Whitewater Kayaking - Learning 2 Valuable Lessons - Big Laurel Whitewater Kayaking

Great video! Those are good points for sure. And Big Laurel looks really fun!

you should go through a creative critique hahaha! Those critiques can destroy you or make you 10x better than you even thought you could be, great vid man! 😄

Great points brother !

I like your videos, informative and fun. Hope you take the lessons to heart from the instructor trainers. If I was to critique your paddling, I would say you are a reactive paddler. You aren't yet anticipating whats coming, that is something that takes time on the water. In this video, after you changed your line; anticipating that boof woulfd have saved you the surf and was plenty doable, just got to reach and pull.

I was an instructor at the whitewater center for a couple of years. Fergus used to push us pretty hard and he helped make me a much better paddler. This will only help you become better and it sounds like you know that. Come to think about it, I've been slacking the last couple years and not challenging myself or working on my paddling. Time for me to change that. Are you instructing kid camps? My 12 year old is taking kayak camp next week.

It does suck to be told that you aren't as good as you think you are. However, you seem to have been motivated by the criticism to improve yourself. And that is the ultimate goal of the best trainer's, to make the student better than the trainer.

why was the frame where you where telling kids to mush kinda accurate😁

Takes some serious humility to recognise areas for improvement like that! Well done! Great video!

I love this channel. you get the real perspective

I think you should be receptive to criticism, but I wouldn’t think of athleticism as a bad thing. Still work on form, but embrace what is a natural ability while working towards your goal. Just don’t be overconfident. It seems like you’ve got the right mindset, but I wouldn’t beat yourself up over being athletic.

Great video. Did you not run Frank Bells?

Saw 3 mistakes that Pete taught you. Always paddle through. Hopefully take lessons from you next year at the Whitewater Center. Stay strong : )

You the man Jerry. I'm driving to Colorado this weekend, then back east first or second week of September. See you there brahhhh!

good stuff. Thanks for sharing your lessons with us. I'm trying hard to digest as much technique knowledge as I can. At 45 I can't rely on athleticism anymore. Acknowledging my limits has been a humbling process. I'm learning is to listen to my body. Just because I'm able to perform at a certain level one day doesn't mean I can hit the same level on another. I did the Ocoee on Thursday for my first time with an instructor and learned a few good lessons. Hope to SYOTR some day.

good edit. I like watching river running when I can't be running rivers.

love that run. I wanna get back out there soon

wavetrain on the left side of the island at those levels is pretty good too

Well, just from this video. And watching how your boat handles. I would have to say you back seat your boat too much. Get forward when your in the thick of it. Learn your body english. When and where to us it. You'll be fine.

I feel like I've had the same issue since i started paddling. My friends helping to teach me say I'm advancing really fast, but there's been times I could tell that I've been compensating with athleticism. And now that I am helping a friend of mine learn, I'm seeing my flaws in the lessons I've been giving. It has been very humbling to realize I'm not as good as I thought. After watching this video, its comforting to know im not alone in this. Hopefully, one day, all people can say about my paddling, is how smooth i look on the water too. Back to the basics for me!

I started WW only 18 months ago… at 60yo. My mantra is… ‘you gotta be willing to do things badly.’ My goals are less about getting good than getting out. You’re working the process, getting out, running a variety of rivers, learning with every stroke. You’re giving back by teaching others, learning from both your students and instructors. Don’t take yourself too seriously or allow criticism to negatively affect your psyche. Fact is, anything you do, there’s always gonna be people that do it 10x better. One thing you should take from River King Pete is how to laugh at your mistakes. So, you wanna work on something… work on your laugh!

When I am with a group that is fearful, I do less moves. Mainly because if mess up, I don't want to put them in a rescue scenario that would make their nerves even worse. Or do they have the skill to help rescue me if it may be required? Group dynamics changes a paddling day and this is part of the team sport of ww kayaking to me.
( It's all about the crew, always has been.)
It's important to acknowledge group dynamics and that who you paddle with can change where and how you paddle just as much as flow levels will. nice vid

No Frank Bell?!

I was very lucky.
I learnt to WW kayak at a VERY young age. 10yro. So I didnt have the strength to power out of situations so I had to learn technique and to be smooth.
I have kept that same technique for 37 years.
I see young paddlers who just power through things and on long trips and multidays they fade and end up making mistakes and having a bad time.
Watching smaller women paddle is just a pleasure because they dont have the strength men do. They are so smooth and technically brilliant.

Love your videos man. Always uplifting and positive. Keep it up. Hope to meet you on the river some time.