Are you a kayak enthusiast that wants to increase its pliantness, stability, and security by properly learning how to edge and balance a kayak? If that is what you are searching to know more about, in this particular article you’ll find everything you need to know, to get started.
All of us kayak fans want to kayak away without any problems, and just enjoy the adventure. To be able to do so, even top professional paddlers had to learn and ensure they knew the basics. Thus, let’s find out what are the most important aspects of knowing how to edge and balance a kayak.
Achieve Good Boat Control
If you want to achieve good boat control, and balance on edge, try using your body weight. It will allow you to use both your legs and increase pliantness and maneuverability. If you edge and balance by using your weight, you’ll have the ability to freely use your knees and waist and be more effective and adaptable to oncoming waves.
Edge and Balance
At the beginning of a journey as a kayaker also known as “flatwater”, you’ll soon enough realize that the water isn’t quite flat. Knowing how to edge and balance a kayak whilst on the move is a must skill you have to attain.
When you start learning kayaking you practice edging while sitting stationary. Although as a start it is very much important to learn the basics, nothing compares to the actual real thing. Nature is always surprising, whilst on the move, the water you are kayaking in, can get surprisingly swirling and plain unpredictable.
To stay in control and have a good balance is the only way to adapt to the water we’re dealing with. We have to know how to change edges from one side to another and switch between different levels whilst pedaling.
Did You Know?
- Thousands of years ago, Eskimos, also known as Inuit were the ones who invented the kayak.
- Moving across the water by using a kayak is called kayaking.
- Kayak is also known as the “hunter’s boat” because it was initially created for hunting and fishing.
- In the mid-1800-s, Europeans, mostly german and french started kayaking for sport.
Practice Practice Practice
Practice makes perfect, right? It is not just a well-known saying, it’s been proven to be a fact in any area of practice or ability we want to gain or perform in. One of the most crucially important things in learning and understanding how to edge and balance a kayak is to always remember to keep our eyes up and to look in the direction we want to paddle towards.
Although it is a seemingly simple technique, it takes quite some time and practice to adjust to. It is worth it though because after you get the hang of it, you will safely be able to truly observe, assimilate, and appreciate the experience altogether.
Extra Kayaking Advice
For leisure or professionally, mastering the skills of knowing how to edge and balance a kayak are the elementary movements you have to learn and obtain. If you want to conquer rapid moving water and it’s currents with confidence and success, make sure you have the fundamental knowledge and preparation on how kayaking works.
Before rushing into an adventure, it is always wiser to be aware and conscious of your safety and have a good knowledge of what is about to happen. That is why knowing how to edge and balance a kayak is so principal.
With all this said, let’s wake up our muscles and our minds, our love for life, adventure, and curiosity to always want to conquer something new. Let’s kayak away!
