Nothing in training happens without stress. In the absence of a stressor, our system remains exactly as it is. But stress alone is not improvement, and in an ocean environment, misunderstanding that difference is one of the most common ways capable paddlers stall or break down. Stress is simply load [...]
In surfski paddling, training is often treated as a simple equation: more time on the water leads to more fitness, and more fitness should lead to better results. When that works, it feels obvious. When it doesn’t, the failure is rarely dramatic. Instead, failure shows up gradually, even quietly. Performances [...]
Boat fatigue: every paddler's unknowing nightmare. It particularly comes into play in ocean conditions. It is worth revisiting with the race season getting cranked up. I was thinking about one of our biggest races in New England, the 20-mile Blackburn Challenge where many of the paddlers have suffered. Most years, [...]
Training Basics 1. Time in the boat, time in the boat, time in the boat - or time on a kayak erg. There is no substitute for paddling if you want to be a better or faster paddler. 2. Spend time going into the wind, downwind, beam to the wind [...]
Leg Drive: My experience is that the term 'heel drive' is a relative term to get paddlers comfortable with using leg drive. It is easy for newer paddlers to envision using "Heel drive" and for instructors to possibly teach it this way. Those of us who paddle surfskis as [...]
