The Low Support Stroke

The Low Support Stroke

The low support stroke will help you maintain support while you’re kayaking.

The first support or brace stroke that you should learn is the low support stroke. This is the easiest stroke for beginners to learn, so you should probably work on learning it first, before you start working on the high support stroke.

There are a few skills that you should learn through this technique. First, you should gain the ability to sit your boat up and to bring your kayak back up to an upright position when it has only partially capsized.
You will probably learn the stroke while you’re sitting still, but eventually you’ll need to practice it when your kayak is moving through the water.

You will need to make sure that your legs are braced against the kayak. After all, if you are sliding around in the cockpit, your strokes will not be anywhere near as strong as they need to be. You will also have more trouble controlling your strokes and this will make it much harder for you to go where you want to when you’re kayaking.
Next, use the back of your kayak paddle blade and try to keep the paddle as close to horizontal as you can.

When your kayak starts to tip over, you should bring the tip of the paddle to the surface of the water and hold it there. This should keep you from tipping any further. However, if you want to bring your kayak back to a vertical position, you should pull your hips in closer to the paddle blade. This will make your kayak more stable, and bring it back to a completely upright position.

You should make sure that when you’re using the low support stroke that you are not actually placing your weight on the kayak paddle, because that will only drive it into the water. However, you should use it for support when you bring yourself back upright using hip movements.

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Peter Salisbury

Peter Salisbury

Pete is the Owner of KayakHelp.com. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, he grew up kayaking, fishing, sailing, and partaking in outdoor adventures around the Great Lakes. When he’s not out on the water, you can find him skiing in the mountains, reading his favorite books, and spending time with his family.

Welcome! I’m so glad you are here :-) I’m Pete. I am the owner of KayakHelp.com. I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, I grew up kayaking, fishing, sailing, and partaking in outdoor adventures around the Great Lakes. When I am not out on the water, you can find me skiing in the mountains, reading my favorite books, and spending time with my family.

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