| Cartwheel |
This follows the same principles as the cartwheel in a hole,
but the double pump is much more important. You MUST start the
movement with a double pump.
Get a bit of forward speed, edge your boat towards your stronger
side and pull your paddle from your knees to your bum perpendicular
to the surface of the water, while lifting your legs up (still
edging). Once your bow is at its highest, promptly reverse the
stoke and twist your torso to face the surface of the water. Using
your stomach muscles push your feet under your body. Continue
as a normal cartwheel.
Flatwater cartwheeling is probably the most difficult kind of
cartwheel to do because all the energy and rotational momentum,
is provided solely by the paddler. You will need a kayak that
is fairly slicey and fits you well.
A double pump initiates the move. The easiest way to do this is to paddle forwards at a steady pace, and then put in a strong forward stroke as you edge your kayak and try to lift your feet off the water. As the forward stroke ends and the bow leaves the water, turn the paddle movement into a reverse stroke to slice the bow down. As the bow enters the water keep your weight forward and keep the momentum going by rotating your shoulders to face the direction you are travelling in i.e. if you were edging your kayak on the right as you double pumped twist your shoulders to the right. As your body winds-up and then releases the kayak will follow. As you feel the bow lifting out of the water put in a forward stroke on the right hand side. Just before the kayak stalls and the bow comes over your head quickly twist again (to your right) to plant another reverse stroke in the water and throw the bow back down.
If your body rotation is good you can dispense with the forward
strokes and depend solely on the reverse strokes. This will give
the boat a 360 degree rotation on each and every paddle stroke
making the cartwheel “clean”. This same technique can
be used to throw cartwheels in the hole, spiltwheels, freewheels
etc.
