The PaddlerUK magazine July 2015 issue 3 | Page 61

tor at Glenmore Lodge

edge/practice/learning
Problem solving at what ever stage a paddler is
at forces tapping into existing knowledge and
opens up new areas for the paddler to go and
explore.

Analogies

These are great ways of piggy backing on
previously learnt set of rules or guidelines for
similar movements. Lots of sliding, riding and
gliding sports follow similar structures. This
could be where you look as you are going
round corners. Consider the skier looking
down the fall line, getting their body into a
position where the skis can then follow the arc
round. How about the biker taking a corner
looking into and beyond the turn could these
sets of principles aid you in turning a white
water kayak through arcs on a river?

When coaching river running tactics a recent
analogy is finding the ‘booster’ pads. If you have

ever played any computer games then you will
be aware of these areas that once you pass
over them they speed up your character. There
are times when you want them and times when
you don’t. As you play games you learn the
ones that access new areas and the ones that
you need to avoid. Tapping into this analogy
focuses the mind in looking for these areas.

I am sure that if you have been coaching for a
while you will have many that you use. From
beach balls between your chest and paddle,
billows between the blade and boat in a stern
rudder, pushing on sponges during strokes,
riding a bike round a corner, paddlers box etc.
The list goes on.

These analogies give the learner something
that they can visualise or imagine happening
and therefore add to their existing knowledge
and develop from there.

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