Learning how to stop when necessary is one of the basic Kayaking Skills that you need to learn. You need to stop, for instance, if there is an obstacle or you will hit something or someone. This is also called the emergency stop. Stopping your Kayak quickly is not as easy as it seems, but all you need to do is take time to get used to doing this skill. Learn how to do the Stopping Technique in this section:
Time needed: 1 minute.
Here is how you can get into a kayak easily –
- Step 1
Thrust the Kayaking Paddle blade vertically in the water, at level with your body and with the back side of the blade facing forward.
- Step 2
You will feel the pressure on the blade. As soon as it happens, push the blade forward and take it out of the water abruptly.
- Step 3
Jab the other blade on the opposite side. When you feel the pressure at the back of the blade, quickly pull the Paddle out of the water again and repeat the stroke on the other side.
- Step 4
By doing each jab quickly and aggressively, you should be able to make your boat stop in three or four strokes.
Keep away from running into different obstructions such as rocks or other kayakers. Learn how to do the emergency stop in Kayaking so you will be prepared to deal with the obstacles that will come your way.
Arthur G. Moore is a veteran paddler. He has over 10 years of whitewater kayaking experience in his kitty. When he was young, he used to love kayaking in rapid III and rapid IV but as time went on, he decided to concentrate mainly on covering long distances on a standard touring kayak. He is currently working as a senior editor for Kayak Manual.
