|
Genetic, Progressive Whitewater
by Westgarth Productions
This was penned for 'Paddles' magazine, probably appearing in the May 2004 issue.
Westgarth Productions have been busy for several years now, with each new production upping the professional standards; the surfing sequence at the start of 'Destination Nowhere' is one of my 'kayak porn' favourites! Simon Westgarth's bread and butter living is as a guide and coach…he's also a qualified sports teacher, but he keeps that quiet. His last coaching film was 'Genotype', aimed at WW beginners and filmed on the gorgeous Soca River in Slovenia. In 'Genetic' Simon tackles intermediate whitewater skills. This time, the action takes place in Norway, on and around the Sjoa River; on film the river looks spectacular (as indeed it is) and appropriately more challenging than the Soca. As with the Soca, the clear blue water and sunshine make it easy for the viewer to see what the river is doing. The music used through the DVD shows surprisingly good taste, although the sound quality can be shaky in places.
'Genetic' is a DVD, and this has allowed Simon to update his approach; the film is divided into short distinct chapters, each one comprising a coaching session. The screen image is often annotated with labels and notes which explain what is happening; this can sometimes lead to 'information overload', but this being DVD, you can easily stop, wind back, repeat the session again. On the flip side, it doesn't seem possible to leave the whole DVD playing end to end; whilst this isn't the best way to absorb lots of information, I've found that it's good for taking the pain of ironing away…
'Genetic' covers solid technique in forward paddling, turning and support. In each case, the focus is on the core strokes which make up an efficient whitewater paddler's repertoire. For instance, the stern rudder is first studied closely to show the components of good technique. Next, its application on the river is examined. A variety of filmed examples - in particular, well chosen 'freeze frames' - show this same deceptively simple stroke being used for everything from turning to boofing. At later points in the film, core strokes such as this are quickly revisited to remind the viewer of the underpinning technique - teachers call this 'activating prior knowledge'.
This coaching technique has much to commend it. Paddlers working towards BCU 4 and 5 star skills will find no new strokes or gimmicks; what they will find, is an informed and pragmatic look at how techniques they already know apply and how to make efficient use of them in the river environment. Respected UK paddlers like Ed Cornfield and Kate Donnelly demonstrate using the exact same techniques to plod around a lake, playboat, and run real gnarl.
The final sections of the film cover river-running. Filmed examples of each six grades are shown (I will prostrate myself before anyone who can run the grade 5 example) and river features and hazards are highlighted. The 'Amots' section of the Sjoa River is used to show strategies for descending a rapid. River signals and group leadership are briefly covered, as is basic safety and rescue technique. These river-running sections are worthwhile as an introduction, but don't go into the depth of the technique coaching chapters. I would have liked to have seen the various points developed further, but that is beyond the remit of 'progressive whitewater'. The good news is that this will be dealt with in Simon's next coaching project…a 'steep creeking' how-to, which will presumably take good WW technique to places that most of us have nightmares about…
Mark Rainsley.
|
|