Jan Van Hees - Canoe Instructor Hi,
On this page I'm listing some facts about my paddling career and how I look at the sport of canoeing and learning how to paddle a canoe. Oh, you might want to know where I live: Belgium :-). Some facts on my paddling careerFavorite paddling destinations Germany France I haven't been out paddling in France too often, so I don't know many rivers there, yet
Alps This is where we go as whitewater paddlers no? Many rivers to be discovered, so this list might change from year to year
- Vorderrhein: This is definetly from the landscape point of view the most beautiful river I've been paddling so far. And of course the whitewater is good fun too.
- Salza: It's simply beautiful there. And you can hit amazingly hard lines on what is only, a class II-III river. It's a shame this is such a long drive from Belgium.
Scandinavia Paddling starts for me with the fundamentals. I think it's very important to focus on basic technique and paddling skills. The best way to work on that technique, is to paddle a lot on flatwater or sheltered water. For the same reasons I prefer paddling on a very technical level. I spend quite some time trying hard moves on easy water, where the consequences are rather light. This way of paddling is great to improve the necessary skills and technique you need for paddling in harder conditions.
Even though I'm mainly a whitewater playboater, I do enjoy canoe camping. It's simply amazing to be out in the wild, taking all your gear with you. And on those trips good technique makes sure that I have enough energy left in the evenings for a camp fire.
A kayak is not my main paddling vehicle of choice, but from time to time I do make a run in a kayak. Only on lakes or calm rivers though. Stand Up Paddling is a nice alternative to canoeing. Thanks to Kris from canoeadventure I get the chance to do some SUP from time to time. It's fun and it's even usefull to improve your canoe paddling technique. The technique courses I organise tend to focus on the fundamental skills. I think it's a good form of instruction to teach the fundamentals right from the beginning. Almost every course involves a part on flatwater to improve those fundamental skills. Based on that good technique, we step up to harder moves or harder water features. The further you progress, the more important the part coaching becomes, and the less in depth instruction you need. Good instruction is about a personal approach, with focus on the fundamental skills. There is not one way to learn to paddle nor there is good or bad. Even as an instructor I try to be open for visions and opinions of new paddlers, after all, one man can't now everything about canoeing.
open[DOT]canoe[DOT]paddler[AT]gmail[DOT]com
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