Skills development
Bespoke personal skills training
We can tailor a course to your specific needs. For example, you might be interested in:
- A one-to-one coaching day to improve your personal paddling skills
- An open session to benefit your club
- A weekend learning to run steep creeks
- An expertly guided paddling trip to take you on to new or harder rivers
- A session designed to consolidate your white water roll
- Learning to read moving water, or improving your skills so that you can run your favourite river in a totally new way
- Refining your technique ready for a step up to more challenging water.
- Learning to boof – every time
- Changing your mantra – how about ‘Hard lines on easy rivers’ ‘Balance, power, precision’
Whatever it is, we’ll help you make it happen.
BCU 1 star and 2 star awards
An introduction to the basic skills that will also open your eyes to the many joys of paddling. Have you paddled an open canoe, a sea kayak, a racing boat, or even a sit on top or an inflatable? This weekend course introduces you to a wide range of craft and techniques. We’ll teach you the basics in lots of different boats – it might help you decide which aspect of paddlesport is for you.
Who is it for?
Anyone who enjoys watersport and wants to learn something new.
BCU 3 star award, white water kayak or Open Canoe
Training
The 3 star training course will make a white water paddler of you, improving your technique and giving you huge amounts of confidence.
Assessment
When it comes to assessment, you’ll find our unobtrusive style will allow you to continue improving throughout the weekend. You can relax and enjoy paddling in the knowledge that you are receiving some of the best coaching available – you’ll hardly know you’re being assessed.
Who is it for?
Anyone who has the 2 star award, or is paddling at 2 star level. You need some basic experience on moving water.
Yorkshire White Water – foundation level
This weekend course is aimed at people who have some experience on moving water, want to brush up their existing skills and learn some new ones.
We focus on the features of moving water, how to avoid the hazards and how best to use the water to your advantage. We will assess your paddling technique and concentrate on linking the various aspects of your skills together, thereby improving your paddling efficiency and precision and enabling you to position your boat exactly where it needs to be.
We also take some time to examine the other factors you need to consider when planning a river trip
- Weather reports
- Water conditions
- Guidebooks
- Kit to carry
- Emergency procedures
BCU 3 star (new specification) can be included.
Yorkshire White Water – Intermediate level
Building on the concepts above, we introduce river leadership and the different approaches that can be adopted when running rivers. We will demonstrate how to move between the various styles of leadership and provide you with the foundation skills your will require to lead a group in the moving water environment.
We consider the five B’s: Body, Boat, Blade, Brain and Background. Understanding the relationship between these key areas will revolutionise your personal paddling, dramatically improve your decision-making ability and hone your approach to running rapids.
We will also concentrate on your core boating skills, continuing to improve your accuracy, efficiency and confidence on the water. Every paddler has their own style and approach to river running. We will work with you individually to identify your strengths, and help you to build an action plan that will take your paddling up to the next level.
BCU 4 star (new specification) can be included in this module.
Yorkshire White Water – Advanced level
This course is aimed at the experienced paddlers who want to take their boating to the next level. Aimed at kayakers already competent on grade 3/4, we continue some of the strands of our foundation and intermediate courses, building in elements of white water safety and rescue, decision making strategy and leadership.
This course will be run at BCU 5 Star level (new specification).
Club development day/weekend
Book as a club or group
A weekend with two experienced coaches, you choose what aspects of training you require, supply us with the details and we will tailor one or two days of coaching specifically to meet your needs.
We will build on your strengths and concentrate on developing key areas to improve both the individual and the group skill base. In order to gain most benefit from the weekend, we’d suggest that participants should be paddling at a similar level.
These weekends can be tailored to focus on one of two distinct areas:
- Skills – we concentrate on making the individual paddler more comfortable and competent in the river environment.
- Group dynamics – for competent paddlers, coaching will centre on developing the individual’s awareness and skills when paddling with their peers.
Both types of course are designed to assist the individual in taking the next step in their paddling career.
Other areas you might like to concentration on include:
- Individual skills
- River leading
- Lead support
- Group awareness
- Safety
- Rescue
Ratio 1:6, max numbers 12