The Value of Neutral and the Art of Boat Control
By Sharell Benson
I enjoy giving one word book reports, much to the aggravation of some of my
bookish friends. In the case of our BCU 3 Star Training conducted by 5 Star
Coach, John Carmody, I believe he will have an appreciation for my one word
summary as the word NEUTRAL. This word needs further explanation. In the art
and form of boat control the word NEUTRAL holds all of the power and dynamics
for individual paddler safety and empowerment. First of all by keeping the wrist in
a NEUTRAL position, you are reducing the risk of injury. Secondly, by attaining
the skill to drop the paddle into NEUTRAL position at the side of the boat you are
demonstrating the technical aspect of using the paddle to keep the boat going in
a straight line without slowing the trajectory. The NEUTRAL position allows the
practiced paddler latitude to fluidly move from one stroke to another in response
to environmental conditions.
NEUTRAL wrist was the building block for Carmody’s training as he helped eight
students deconstruct typical strokes through realignment of wrists and elbows
along with an emphasis on torso rotation to create a triangle of stability that has
been proven through Carmody’s scientific testing to be 17-23% stronger than a
bent wrist paddle grip. It makes perfect sense that protecting your wrists and
shoulders results in fewer injuries and improved group experience while paddling
in a dynamic environment such as Lake Superior.
As training progressed from the building block of NEUTRAL wrist to the
application of NEUTRAL paddle placement for rudder maneuvers, I was amazed
that by looking in the direction I intended to move and then exponentially rotating
my body the boat turned much more efficiently and gracefully, I might add. No
paddle angle was required, it was all about maintaining the triangle of stability
(these are my words) and rotating the body accordingly. I had never experienced
the beauty and momentum of a well executed stern rudder before. The next step
of our progression involved changing our rotation and hand positions to
experiment with what was possible and advantageous for each of us. When we
tried our hand at surfing waves in Little Sand Bay all of our newly acquired
knowledge on the value of NEUTRAL came into play without injury or incident.
We had become adept at safety and group awareness. Even though I had
relatively little experience with waves, my new found skills helped me control the
Aquanaut as necessary. Like any fine thoroughbred on the track, it was important
to let the Aquanaut have her head as our boats are proven to be lots smarter
than their operators.
While it was very apparent that our core team of instructors have been mentored
by Carmody, I found his coaching style and emphasis on individual
experimentation of the technical aspects of stokes and maneuvers paired with
actual conditions on Lake Superior to be of immeasurable value in advancing my
own understanding and paddling capabilities. I look forward to working on
refinement and testing the value of NEUTRAL as introduced. I also came away
with three words, not only one, that will take me a while to sort out and
experiment with:
PUSH—PULL—NEUTRAL
I hold the conviction that I need no additional codes for reaching my ultimate goal
of UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE (Carmody’s words). The training was fun,
even exhilarating! As the weekend wore on there was less white-knuckled paddle
gripping and more ear to ear grins as we each made break through discoveries.
Other highlights were the rudiments of weather forecasting by utilizing prevailing
patterns and trimming the boat by moving incrementally on your sit bones plus
many secret kayaking tips that I will let John reveal when you take a class from
him. I believe I can speak for all students that we received more than we
expected and we all went home with elevated spirits and very tired bodies.
Thank-you to John Carmody, Jeff Forseth, Michelle Forseth and Peggy O’Neal
for their coaching, patience and for sharing some of their vast knowledge for the
rigors of BCU 3 Star advancement.