DVD Advice?

[andypagett]

Hi folks,

In typical ‘first post’ style, I’m after a bit of advice.

I’m a fairly new paddler. I have a boat (Perception Sonic, purchased from a kind poster on here), and gear and was starting to pick up basic moving water skills - ferrygliding, breaking in and out, and along with it lots of practice at the ‘unexpected moving water roll’. However, due to some personal circumstances, I can’t currently get a much club / coach / paddling time as I’d like. Not wanting to miss too much, I thought I’d do a bit of armchair paddling until I can get back into the full swing of it.

Having poked around on the web / forums, it seems two commonly mentioned products (with lots of both good and bad comments about each) are:

Whitewater Kayaking by Ken Whiting
EJ’s River Running Basics

What are folks’ thoughts on those two products? Is it worth getting either / both of them? Not really been possible to compare from the online descriptions as there isn’t really much about the actual content of each.

Also mentioned to supplement has been EJ’s Rolling and Bracing? What are folks’ thoughts on that?

Any other suggestions most welcome.

Thanks!

[SimonMW]

Instructional DVD's seem to polarise opinions. You'll almost never find agreement.

The most exceptionally produced DVD that I have seen* is Olaf Obsommer's "HIPS" DVD. There was brief discussion here about it in a thread I started not so long back. Take from that discussion what you will. However I found that it reinforced quite a number of concepts for me in conjunction with the coaching I have been taking. Not least that of body rotation, use of the feet etc. Plus there's lots of fun to be had listening to the English dubbing that sounds like it was done by the guy who does the bad guy voice in the kung fu scene in Waynes World!

You might also want to look at Kent Ford's "Breakthru" DVD (http://www.performancevideo.com). This again is exceptionally well produced, though I am not so sure about the forward paddling method shown given what I know now (they teach punching forward with the top arm with not much mention of powering with the torso and feet). But don't let that put you off, it is an extremely good DVD for some aspects IMHO.

A key issue with all instructional DVD's is not to take what they say as gospel. I think that if you find yourself focussing on a particular aspect too much you might end up reinforcing a bad practice which is hard to undo later.

*The caveat being that I am also fairly new to paddling and therefore my opinions are made through blunt ignorance! ;-)

[TechnoEngineer]

My opinion on DVDs....

Whitewater Kayaking by Ken Whiting - don't know, but I'm not particularly enamoured by other DVDs of his that I've watched.

EJ’s River Running Basics - NO - really badly made video; doesn't even mention hugging rocks. Some useful stuff on spangle and outfitting, but that's pretty much it.

EJ’s Rolling and Bracing - cautiously YES - but *only* in conjunction with Kent Ford's "The Kayak Roll", which I recommend you watch first.

EJ's "Strokes and Concepts" - YES - but it will make you fall asleep if you try to watch the whole thing in one go. Good stuff on S-turns.

Kent Ford's "Breakthru" - I think I've seen some of this, and it looks good. Based on his other DVDs, I'd suggest that it's a good place to start.

Also don't forget Gene17's "Genotype 2" which teaches you some fundamental tactical skills.

[akpete]

I found the EJ ones useful, in fact I think I've got them all, and in the spirit of community, as I'm unlikely to re-watch them now, how abouts I send them to you (PM me your address) and when you outgrow them pass them on to another newbie?

[andypagett]

akpete - that's a great offer, thank you. I too am a community spirited person and shall do exactly as you say once I have taken all I can from them. PM sent very shortly.

I'll check out the Kent Ford and Olaf Obsommer DVDs online later - hadn't seen them mentioned anywhere, so that's something else for me to look at.

I've seen some of the older Gene17 stuff online which I've enjoyed and found useful, so maybe I'll look in to Genotype 2, too.