with a more

natural body movement.

As you get comfortable with moving your hips while

edging, you will notice kayaking just got a whole lot easier. The
kayak feels more like something you are wearing. Your
movements are more natural. You move the same way you
would if you didn’t have the constraint of the kayak. You may
even realize that the kayak is an extension to allow you more
agility on the water. It was never meant to be a constraint.

29
 CHAPTER 8
Why Neglecting This Muscle
Makes You Afraid In The Waves.
And A Simple Exercise You Can Do
To Become Fearless In Rough
Water.

T
his is something I see all the time. People practicing a
kayak skill in the hope that the repetition will help
them gain mastery. As an example, many kayakers
would like to learn to roll. Which means that if you capsize,
your can right yourself without getting out of the kayak, by
using your paddle and your body. If you can manage to get the
movement just right you should be able to roll your kayak with
success every time right? Not always . . . One day I’m teaching
a one-on-one rolling lesson. Trying everything I know to get
my student to do a roll. He has the flexibility to rotate. His body
movement is good. His paddle has a good climbing angle to
provide support. But he can’t come up.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

After a bit of practice on the water, we are back on the beach

where I show him an exercise. What we discover is he has no
power in his hip rotation. This hip power is critical for kayak
control. It’s an important part of making a roll feel easy. If you
want to edge your kayak at will to make paddling more fun, to
feel agile, hip strength is crucial.

But here’s the thing. You may be fit for walking or running,
but have no strength for the hip rotation which is required for
controlling the kayak. Without that critical strength, you will
not have much competence.

If you have practiced rolling you may have had the

experience of doing a few good rolls; then the rest of the
practice is sloppy. You may feel frustrated with yourself
because instead of making progress, you feel like you are going
backwards. I now make it a priority to make sure the student
has power in their hip rotation.

You can have everything else right and without the hip
strength, your roll won’t work. Your edging will not be nice
and steady. On the other hand, if you have a powerful hip
rotation, you can roll up quite easily even if your technique is
sloppy, or the conditions rough.

Here is an exercise I like to do every day to keep my hips

strong. Ready for a high brace or roll. See Figure 6.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

Figure 6. Keep the Hips Strong

1. Lie on the ground on your back. Place your legs at a

90 degree angle to your torso. One leg is on top of the
other. Place a towel around the lower foot and pull to
create a bit of a stretch.

2. Next, wrap your upper foot around and below the

lower foot to hold the legs together, and rotate your
hips against the resistance of the towel.

3. And hold. Do the other side.

For most people it will feel easy. If you do it regularly, you will
develop the extra endurance which will give you the ability to
keep rolling without getting sloppy. As you do this exercise
regularly you will notice the position is similar to when you are

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

doing a side scull (see figure 7) with your kayak. It’s also the
same position you want to get into for doing a high brace. Or a
roll.

Keep doing this simple exercise to gain a lot of agility with

your kayak.

Figure 7. Side scull

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 CHAPTER 9
Practice The Same Physics Used
By The Space Shuttle To Create
The Zero Gravity That Makes Your
Low Brace Bulletproof.

T
he first thing I did when I succeeded with my layback
roll is I started learning the forward finishing roll. It’s
much harder to learn for two reasons.

1. The font deck on most kayaks is higher than the rear

deck.

2. Most of us don’t have as much flexibility for bending

forward as we do for lying back, so we have to lift our
body weight against the force of gravity.

This is very counter intuitive. You need to start with your head
close to the surface by arching your back. As you rotate your
hips to right the kayak, you need to drive your head down,
towards the bottom of the ocean when all you really want to do
is bring your head up, out of the water for a breath of air.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

What does a forward roll have to do with bracing, you might

ask? Nothing unless you want to make your low brace really
super powerful. A low brace is when you place your paddle on
the water for support after losing your balance (figure 8).

Figure 8

Do you want a low brace which works in any conditions?

Who needs a low brace which is useless in rough water? What’s

the point? The forward finishing roll is the key to this powerful
low brace.

Essentially, you are using the water to support your weight

while you rotate the kayak with your hips. By doing so you are
removing the effect of gravity. You can use that exact
movement to eliminate gravity when performing a low brace
even without using the support of the water. Instead of having

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

your paddle sink as you put your body weight on it, you can
free fall your body weight and recover close to the front deck.

You will notice much less weight pushing down on the

paddle, which allows the blade to stay close to the surface
where it can keep giving support. You are always ready for
another brace. You will notice that bracing feels more like a
smooth, easy, natural body movement. There is no force
required, no strain on the shoulders.

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 CHAPTER 10
The Quickest Way To Go From
Paddling A Boat To Wearing Your
Kayak And Start To Move With
Ease.

T
he Inuit of Greenland see it as a critical skill to learn
early on. Modern kayak instructors don’t teach this at
all or at least not until a paddler is closer to the expert
level.

Six of us are out paddling on a day with maybe a 15-knot

wind. Nothing big but some waves are forming. I think to
myself if I can get on top of a wave, I can get a little ride.
Everyone knows I’m a rookie with only months of experience.
I’ll show them I have more skills than they think. I get on top
of the wave to get a ride. I’m riding it. Excited at how cool I
probably look. Before I can do anything about it, I realize I’m
out of balance, on my way into the cold water. Next thing I
know I’m in the water, out of my kayak. Swimming. Feeling
refreshed by the cold water but not looking as cool as I hoped.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

There is one skill in particular I like to help people master. It

is the fastest way to go from someone who could easily end up
swimming, to someone who will almost never swim. It’s a key
technique which is easy to learn if you know what to do. At
least if your kayak is well fitted for you. A lot of people will get
it the first time they try. When you get this, you instantly go
from the most likely to swim to the least likely to swim.

It’s the skill which takes your rolling from something

needing coordination with a good strong paddle, to something
requiring no effort at all. And you are confident it will work
every time.

In fact when you have this you have all the most important
parts of doing a powerful layback roll, one that works not only
in the swimming pool but also in rough conditions. It works
with a fully loaded expedition kayak. It gives you a powerful
high brace.

It’s not a skill that is taught to beginners or even

intermediate paddlers. Unless you live in Greenland. The Inuit
learn it before they venture out to sea because it’s a skill which
teaches you how to move with your kayak. This skill keeps you
feeling confident in the waves and makes you look like a pro;
it also helps you develop a paddling style which makes use of
your whole body. You learn to move with your kayak like you
are wearing it. The main thing is the body position. You need
to place your back on the water.

To get that much rotation you need freedom of movement

in the hips.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

You need to arch your back to bring your head down like
you are placing your head under water; very counterintuitive
when every cell in your body wants you to raise your head out
of the water to get a breath. When you give in to this urge to
lift your head, you notice that the kayak pushes you under
water.

The trick is to keep the kayak in a position where it is

comfortable on its side. If you let it fall or rotate too far, it will
have a tendency to go upside down. It will seem like the kayak
is trying to push your head under water. All you can do to stop
it is use your paddle to force it off of you. In the end if you don’t
have the right body position, the kayak will likely win. Or at
least it will make you work hard to keep breathing.

Here’s what to do instead of fighting with your kayak. Put a

float at the end of your paddle to start with, to get a feel for the
body position. If you are doing the exercise in Chapter 8, you
will have the strength to rotate your hips. If you followed the
recommendations from this free course on outfitting your
kayak, you have a good fit.

You can take the eCourse here:

https://www.dancingwiththesea.com/product/outfitting-
your-kayak-for-performance/

When you have the right fit with your kayak it is easy to
rotate your hips and apply pressure on the thigh brace on the
same side you are lying on. Now do that same exercise in your
kayak, on the water. See Figure 9.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

Figure 9. Practicing the balance brace with a paddle float

It helps to have someone support you until you are

confident with your ability to keep your head out of the water.
As you are rotated, place some pressure on the thigh brace.

This is when it gets counterintuitive. As much as you want

your head to come out of the water, you have to arch your back
and put your head deeper in the water, as deep as you can. And
as you do, you will notice that you don’t need to use the paddle
as much. You may even float there without any need for the
paddle. When you can do this without needing any support it’s
called a balance brace. See figure 10.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

Figure 10

But don’t stop there. Some people will do a successful

balance brace, but when you put a paddle in their hands so they
can scull for extra support, they start to sink deeper and deeper.
The paddle is pulling them under instead of helping them.

You want to practice this sculling motion until you are

confident you can find the perfect angle to give you support.
After you are comfortable with the body position, this is what
you want to practice.

The balance brace is a great skill. Don’t worry if you can’t

quite get it. The sculling is what will make you rock solid in the
waves. It’s all about getting the right blade angle to scull in a
way that gives you support.

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 Sea Kayak Secrets

Thank you for reading!

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