Joe Harbour ' s freestyle skills make him good in a crisis . Photo : Pete Rawlinson
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WHY THE UNPREDICTABLE IS IMPORTANT
White water kayaking at the edge of your ability is a challenging game where poor performances can be painful . A mainstream sports equivalent might be playing a football match where if the other team scores , you could get an electric shock , and the fans start throwing eggs at you . In an environment where failures can be such a negative experience , it ’ s no surprise that paddlers are often tempted to practice in a way that feels a long way away from the real thing . Rather than have to respond to changes , paddlers and coaches will often practice planned and predictable movements . Rather than link moves , the temptation will be to break everything you do into simple A to B , eddy to eddy movements . This is a problem .
If a boxer trains only on dummies before the fight , how will they know how to duck and weave around their opponent ’ s punches ? Similarly , if that football team we referenced earlier only trains for their highstakes matches by practising free kicks , corners and penalties , they might be in for a bumpy ride when the game kicks off .
Slalom racing needs fast paced paddling and planning , and lots of dynamic movement ! Photo : Penny Dixie
What better way to practice ? Photo : Penny Dixie
Joe Harbour ' s freestyle skills make him good in a crisis . Photo : Pete Rawlinson
Jamie on the Falls of Lora . Photo : Jonah Morgan
The mismatch between the fast-paced challenges of white water river paddling and the methodical style in which paddlers often practice for it , has intrigued me for a long time and driven me to look for new exercises and practices that push our training closer to the dynamism of true river running . To replicate the challenges of white water river running , a practice should include : l High challenge with low consequence l Chaotic elements to force adaptive responses l The potential for creativity
By embracing chaos , we make the mind work fast and force our skills to organise themselves and become fluid . Overleaf are a few ideas to jazz up your river running practice .
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