Let It Rain...

Hey Y'All-

The rain has been falling and the weather has finally turned so this past weekend I headed to West Virginia.  I met up with fellow team member and Potomac Paddlesports Instructor "Professional" Pete Morey and some other friends and set out for laps on the Lower Big Sandy.  The LBS is a gem of a creek and the day could not have been more perfect- 75 degrees and sunny!  I was pretty excited about the opportunity to paddle with Pete and to spend some on-water-time with the man behind the legend.  Pete is not only a super talented paddler but also extremely skilled and technically proficient at analyzing both the water and the paddler.  Wonder Falls is extremely straight forward and easy to access making it the perfect drop to analyze and work on boofing technique.  Check out the video below; definitely not my best boof, put with Pete's feedback I know exactly what I need to work on!

• Approach - speed is not as important as one may think; stay a little ahead of the speed of the water and focus on timing..
• The Stroke - the boof stroke is a vertical stroke but is not a forward stroke.  If you look at my top hand in the video you will see that it is significantly in front of my body- this is NOT necessary for this drop.  Bringing my hand closer to my body will allow me to use my paddle more effectively in launching my boat by acting as a pivot point.
• Stroke Placement - although my paddle is in the right place I don't actually do anything with it in this video. I am not grabbing the water but rather turning a forward stroke into a draw stroke.  Working on keeping my lower hand in the "power alley" will lead to a more effective boof.
• Body Position - Reaching for the stroke moves your weight forward and prevents you from falling into the backseat when thrusting your hips forward. In addition, unwind your body in the opposite direction of your boof stroke.
  Check out Pete putting it all together...