Close-up of people on itiwit kayak

How to Improve your Kayaking Paddle Technique

Want to improve your paddling? Learn the fundamental strokes and advanced paddling techniques for the perfect induction into kayaking. 

Kayaking is all about refining your strokes to guarantee a measured, controlled, and smooth ride in your trusty kayak. Find out what kind of strokes you can learn and how they’ll help you deal with any water or weather conditions and enjoy gliding on the water like never before.

How to Paddle a Kayak for Beginners

Positioning

When it comes to answering the question of how to paddle a kayak for beginners, it all starts with the basics. Your posture is vital to get right, as the rest will follow from there. When getting ready to paddle your kayak, you should:

• Sit upright
• Rest your feet comfortably against the foot pedals
• Flex feet without straining
• Splay out your legs

Most importantly, paddling should engage and stabilise your abdominal muscles as you push the paddle away from the body (at the shoulder) and pull it back towards your body using most of your upper body (core, chest, back and arms).

This will ensure you don’t fatigue too quickly or overburden the wrong muscles. Instead, you can spread the work across larger muscle groups to keep you going longer and minimise the risk of injury.

3 people kayaking

Using your Paddle

Paddles can be feathered or unfeathered, depending on how you adjust the ferrule. The ferrule is where the two pieces of the paddle come together in the middle of the shaft. Whether you feather your paddle is ultimately up to your preference, but there are a few advantages to consider as feathered paddles tend to be:

• Better for rougher weather and wind
• Place less burden on your wrists
• Gives a slight edge in speed and efficiency

Feathered paddles mean that the blades are at an angle to each other rather than set straight, while unfeathered paddle blades are angled straight. This means that feathered paddles can better slice through the air and wind when you take a forward stroke, but this also means you need to twist the paddle when moving from one stroke to the other.

How to hold your Paddle
Usually designed for right-handed paddlers, ensure your right hand keeps a firm but relaxed grip on your paddle. This means your big knuckles align with the edge of the paddle blade while gripping your paddle, as your other hand holds the paddle an even distance from the other blade.

You can check that you’re holding it correctly by lifting the paddle over your head – your elbows should bend at a 90-degree angle for maximal control and power. Once you take your first strokes, your non-control hand should loosen so you can rotate the shift freely. Make sure you have a relaxed grip so you can keep going for longer and your arms, wrists and hands don’t fatigue too quickly.

Man doing a forward stroke

Kayak Paddling Technique

Forward Stroke

For kayaking 101, the forward stroke is the go-to to get your basics right i.e. to engage your core and back, use your arms properly and refine your posture. Here’s how to do a successful forward stroke:

1. Wind your torso and dip your blade entirely into the water on one side of your kayak, next to your feet.

2. Rotate your torso as the blade moves behind you. Keep your eyes on the blade in the water, so your torso will follow automatically as you push against the shaft with your upper hand.

3. When your hand gets close to your hip, slice the blade out of the water.

It’s important to engage your core muscles more than your arms and try and keep your blade in a near-vertical position. Keep your blade consistently at the full level of immersion so you track straighter and move faster. Stay conscious of your positioning - maintain an upright position for greater balance and align your body correctly at every phase of the stroke.

Close-up of man paddling kayak

Reverse Stroke

Moving backwards is part and parcel of manoeuvring efficiently in waters with more obstacles. Here’s how you do it:

1. Wind your torso and dip your blade entirely into the water on one side of the boat, next to your hip.

2. Rotate your torso as the blade moves in front of you.

3. Slice the blade out of the water when the blade is even with your feet.

Group of people kayaking

Sweep Stroke

To turn your boat, a sweep stroke will help you turn quicker.

1. Extend your arms before you and immerse the blade into the water near your feet.

2. Sweep on the opposite side of the boat from where you want to take the turn.

3. Sweep in a wide arc, almost half a circle, towards the stern. Use strength to achieve a good stroke, especially after the blade has passed the cockpit.

4. When the blade is close to the hull behind your cockpit, slice the blade out of the water.

Person kayaking

Draw Stroke

To move sideways, perfect for when you need to pull towards a dock or another boat.

1. Turn your paddle blade into a horizontal position.

2. Dip the blade into the water roughly two feet away on the side of your boat.

3. Pull the blade towards you with your lower hand and ensure you keep the tip immersed in the water throughout the stroke.

4. Stop when your blade is near the side of the boat.

Sit-on-top Kayaks

Sit-on-top kayaks differ from your regular sit-in kayaks due to the open deck; this is where the kayaker is seated. The open deck replaces an otherwise closed cockpit, and your legs will be exposed. This gives the paddler greater stability, mobility and comfort and also tends to be a safer alternative, as you’ll be less likely to be trapped in your kayak in the event of a capsize.

Sit-on-top kayaks generally also offer:

• Water-tight storage
• Carry handles
• Accessory attachment points
• Stackable
• Lightweight alternative

Sit-on-top kayaks are the better option for recreational use, mainly for the extra stability and capsize safety coming with it. The go-to for paddlers venturing to slow-moving rivers and calm lakes, sit-on-top kayaks are the budget option for those dipping their toes into the sport.

If you’re a pro paddler looking for choppy waters, a sit-in kayak will do the job better, especially across further distances. This is because sit-on-top kayaks feature bulkheads to prevent flooding and create flotation chambers to keep you afloat if the water does gets inside. So for recreational kayaking and fishing - sit on top kayaks work best. Opt for sit-in kayaks when touring, racing, and ocean touring.

Sit-on-top Kayak Paddling Technique

There is little difference between sit-on-top kayak paddling techniques and sit-in kayak paddling. That is, the positioning, paddle rules and strokes (forward, reverse, sweep and draw) will all work the same way, and the ergonomics and posture continue to play a huge role.

For touring, opt for a more relaxed stroke. All the above principles apply, but the stroke will be slightly lower and wider. You can achieve this by placing your top hand lower. In windy conditions, a lower stroke is safer and more stable, with the top blade less exposed to crosswinds and the blade in the water providing a little extra support. This relaxed style maximises power and minimises fatigue, strain and injury.

Don’t forget, the type of kayak also plays an important role, as the wider your craft, the further away the water is, which means the longer a paddle will need to be. Sit-on-top kayaks are usually wider and therefore offer extra stability, so opt for longer kayak paddles when using this style of boat.

Point of view of kayaker

Advanced Kayak Paddling Technique

Contrary to popular belief, advanced kayak paddling techniques are not about brand-new strokes you’ve never seen or heard of before but refining and mastering the existing basic strokes mentioned above. Try and achieve the following:

• Powerful torso rotation
• Silent and deliberate plant
• Applying full force

  • How to Improve your Kayaking Paddle Technique

    Rotation

    1. Your body should be fully rotated so the paddle is almost parallel with the boat’s keel line.

    2. Rotation should be happening deep in the torso, not just the shoulders

    3. Your arms should be relaxed, and the paddle should be positioned for a powerful plant with tension in the torso.

    4. Your bottom should also shift position in your seat during rotation.

    5. Develop air time for a powerful plant.

  • How to Improve your Kayaking Paddle Technique

    Plant

    1. Your paddle blade should enter the water almost silently.

    2. Dip the paddle close to the boat, with the shaft as vertical as possible.

    3. Rotate and dip the blade fully with a stabbing motion.

    4. Relax your grip to extend your plant.

  • How to Improve your Kayaking Paddle Technique

    Power

    1. Move your torso at the hips to unleash the full power.

    2. Visualise lifting your behind off the seat.

    3. Stop applying power when the blade reaches your knee or sooner.

    4. Keep your grip loose, and your body relaxed.

Focus on perfecting your form and practice the sequence to perfection so your kayak moves faster with less effort.

Itiwit dry bag

Get your extras

And there you have it, everything you need to brush up on your kayaking paddle techniques, from newcomers to the sport to pros that are looking to perfect their strokes. Why not check out some of our kayak accessories for buoyancy aids, dry bags and more?

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