>At 10:21 PM 5/16/98 -0700, George wrote: >> An ACA Instructor is trying to convince me that I need bracing and >>rolling classes. I have huge problems with spending money on stuff I can't >>hold in my hand. (Hey! The govt. paid for my degrees!) The attitude/statement above is in my opinion the reason why so many people get into trouble on open water. Nothing personal George. Unfortunately, the vast majority of paddlers have the exact same attitude when it comes to professional instruction. They'll spend $200 for a paddle, $150 for a PFD, $1200 - $2500 on a boat, $100 for a compass, $400 for drysuits, $200 for a GPS and who knows how much else on other items. Yet, they won't take IMHO the most important step and that is to get instruction from a qualified coach; someone who is not only an accredited paddler, but also an accredited instructor. My wife and I invested in professional coaching (BCU) early on and it has paid for itself a million times over. This investment is not just monetary, it is a commitment to learn new skills, practice them over and over and go back for continueing education to refine technique, and of course learn new skills. Like you, we read the books over and over, plus we went to symposiums, club clinics and practiced almost daily with another paddler who we considered accomplished, and we learned to roll both sides that way. We thought we were good paddlers, but in fact we really were not. We had simply learned how to roll well. We never really learned all the important components that make it a bomb-proof roll, nor had we really perfected our low and high brace or our sculling: the true components that help prevent capsize to start and then make up the roll. We didn't have a clue about "reading water". In short, we had to start all over and "build" our paddling skills. It was humbling but more than worth it. My only regret is that we didn't get real instruction from the start. Now we look for more challenging conditions, cautiously but with confidence. Our next step is to continue paddling in open moving water for more experience, better seamanship and to improve technique so that we can make the next step from Four Star Sea Proficiency to Five Star. You obviously love the kayaking and are a motivated paddler. Proper professional instruction will feed your enthusiasm, abilities and confidence and further enhance your enjoyment of the sport. Just do it! Robert Starling ________________________________________________________ Robert Starling Member ASMP / APSG / PPA Starling Productions, Inc. Orlando, Florida Phone 407 521-0041 Fax 407 521-0031 http://www.starling.com NetGuide Magazine Internet Site Of The Day *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon May 18 1998 - 07:16:20 PDT
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