Moving backwards

Moving backward is an important skill to have. Not only to prevent turning your boat every time, it also can become very usefull on the river and it brings you a lot of feeling for paddling finesse. When paddling backward on the river you'll notice that not everything is as easy as you think it is forward. But let's start with it on flatwater. After all, if you can't do it on flatwater, you certainly won't be able to do so on the river.

 Exercise: Reverse figure-8

Use following combinations to move the canoe backward

• Bow draw and cross bow draw for correcting the direction

• reverse – J

  

• far back

• compound back

• sculling at stern and/or bow for small modifications

Goals:

• Training to improve your paddling finesse by paddling backward

• Training for your backward paddling before you put it to the test on the river

• Develop an automatism for direction corrections when paddling backward

Focus points for this drill:

• Backward paddling is done with a vertical paddle as well

• Use torso rotation for your backward paddling

• Throw your hips backward at the end of the stroke to bring in extra power

Tests:

• Work on time, what is your fastest run?

• Minimize your strokes, how many do you need to complete a reverse figure-8?

Exercise: Reverse 1 or 2 stroke acceleration 

Use following combinations to move the canoe backward

• One strong backward stroke

  

• A combination of a cross bow draw and a reverse stroke

Goals:

• Training to improve the efficiency of the backward stroke

• Lean to develop speed with a backward stroke

• Training to minimize the correction error with a backward stroke

Focus points for this drill:

• Vertical paddle!

• Minimize the correction error for a backward stroke

• Don't start the backward stroke behind your hips

• Get the timing right, especially for throwing your hips back

Tests:

• How far do you get with one stroke

• Which combination gets you the most speed