Ultra Cleans
Photo Courtesy of Ken Whiting
Regardless of the type of kayak you paddle, edge control is the
single most important skill to develop. Good edge control is what
lets you hold your boat on a steady edge while ferrying, crossing
eddy lines, side surfing, or while performing any advanced
playboating move. We're about to look at the ultra clean, which is
the most effective way for playboater to develop the fine edge
control that is needed for any freestyle move.
The Ultra Clean is a 360 on flatwater that is accomplished
without the use of a paddle stroke. This seemingly impossible task
is done through a combination of body weight and edge transitions
that alternately sink the bow and stern, allowing for the use of
buoyancy energy. Buoyancy energy is the desire your boat has to
resurface anytime it is underwater. This is what helps your kayak
spin so effectively while stern squirting, or when performing a
pivot turn. The key is understanding that when an end of your kayak
is underwater, it will want to take the quickest route back to the
surface. By establishing a boat tilt that offers a route to the
surface in the direction that you wish to spin, the buoyancy energy
of your boat will spin your kayak for you. You just need to provide
the right edging, and encourage your kayak underwater by throwing
your weight into each end. Let's look at this in more detail.
Getting the Ultra Clean started is tricky since there is no
buoyancy energy to work with. You'll need to sink your stern and
get things rolling using only aggressive body motions. Let's follow
the case shown and consider slicing the right stern edge underwater
to turn to the left. Starting from a still position you'll need to
do three things at the same time to engage your stern: tilt your
boat slightly to the right, snap your weight backward and onto your
right hip, and turn your upper body aggressively into the turn to
help pull your bow around and generate spin momentum. Even with the
smallest boats, you can't expect to sink the stern very deeply. If
you can get it an inch or two underwater to begin with, you're
doing well.
As soon as your stern begins to slice underwater, you need to
make a quick edge transition. This means pulling upward with your
trailing knee (the right one in this case) while dropping your
leading knee. By tilting your boat into the other direction, you
present your stern with an escape route in the direction of your
spin. Now, as your stern slices to the surface and your bow falls
downward, you'll want to encourage the bow underwater by throwing
your weight forward. As soon as your bow enters the water, you'll
once again need to make a quick edge transition, which means
pulling up your leading knee and dropping your trailing knee. Once
you've presented your bow with its escape path, then you'll again
help your stern underwater by throwing your weight back and turning
your body aggressively to lead the way.
Using this seesaw action, you can generate an amazing amount of
spin momentum without even using your paddle. Without even knowing
it, you've entered the world of clean cartwheels!
Ken Whiting was the 1997/98 World Freestyle Champion. He has
produced an award winning series of instructional kayaking books
and videos, leads kayaking trips to Chile, and teaches at the
Liquid Skills Kayak School. Check out www.playboat.com