# Guide in Training HELP



## Paul7 (Aug 14, 2012)

I looked for that myself a few years ago and never found anything. Best advice get with some pros in a club 

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## Poedunk (Apr 19, 2015)

Paul7 said:


> Best advice get with some pros in a club


 They are going to give me tons of on river time and the season doesn't start till may. Im just trying to do what I can to better myself on my own time. Ty for your reply.


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## Paul7 (Aug 14, 2012)

Watch every Grand Canyon YouTube video you can find, do what they don't do. 

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## stewart242 (Sep 18, 2015)

Hi Poedunk!

I completed my first season as a river guide last summer and it was awesome! The best training I think was just running the section of river we guided on over and over and over again. After some practice runs with the head guide for the school we had to log-in a total of 20 guided runs down that stretch of river before we were allowed to test out. If you can read water you've got a large part of it down already. One thing you could do is learn about your solo paddle (canoe) strokes that you would use as the guide in the back of the raft: we called these the J-stroke, sweep, pry, and draw, and these were the four we needed to know. There are a number of YouTube videos on those, for example: 

J-Stroke

For the strokes I practiced using a canoe paddle in an IK, and then started using relying on them R1 in a small raft. When boating with a group of guides you can practice your strokes in calmer water until you get the hang of them. You do need to mind the weight of your boat and the current when trying to solo-pilot a raft full of folks, but you begin to get the hang of it! I remember my very first time trying to move a boat in current using solo strokes and wow was it frustrating...but it grows on you, it will come!

What river are you thinking of guiding on? I was guiding the Rio Grande (northern New Mexico).


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Pick up a copy of Jeff Bennett's The Complete Whitewater Rafter - it'll be well worth $6 plus shipping. The book's a bit dated but there's a ton of great info there. If nothing else, remember that you need to set up much earlier than in a kayak. Line up for rapids by putting the boat in the current where so the river will carry you down the right line, then just use strokes to keep the boat straight and build / maintain your momentum. And avoid boat eating Class V holes.

Speaking of momentum, work on doing just enough ferry strokes to move across to that spot in the current where you want the boat, and not overshooting it. When you overshoot your line, you waste strokes twice - the first wasted strokes take you past your line, the second wasted strokes are made reversing course and getting back to your line.

Have a great season!

-AH


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## bigben (Oct 3, 2010)

Paul7 said:


> Watch every Grand Canyon YouTube video you can find, do what they don't do.


yeah, that'll work...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzTSPfGU-kk


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## GilaRobusta (Mar 19, 2015)

The fact my freshman season only has one clip in that video is pretty impressive.Low water Claires rock can eat a...


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## FlyingDutchman (Mar 25, 2014)

Guiding Whitewater Rafts - Proper Technique for a Draw Stroke - crabapple


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## Panama Red (Feb 10, 2015)

Especially the grand videos from 83' or so.

I'd take that deal n crawfish, then drill that ole devil in the ass.


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## Tyrrache (Oct 27, 2014)

Poedunk said:


> I was wondering if some of you guys could point me in the direction of videos that I would benefit in watching. I can read water pretty good. Just need to work on my steering the raft. Any tips or info would be awesome. Wanna be the best I can be.


Do you know if you'll be guiding paddle rigs or Oar rigs? When I trained to be a guide the hardest part was transitioning from Paddle guiding to oar guiding. Oars 

I'm sure there will be buzzards that disagree with me but I feel that running with paddles is akin to IKs or Hard shells. You line up for a move and get the people going to shoot the line with forward progress. Be weary of getting too much steam as evidenced here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6XvYud6pCw Hind sight is 20/20 but the guide should have called Stop at about :25 as he was already on line to miss the hole "inertia hole I believe it's called". 

You can never count on Custys to paddle well or to follow your commands so you need to work on the draw and pry strokes to ensure that you are teed up to any waves or holes. 

Other than working on your paddling find a couple of guides in your area and a pond and start working on your flip drills now, also it doesn't hurt to go in your backyard with a throw bag and practice your rope toss. 

Good Luck this season! Rookie


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## Paul7 (Aug 14, 2012)

I found a local club of crusty OLD river rats, they really had a heart for helping beginners. First run one guy put my 15 year old daughter on his sticks class 2 and rode in my boat yelling commands as I made every imaginable maneuver on that class 2 run. I did that same run four or five times with that same group and although you could float anything down that section they really taught me the basics. 

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## JakeSchipper (Sep 1, 2013)

The thing that helped me most was sitting in a small boat by myself. Teaches current, timing, and where the water wants you to go vs where you want to go. Good luck this season!


Anything worth doing is worth overdoing


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## stewart242 (Sep 18, 2015)

Andy H. said:


> Pick up a copy of Jeff Bennett's The Complete Whitewater Rafter - it'll be well worth $6 plus shipping. The book's a bit dated but there's a ton of great info there. If nothing else, remember that you need to set up much earlier than in a kayak. Line up for rapids by putting the boat in the current where so the river will carry you down the right line, then just use strokes to keep the boat straight and build / maintain your momentum. And avoid boat eating Class V holes.
> 
> Speaking of momentum, work on doing just enough ferry strokes to move across to that spot in the current where you want the boat, and not overshooting it. When you overshoot your line, you waste strokes twice - the first wasted strokes take you past your line, the second wasted strokes are made reversing course and getting back to your line.
> 
> ...


I just bought the book and opened the front cover this evening - looks pretty good!


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## Riverman4utoday (Jun 21, 2013)

Poedunk said:


> I was wondering if some of you guys could point me in the direction of videos that I would benefit in watching. I can read water pretty good. Just need to work on my steering the raft. Any tips or info would be awesome. Wanna be the best I can be.


Poedunk, there is a lot out there that is pretty general and will sort of show you general guidelines.....but the best experience is just getting out and doing it(contrary to what anyone tells you). Commercial boating is quite different from private boating and so there isn't much written down about it, it is a tradition that is passed down differently from company to company. As a guide you are expected to be all knowledgeable, personable, know how to rescue your crew as well as anyone else, have a great sense of humor and tell stories and educate your crew, be a master packer, a chef.....you get the picture. In terms of running whitewater, you will get a random crew and are expected to educate them and get them into form in about 30 minutes and then safely get them down the river. You will have great days, you will have bad days, it is part of the job. Highly recommend boating with the head/lead guides as much as possible and watch what they do, they are who they are for a reason! Above all.....have fun and boat, it is possibly the most fun you will have for a job ever. 

Another thought that I just had, if you have local companies ask them about Spring training trips and/or guide camps. They are fun as well as extremely educational and you will get to meet the guides and possibly get offered a job that way. 

Ok, rambling at this point. Hope this helps!


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

" You don't have to know what you're doing, you just have LOOK like you know what your doing" That one helped me out a bunch of times when I started guiding, there always seems to be those moments when ya don't know the answer, you just get good at pulling stuff out of your ass.


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## Riverman4utoday (Jun 21, 2013)

mattman said:


> " You don't have to know what you're doing, you just have LOOK like you know what your doing" That one helped me out a bunch of times when I started guiding, there always seems to be those moments when ya don't know the answer, you just get good at pulling stuff out of your ass.




Mattman......as we would say,"Fake it until you make it!".


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Riverman4utoday said:


> Mattman......as we would say,"Fake it until you make it!".


That's what she...


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