One of the points that came up when I ran my survey was that lots of people wanted to try freestyle, but simply didn’t know where to begin. Here’s a few suggestions.
Okay, so the first factor is having a boat you can do some of what we could call ‘modern’ freestyle. Now, this doesn’t always mean a short boat like a GuiGui or Jackson. Some longer, modern full slice boats are actually pretty capable, such as the Dagger Nova and Pyranha Ozone. They won’t pop for loops like a shorter boat, but the moves can still be done. Arguably, cartwheels in such boats might be easier depending on your boat/weight ratio.
Another option is club boats. If you want to do freestyle and you are a member of a club, try to see if anyone else might be interested. Perhaps there might be the possibility of the club getting hold of a few boats that interested members can use. At Telford, we have 3-4 freestyle boats that can be used by anyone interested who might not have or be able to afford their own.
Sometimes, there are paddlers out there who are, shall we say, rather taller and big footed than the average. This can be a big problem (pardon the pun!), because the number of freestyle boats that are suited to the larger set are almost none existent. There is the Jackson Monstar, but even that can be too small for some, amazingly enough. I have heard that the new GuiGui Helectron has decent foot room, with one taller kayaker I know having fitted into the medium easily, even requiring a foot block, which he never normally does. So, this bodes well for the large version of the boat.
The large RockStar 4.0 is also pretty big. Things can be helped along by removing the seat and creating a much lower profile foam version, allowing the knees to be lifted more, hence creating more foot room. Some don’t like to modify outfitting in this way, but needs must. The other solution is expensive; to get a large carbon model and ask for some volume to be added.
Okay, so that’s a few suggestions regarding boats: What’s are the ways in which you can start freestyle from scratch?
Getting some coaching
This one does require some money to be spent, but it is worth it. The majority of well known coaches in the UK regularly run freestyle intro courses, and if they don’t have one planned you can organise a bespoke 1-1 course, or one for a group if you can get 3-4 others together who might want to do it. Some coaches might even have access to a boat or two you could use if you don’t currently have one. But, this will depend on the individual coach.
Notable UK and Ireland based freestyle coaches include (in no particular order)*;
- Lowri Davies (North Wales, East Midlands)
- Chris Brain (North Wales, East Midlands)
- Matt Stephenson (North Wales, East Midlands)
- Paddle 365 (North Wales)
- Rock the Boat Activities (South West)
- Matthew Brook (South West)
- Tamsyn McConchie (East Midlands)
- Jacko Jackson (South, East Midlands)
- Alan Ward (South)
- David McClure (Republic of Ireland)
- Bruce Jolliffe (Scotland)
- Dennis Newton (East Midlands)
*I’ve given their common coaching locations, but they are available to coach elsewhere, too.
In the US and outside the UK, I’m not too sure who the main coaches are. Although the Jackson family often run workshops, and full-time coaches like Chris Wing offer great freestyle coaching.
Join or create a group of like-minded people
Groups like Freestyle Fun and the Essex Freestyle Community organise regular sessions to introduce people to the sport. At Telford Canoe Club, we are always open to anyone who wants to give things a go, too. Other clubs, such as Wyre Forest also have a burgeoning freestyle scene as well. Don’t be afraid to ask around on some of the Facebook groups to see if there are any other kayakers in a similar position who might want to get together and organise something.
I also run a Freestyle group on Facebook, which has lots of enthusiastic members, and there are other groups that get together in the South West UK as well.
Look around for clubs with a freestyle scene
If you’re a member of a club that has no interest in freestyle, check that there aren’t any others nearby that do. Alternatively, see if you can win some hearts and minds at your existing club. At one time, members local to me had zero interest and in some cases flat out refused to get into a playboat and I was the only person who had any interest. Once I persuaded a couple of people to have a go at chucking the boat around on the flat, a few people realised that it was a load of fun, and now I’m not the odd one out! A solid case can be made that freestyle is great for skills development, as well as helping to keep younger members interested with some variety.
Simply mess around
Initially, my freestyle journey began with me just getting into a playboat and experimenting. True progress happened when I took some coaching, but there’s a lot to be said for messing around and experimenting. There are lots of detailed tutorial videos out there, such as from Bartosz Czauderna and Matthew Brook on YouTube, for most of the main moves.
Admittedly, practicing on your own isn’t as fun as an enthusiastic group of people, but it can get you started on the journey.
The Kayaking Journal 
Recent comments