21 Canoe Racing Technique Practice Tips

21 Canoe Racing Technique Practice Tips

1. Focus on only 1 or 2 things to re-program your muscles to the unfamiliar motion.
2. Work on technique going downstream and save your strength for the upstream leg.
3. Watch and imitate the experienced racers and listen to how they describe the proper motion.
4. Warn the other paddlers as you approach them from behind so their paddle doesn’t get caught and or broken on the front of your canoe. Usually we say "Watch your paddle!" whenever that happens.
5. Ask questions if anything doesn’t make sense to share knowledge.
6. Help with the canoe afterwards in lifting it back on the vehicle but leave the knot tying to the owner as a matter of etiquette. 
7. Speed and power are optional while working on technique. Focus on training your muscles to move properly. This lets you have time to de-program any bad habits and re-program them with more efficient motion.
8. Rotate your shoulders to increase your paddle reach without leaning forward from the waist to involve more torso muscles and reduce strain on arm muscles.
9. Slower cadence with a quicker recovery to get the paddle back into the water fast. The paddle should be in the water longer than it’s in the air. This also helps you to maintain stability in rough wind and wave conditions.
10. Slice the paddle sideways on exiting and entering the water to reduce drag.
11. Paddle parallel to the canoe’s centerline to increases efficiency.
12. Make sure you’re both aiming for the same target or you are fighting each other and reducing the speed of the canoe. Talk about it with each other.
13. Work on improving your technique too (almost everyone needs more rotation and quicker recovery)
14. Practice riding canoe wakes and passing canoes with a less experienced partner.
15. Circle back or zig zag if your canoe passes everyone for a better workout and to share more of your knowledge.
16. Remind your partner to work on technique without speed or power on the downstream leg.
17. Teach the draw and sweep on the way downstream so they can use them on the upstream leg.
18. Give them time to think. Try letting them switch sides at their own pace on the downstream leg.
19. Say as many positive things as possible to your partner because it’s uncomfortable learning a new skill. Were they motivated to learn? Did they do anything right?
20. Invite your partner to come back and remind them that they’ll get a different partner next time. 
21. If your canoe feels tippy: Put rocks in the bottom of the canoe for a lower center of gravity and keep your paddle in the water longer each stroke for more control. Slow the pace or frequency of your strokes and speeding the recovery to get the paddle back into the water quicker. Try sitting on a 2 or 3 foot diameter rubber ball for practice.