Down but not out. A high brace will bring this paddler back up before he’s fully capsized.
Bracing is a skill that many intermediate paddlers learn once they’ve grasped the basic power and steering strokes. Although there are several bracing techniques, the two typically performed are the low brace and the high brace. These two techniques can be used in a variety of paddling situations and can provide support in rough conditions and when the boat is edged over aggressively for quicker turning.
The low brace is often learned first, as it’s a bit more instinctive and the transition from a normal paddling stroke to the low-brace position is easier. A low brace works well if the boat is only tipped at a fairly shallow angle and is not completely off balance. However, if the boat has tipped to such a degree that capsizing is imminent, a high brace is much more effective for preventing or even recovering from a capsize. In this article, I’ll discuss bracing in the context of its use as a recovery stroke (from a potential capsize) and suggest some exercises or drills that may help improve your high brace.
Hands and Faces
Before proceeding any further, a bit of terminology is required. When any paddle stroke or skill is performed, there’s an inboard hand and outboard hand. The outboard hand refers to the hand closest to the paddle blade used to perform a stroke. For example, if I were to take a forward stroke on the right side of the kayak, the outboard hand would be my right hand. The inboard hand would be my left hand, the hand farthest from the blade in the water, the working blade. In describing the paddle blade, the “power face” is the face of blade that’s typically concave and faces the stern of the boat if you’re holding the paddle normally out in front of you. The opposite side of the paddle blade is referred to as the “back face.”
To set up properly for a high brace, your wrists are positioned above the elbows such that the power face of the working blade is parallel and facing the water surface (just prior to actually making contact). As the boat goes off balance, the power face of the working blade works against the water resistance to provide support to allow you to perform a hip snap and bring the boat back to a stable position. One of the most important elements of a high brace is keeping your elbows in close to your body and low. If you allow your outboard elbow to come up above your shoulder and behind your head, you’re exposing your shoulder joint and making it vulnerable to a dislocation. Be very careful when performing the drills here to keep your elbows forward and below your head.
There are a few problems I frequently encounter when helping someone learn to perform a recovery high brace. The first problem is related to the positioning of the inboard hand and arm. The second is that many paddlers don’t learn how to perform a recovery high brace effectively because they rarely commit to completely capsizing while practicing. Finally, many practice bracing from a stable setup position rather than attempting to simulate real-world paddling.
It’s often said that the primary reason for practicing paddling skills such as bracing or rolling is to make it a reflex action so that when you really need the skill, you can instantly perform it without thinking about the details. In the case of rolling and bracing, you need to overcome the natural instinct to get your head out of water to get a breath of air. As those who know how to roll or are learning to roll have discovered, one of the keys to a successful roll is to have your head come out of the water last, even though that goes against your natural reflex to breathe. Similarly, when learning to perform a recovery high brace, you may have to fight the impulse to brace too soon, that is, before you’ve tipped over far enough that a brace is even necessary.
For the past several years, I have assisted a friend in teaching a beginner class, so I’ve had the opportunity to witness a lot of people capsize in a kayak. One thing I’ve noticed is that, in almost every case, paddlers capsize in the direction in which their paddle is in the water. Typically, they’ll try to stay upright by leaning away from the water to keep from going in, as in Image 2. This is a natural reaction for novices—if they’re about to fall in the water, the instinct is to avoid going in by leaning away from it. They will also push down on the paddle, but it’s usually at an angle that will only cause it to go deeper in the water.
Most of these paddlers will learn how to perform a high brace and may even practice it often, but the technique they use may only work when the boat is only partially tipped over, as it is during an edged turn. Typically, paddlers will tilt the boat with their hips but try to keep nearly centered over the boat. From this position (often referred to as a J-lean), a quick slap of the power face timed with a hip snap brings them back to a fully upright position. That same technique may not work as well when a high brace is used for recovery from getting knocked down to the water. Fortunately, there are several exercises or drills you can use to develop a high brace that will work well when the going gets rough.
When you’re using your paddle for a high brace, think of it as a lever. Sit on the floor, holding your paddle horizontally about chest high and your elbows tight against your sides. Touch the right blade to the floor by raising the left (inboard) hand, using your right (outboard) hand as a pivot point. Notice the angle of the paddle shaft. Now try the same exercise, but keep the left (inboard) hand fixed and touch the right blade to the floor by lowering the right hand (pivoting off the left hand). Again, note the angle of the paddle shaft. As you can see, if you allow the inboard hand to come up, the angle of the paddle shaft is more vertical. If you were to try to brace with the working blade at this angle, it would provide so little support that it’s no more than a pointer indicating the direction you will likely be falling: down. Using the outboard hand to bring the working blade to the water and keeping the inboard hand stationary, or anchored, will keep the blade at a shallower angle and provide a more effective brace.
Queen Anne’s Salute
Queen Anne’s Salute is an exercise I’ve found useful not only for creating a more efficient paddle angle for a high brace, but also for forcing the paddler into a position where a recovery stroke is mandatory. In Image 3, the paddler is in the starting position for the salute.
Notice that his outboard hand is down near his hip, upper hand is low, and the power face of the paddle is oriented such that if he were to capsize to his left side and keep the paddle in this position until his head hit the water, the paddle would be in an ideal position for a high brace, as shown in Image 4. When the paddler hits the water, the paddle will be horizontal with the water surface.
While the Queen Anne’s Salute is a good exercise for forcing a capsize and putting the paddler into a good set-up position for a deep high brace, rarely will you find yourself in the Queen Anne’s Salute position during normal paddling.
Deep High Brace
The next exercise describes how to get into the ideal position for a high brace from a normal paddling position. Essentially, the goal of this exercise is to try to put your head in the water before your paddle hits the water surface. I call this a deep high brace. The sequence in Images 6a-6e demonstrates this exercise.
The key to performing this exercise is to move the outboard hand up and across in front of your face as you capsize. As in the case of a high brace from the Queen Anne’s Salute position, the brace is performed using the inboard hand as a pivot (or anchor) point while pulling down with the outboard hand and timed with a vigorous hip snap.
Once you’re able to perform a deep high brace, there are several variations that can be added to help make it more reliable in “real” conditions. Try holding the working blade just a couple of inches above the water surface with the power face down. Capsize toward the paddle and bring the outboard blade up as you go over. Essentially, try to keep the working blade from entering the water until after your body has hit the water. The paddle shaft should be nearly horizontal at this point and ready for a brace.
Linking Braces and Strokes
To practice a deep high brace in rough water conditions where waves might be hitting you from both sides (clapotis), try performing a recovery brace on one side then fall over to the other side and perform a recovery brace. Go back and forth a few times or fall over to the same side twice, then go to the other side. Some people practice bracing in this manner by having a training partner at the stern of the kayak randomly twist the boat in one direction or the other to force the paddler to brace on both sides.
Try performing a deep high brace while on the move. Paddle forward a bit, then without changing the cadence of your stroke.After you’ve braced successfully, don’t just sit there and admire your work, but continue paddling forward or perform some other kind of stroke (perhaps a recovery brace on the other side). When paddling in real conditions, if something has knocked you over, typically your first priority is going to be to get away from whatever it was that caused you to capsize.
Try the deep high brace from a variety of starting positions. Paddle backward, fall over and brace back up. Paddle forward, perform a low brace turn, then as you’re about to finish the turn, fall over, flip the paddle over and perform a high brace.
Back Flop
For the last exercise, try delaying your hip snap and brace after your body has hit the water. When you have capsized, you’ll find that there’s a short period of time when your capsize momentum is interrupted as your body makes contact with the water surface. If you’ve ever jumped off a diving board, you’re probably familiar with a dive known as the “belly flop.” If you’d done a nice vertical swan dive, you’d usually end up near the bottom of the pool. However, if you’re unfortunate enough to perform a well-executed belly flop, you likely will end up only a foot or so below the surface. The greater surface area you present to the water, whether you’re diving or capsizing, the more it will slow you down.
As you start to capsize, try rotating your torso so that your back hits the water fairly flat, then wait for the water to slow you down before you perform a hip snap and a high brace. Instead of diving in with your head as you capsize, as demonstrated in the deep high brace earlier, try to perform a “back flop.” Image 8 demonstrates how the paddler has rotated his torso as he capsizes. Notice that his paddle is in an ideal position for bracing once he hits the water, and his body is coiled to provide power as it unwinds during the brace.
f you practice these drills often enough, eventually your instinct will not be to lean away from the water if you’re about to fall over, but to get into a position that’s most effective for a recovery brace. Once that happens, you may find that you almost never need to roll because you can recover using a high brace. While rolling is always an important skill, a good high brace will prevent a complete capsize and often provide a much faster recovery from a loss of balance.
In summary, keep that outboard hand low. A high brace is much more effective when the paddle shaft is horizontal with the water surface. After you’ve mastered the skill in calm conditions, try it in progressively rougher water. The best way to learn a recovery high brace is to create a situation where a high brace is mandatory. If you make your high brace bombproof, you may never have to resort to your bombproof roll.