This video series, titled ‘Lessons Learned’, will highlight things Christopher seas while he is on the water coaching and will give you some ideas to think about the next time you head out in your sea kayak. We hope that you will find them educational and that they help you get the most out of your days on the water.

‘Hang onto your Kayak’ is the first video in the Lessons Learned series. In this video, you will learn the importance of hanging onto your kayak with examples of what happens when you let go. One of the most important concepts after learning to wet exit your kayak is holding onto your kayak once you have a sense of humour failure and exit the kayak. It became obvious to me in 2018 that many people don’t put enough importance on this fundamental technique. Driving home the importance of this simple task needs to start at the foundation level and should carry on through the skills progression. When paddlers let go of their kayak in a dynamic environment this added a level of complexity that can be avoided. Whenever working in these environments we focus on simplifying the process and only take on more complexity if the environment demands it. During pool sessions and rescues, practice sessions in calm water reinforce the importance of staying in contact with the kayak at all times during any rescue or recovery of a swimmer. See you on the water!
Key takeaways from this video

  1. When practicing rescues in all environments maintain contact with your kayak.
  2. New paddler should be reminded of this important concept
  3. You need the kayak to put the swimmer back into. In a dynamic environment, things can become complex rather quickly.

Visit www.committed2thecore.com for more tips and professional coaching opportunities. Christopher Lockyer is a proud member of the P&H pro paddler Team Based in Nova Scotia. Sea you on the water