# How to improve over the winter?



## leif (Jul 11, 2009)

Playboat in the pool over the winter. You'll gain a lot of strength and finesse, and there will be almost no period of readjustment at the beginning of next season. 

The one thing that's really hard to practice flatwater are the pirouetting loop moves; the mcnasty and the fonix monkey. For those, I recommend just working on basic looping and really pulling through the stern. Everything else is the same. You'll be amazed at the skill increases.


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

Join me in January for a 25 day trip down the Grand. I can show you the rope skills you're looking for. You'll come off the river a new person.


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

If you can't make it I'd be happy to work on rope skills here in the Fort. Shot me a PM.


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## CBrown (Oct 28, 2004)

I set up up zip lines for my kids with ropes between trees in the back yard with a Z Drag adding tension on one end. Playing with all your rescue gear lets you know what's what and what you really need out there. Being the gear junkie I am, I have way too much stuff. I find that you don't really need as much gear with you as you think.


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## David Spiegel (Sep 26, 2007)

I agree with Leif...pPlayboat, playboat, playboat. It will improve core strength, boat awareness, and your roll. Bringing your creek boat to a pool session is pretty useless once you have a basic roll.

Hard to practice rescue skills not on the river. You can practice throwing a rope for accuracy and re-coiling well for second throws. It's also possible to practice z-drags but they are largely useless for most kayak rescues anyhow.


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## tskoe23 (Jun 19, 2010)

Thanks for the info guys. Anyone know of pool time in Fort Collins? I'd love to go on the grand with you, but I don't think my parents would be too stoked if I took a month off of school to do it.


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## brenda (Aug 10, 2008)

I suggest if you are practicing rope throwing - do it on uneven ground. In a rescue course I did I could hit anything while throwing it in a field. Once on the side of a river (slippery rocks) and slopes...that was a different story.


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## -k- (Jul 15, 2005)

A simple thing I use to practice was just sitting in my boat in the living room or garage and rocking it up on edge from side to side and trying to balance it as best I could. Making effort to reach from bow to stern or vise versa while maintaining my balance on a steep edge (using the paddle from time to time to help me out of course).

It may seem silly but I feel like it helped my comfort on edge, and in holes as well as it's good for the abs, range of motion and muscle memory. It may also indicate adjustments you may want to make to your outfitting such as hip padding and thigh braces.


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

Man it's rough around here trying to paddle in the winter. A number of years ago I had the pool session epiphany when I took a swim where I was upside down, getting pounded by rocks and just couldn't seem to roll up. I spent the winter strengthening my roll and learning how to backdeck roll. Inevitably that leads to working on bow stalls, cartwheels and flatwater loops. I'm a bit chagrined to admit it, but I've found myself having quite a bit of fun working on these skills in the pool. Chase (who has passed on to heaven, where rivers always flow), said they would do drills in the pool where they'd flip, do 20-30 sit ups, and then roll back up to get comfortable being oxygen deprived upside down. Not a bad idea - just don't pass out alone.

I think Ft. Fun guys have kayak polo which would be a great winter training activity. I wish Boulder places weren't so overly anal about their pools so we could get that going here. Maybe now that all their water is contaminated it won't matter if plastic boats touch the water. 

That said, my experience is that getting out on the water for real is still a bit of a shock. Paddling around in flat water isn't the same, but can definitely dial in some skills. Speaking of paddling around in flat water, it can be hard to do in the dead of winter. I was trying to get some paddle strokes in before S.A. trip last winter and I simply couldn't find an unfrozen body of water to paddle on within a 3 hour drive. But, if the weather pattern is amicable, getting out on a lake and doing some flatwater training is a good idea. It's an opportunity to really focus on stroke technique and it will get those paddling muscles in shape.

I bookmarked an entry from the late great Jeff West with some drills. I haven't tried it because I found it last spring, but plan to try some of these out this year in the off season. 
40 Minute, 20 Drill, Flatwater Workout for Whitewater Kayaking - Jackson Kayak - Whitewater Kayaks, Fishing Kayaks, Recreational Kayaks Jackson Kayak – Whitewater Kayaks, Fishing Kayaks, Recreational Kayaks

EJ also has a book with some flatwater drills and will give you some things to focus on:
Whitewater Paddling: Strokes & Concepts (Kayaking with Eric Jackson): Eric Jackson: 9780811729970: Amazon.com: Books


Out here in Colorado things tend to go from 0 to 100 in a hurry during the spring runoff so being prepped for it is key.


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## jmack (Jun 3, 2004)

As much as I hate to admit it, 
flatwater pool playboating is 
Actually good for your skills. 
Bring your buddies to the pool. 
Worst case scenario is that you 
practice a couple dozen rolls.
Best case scenario- you actually
learn some balance.

I have noticed that a number of 
Dgo class V legends 
(Who will remain unnamed) can 
be found in the gym most 
Winter days. Being in shape
helps, period.

I also believe in the winter
flatwater workouts.
If you have gates, use them. 
Running gates by yourself 
In January in your creekboat 
is a great way to get
Out on a nice winter day. 
The Jeff West workout looks 
Good. I'll be laminating a copy 
of that for this winter.

Until then, we'll just have to 
get by with our usual
Bakers laps (which will 
hopefully still be 
Running this weekend).


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## Redpaddle (Jan 10, 2007)

Move to Oregon :twisted:


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## tskoe23 (Jun 19, 2010)

Soon. A move to the PNW is happening when I graduate.


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## Redpaddle (Jan 10, 2007)

I still think, though, that boating in CO is the best training to paddling out here. The two biggest differences I've seen: 

1) CO boaters have a fanatic intensity for the sport (probably due to the season)
2) CO boaters stay upright more often. (probably due to our manky runs full of blast rock)

And +1 for pool sessions. I want to spend some time focusing on all aspects of my off-side. I need it to step it up to the next level. I also like pool sessions with hand paddles to play around with boat dynamics. I can work a lot more on the rest of my body without my paddle.


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## leif (Jul 11, 2009)

This is like three our four people here that seem ASHAMED of playboating, or ashamed of enjoying it, or talk about playboating like it's something you might have to endure and fight through in order to do some "real" kayaking. You guys are weird. Playboating is not a means to an end, it's fun all on its own.

Kid, you go to csu? My wife and I do too. Once pool sessions get started, we'll meet there. Maybe I can try to teach you a move or two, or at least play some mule (sort of like horse, but without all the letters).


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## FastFXR (May 22, 2012)

leif said:


> This is like three our four people here that seem ASHAMED of playboating, or ashamed of enjoying it, or talk about playboating like it's something you might have to endure and fight through in order to do some "real" kayaking. You guys are weird. Playboating is not a means to an end, it's fun all on its own.


That's because playboating is like SUP, jazz, and Viagra--it's what all 40-something-year-old men do when they start turning grey and questioning their sexual preferences. 


Kidding aside, your first post on this confirmed what I was thinking--that a playboat is definitely the way to go in the winter. Paddling my main boat in a pool didn't help near as much as I wanted/expected it to, but a couple sessions in a playboat sure did. I dug the responsiveness of it and it really helped with my 'seat of the pants' feel which I'd lost with my bigger boat. 
Wish I was closer to FC and could get a couple hours under your wing!


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## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

If you can get to the Ark you can paddle technical class 3 and 4 for much of the "off" season. Its just now dipping into ELF levels. Beautiful boating to be had as long as its not frozen. 

Agree that a play boat in the pool can help but I've always felt that flat water play boating encourages a less than optimal relationship with moves and feel for the water. Playing on a wave or in a hole is about working with the water with good technique and being fluid not flat water type power. If you could find someone with a squirt boat that will teach you how to feel the water and your body/boat/paddle position better than a surface boat. IMHO...


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## duct tape (Aug 25, 2009)

My 2 cents:

The year I improved most as a slalom racer followed the winter (admittedly way back in the Jurassic period) I spent in the Dartmouth pool, running flatwater gates and perhaps more importantly playing kayak polo.

Jon Snider


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

Oh come on now, Leif. We all know flat water playboating is like masturbation. Yeah it can get you through some hard times, but it's not the real thing.


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## Nathan (Aug 7, 2004)

Keep training Leif and maybe you will beat me at mule some day.


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## pentaxis (Jun 17, 2013)

I try to hit mid-week pool sessions as much as possible during the short days. Luckily, we have year round boating here so the weekends are always a chance to get to the river.


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## spack171 (Mar 6, 2011)

Move to North Carolina and paddle all year.


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## rpludwig (Feb 28, 2011)

*It's Friday*

The Secret to getting ahead this winter.
Britney Spears - Work B**ch - YouTube


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## Rich (Sep 14, 2006)

Get rid of your desk chair and sit on an exercise ball all winter.
Great for core and balance.


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## boonekayak (Apr 13, 2010)

Fort Collins is the best town in the state for winter practice. Kayak polo is Thursday nights from 8-10 and is awesome at keeping you in shape. Google "mountain kayak polo" and you'll find us, or just swing by EPIC just about any thursday night here in the winter. 

There are usually two nights a week at Mulberry Pool that are open for practice as well. Sunday nights (starting Feb 2nd, 2014) RMA will be hosting an open pool session from 6:30-8:30pm. Fees are 8.50/night. And then on Wednesday nights local paddlers have gotten together to open the pool for a couple hours, same fees, as well. I would ask Leif or Nathan about the progress on that for '14.

So if you hit all the spots, you can paddle three nights a week in Ft Collins! I don't think any other city in the state does that! 

Pool sessions are great, but polo is what's going to help step up your game in the winter. Drop in, first night is free, and we give steep discounts for your first season!


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