Performance Kayaking

Rating:
Summary: Taking your paddling technique to the next level
Review: Since all of the books I have on kayaking (from 2 years ago) are intended as an introduction to sea or whitewater kayaking, with the recent purchase of a WW boat, and some experience on the water, I decided that my basic skills needed to go to the next level.

Performance Kayaking", by Steven B. U'Ren is written progressively, starting off with the fundamentals [of whitewater paddling] and then building on what you've learned so far. Performance Kayaking's main strength is that much of it has been written with both novices and advanced paddlers in mind. It's a book that allows you to learn good technique from the onset or improve on what you already know.

This book is dedicated to the teaching of technique and finesse, something I'm finding out with a boat that is SO responsive that my self-acquired rudimentary skills of touring technique are somewhat lacking. Not only does it explain in great detail what you need to know about the basic paddling strokes, it also explains what can go wrong, how to recognize it, and what to do about it.

There are also chapters on recovery strokes and maneuvers, river morphology, whitewater maneuvers, and the next step: actually getting out on a river and putting it all together. The book closes with a chapter on slalom racing for those so inclined.

For those of you paddling whitewater boats, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Many of us here at this point came from touring boat background. Believe me, a touring boat certainly can camouflage poor technique, and lead you into believing that learning to paddle well is a simple motion that can be mimicked by watching other "good paddlers".

There is a lot about your paddle technique that becomes exposed when you get into a whitewater boat with a hull that is designed to respond to your every nuance of paddle technique. Everything you thought you knew will rise to the surface and reveal it self as something that might need to be relearned, or improved upon. Also discussed is the adjustment of the balance point (by moving the seat fore and aft), and its effects on hull planing and response. The balance point is so critical to the boat responding to your technique so that the hull's attitude is optimized in relation to the human engine providing propulsion and maneuvering.

In summary, if you are spending any time on rivers, whitewater boat or not, this book is an essential read, and after looking at several titles out there on the subject, the best I've found so far.