Photos of past courses.......
What to wear to a basic canoeing session.......

We understand that many new members will not have the confidence or experience to paddle at a general club session and would prefer to attend one of our club run Paddle Discovery courses.

These courses are typically 2 sessions of 2 hours duration or a full morning or afternoon and will cover all the skills required to give you the confidence to attend a club session and paddle with others to further develop your sills. A flat water award that demonstrates an individual has basic boat control and foundation skills.

You can paddle any kind of preferred paddlesport craft (kayak, sit-on-top, tandem craft, polo boat, sea kayak, racing canoe or paddle board etc.)

Session 1 (2hrs) - A recap of the all the basic skills (Paddle Start Award). You will typically go on a short trip around the Liverpool docks, maybe even to the "wheel of Liverpool" or Albert Dock.

Session 2 (2hrs) - Typically this is a fun session where you try a variety of boats to widen your experience. These may include open boats, racing craft, slalom kayaks and canoes, sit on tops, sea kayaks, touring boats or paddle boards. It will include falling in, rescue and self-rescue so please be prepared to get wet.

LCC Paddle Discovery Award
Paddle Discover Crib Card

Physical skills

• Warm up 
• Boat checks
• Lift, carry, launch
• Forward paddling (Efficient)
• Steering and control (Sweeps and ruddering)
• Back Paddling
• Using edging
• Stopping boat
• Getting in and out of boats
• Journey of 2 hours
• Emptying boats.
• Capsize (self rescue/peer rescues/peer rescues with support)
• Getting back to the shore/bank – pushing/shoving/nudging, or using a simple towing method
• Try other crafts

Theory

• Environment
• Safety
• Equipment
• Possible risk of kayaking, basic dynamic risk assessing.
• Group awareness
• Journey planning.

Coaching notes:

• Warm up: What are the benefits of warming up?  The warm up should be run between the coach and the students.  What games do they know?
• Boat checks: guided the students with checking over their boats, looking at foot rest, back rest, is the boat in good working order? Encourage them to take the lead but offer support if needed.
• Lift, carry, launch: Correct lifting method, straight back, lifting with knees not with back. Safe launching methods, talk about possible damage to the environment.
• Forward paddling: Reinforce the fundamentals of forward paddling, active posture, kinesthetic (feel), connectivity, power transfer (rotation). Basic forward paddling, doesn’t have to be efficient. The student should be able to paddle in a straight line using the right strokes and effective forward paddling.
• Steering and control:  Effective sweep strokes, good use of the stern rudder. Show the beginnings of a bow rudder.
• Back Paddling: Show the beginning of back paddling
• Using edging: What's the difference between and edge and a lean? How can we use edges in our paddling? Try getting the boat on different edges from small too big.
• Stopping boat: Stopping the boat moving within 4 strokes.
• Getting in and out of boats: Getting in and out the boat without help.
• Journey of 2 hours
• Emptying boats: Safely and effectively.
• Capsize: Capsize and Swim Ashore.
• Try other crafts: Rafted canoes/canoes/kayaks

Theory

• Environment: Leave no trace, what issues are there surrounding access?
• Safety: How to keep others safe on the water. How do we keep each other safe?
• Equipment:  What safety equipment do we need to carry? I.e. first aid kit 
• Possible risk of kayaking: Basic dynamic risk assessing.
• Group awareness: Making sure we stay together as a group. Being aware of how many are in the group.
• Journey planning: Plan a basic journey, talking about basic risk assessing.