A Quick Tip to Step Up Your Progression: Your Off-Sides Matter

A Quick Tip to Step Up Your Progression: Your Off-Sides Matter

Goal: No off-sides. Train until On-Sides and Off-Sides Feel Natural

Something to keep in the back of your mind while training for freestyle kayaking and any other whitewater disciplines is to practice your off-sides. YOUR OFF-SIDE MATTERS. It is important to practice BOTH sides. Almost all kayakers tend to have a favorite side where things come more easily while the off-side feels awkward and uncomfortable leaving it tempting to skip, neglect, and forget about it because it is uncomfortable = not as fun. Yes, practicing the off-side is not always fun especially when your on-side is so good making you want to keep going because you find success on that side. However, you want to be a balanced kayaker especially in freestyle, so working both sides is crucial.
OFF-SIDES MATTERS for a few reasons:
1. Balanced and ready for any type of feature: Some features may only favor one direction of tricks because of the shape of it or the water flow. Water’s unpredictability means features won’t always play to your strengths. One moment, you might find the perfect setup for your on-side tricks, but the next, you’re battling the current on your off-side, and that’s where the versatility pays off. To be a well-rounded kayaker, you need to be proficient on both sides. This balance is crucial, especially in freestyle.

2. When you practice both sides, you’re setting yourself up to adapt to whatever challenges lie ahead. The river can be as unpredictable, so practicing both sides, you’re equipping yourself to handle whatever the river throws at you. Think of it as expanding your toolkit—giving yourself more options when you’re out in the rapids.

3. Combo Tricks: These tricks require you to use a mix of tricks on both sides. Example: blunt to back blunt combo: you must be able to blunt right and back blunt left. You’ve touched on something vital. Combo tricks like the blunt to back blunt require seamless transitions between both sides, highlighting the importance of balanced skills. Nailing those transitions can really showcase your versatility and fluidity on the water.

4. Once you learn a trick, it is much easier to learn it on your off-sides (most of the time). There may be some tricks you may not ever figure out the other side. For me that is the lefty space Godzilla. Absolutely, learning a trick on your strong side first can give you a great foundation to transfer it to your off-side. And hey, even if some tricks remain elusive on the other side, it’s those challenges that make the journey interesting and keep pushing you forward.
The lefty Space Godzilla sounds like quite the challenge! Keep at it—you never know when that breakthrough moment will come. And think about it, every bit of effort on different tricks and disciplines contributes to your overall skill set.

Build this foundation in now, you will thank yourself later down the road. What I like to do is: every time I do an on-sides trick I make myself do the off-sides of that trick attempt. Yes, it is uncomfortable and not as fun but it pays off. Trust me, way easier to learn this way then having to go back and learning the other side of a trick you throw well. It will take 3 times the amount of time to learn. It’s not comfortable and it is really awkward, but you will thank yourself down the road. I promise.

This is also a great time to practice if you have pool sessions and avoid the Icey water

Check the video link below to see no off-sides, and how it is a game changer
https://youtu.be/OED-2wXVS1Q?si=0lhrck0JpNPZZ4gl

Catch you on the river!

Emily