How to Progress and Develop Your Canoe Paddling Skills
The holy grail of canoe skills is to develop a range of paddling strokes, a tool kit of skills, learn trad skills and embark on bucket list paddling trips and expeditions, ideally to remote wilderness areas. This handy guide based on a lifetime of canoeing journeys, coaching and leading is designed to help.
Develop your canoe skills from novice paddling on canals, flat water rivers, lakes and lochs to white water rivers, bigger journeys and more advanced skills for the conditions, rapids and strong winds is achievable. Carpe Diem/ YOLO (delete by generation)
Watch a round up of our year here
https://studio.youtube.com/watch?v=5KdRFtupcQc
- Covering the Basics and Introducing New Ideas (speeding up the learning curve and developing skills correctly)
Learning the basic skills in a canoe sounds obvious but personally I spent years paddling as a tandem crew before learning to solo and moving up the grades of white water. The foundation skills involve paddling forwards well, turning, to adjust course, steering, initially from the stern but eventually using stern and bow. And so it continues as an intermediate paddler we would expect to learn power-pry, J stroke and better sideways movement with draw strokes, hanging draws and prying.
The good news is that if you don’t know these skills then book a coaching session or trip with an experienced coach (moderate water endorsed) and they can help you. Perhaps look at the personal paddling awards (PPA) and build skills around a qualification. Paddle UK offer progression starting with the aptly named Start Award and progressing from there:
Start Award – Introductory taster session aimed at getting the participant on the water
Discover Award – A one day course covering all the basic techniques with background info on river access, environment, safety and rescue.
Explore Award – A two day course which really unpacks the
Canoe Award – taking the skills to a moving water and achieving a canoe qualification including simple white water and rapids
Courses we also run to help with this are listed below
Intro to moving water (Bedford) (1/2 day)
Our Bedford venue is a white water area (Etienne Stott White Water Arena) named after our Olympic Champion, Gold Medallist from London 2012. The venue allows us to control the whitewater waves and flow from simple faster flow up to 3ft waves with strong eddy lines. It is a brilliant venue to introduce block practice within a 75m area practicing both sides to ensure you become bi-lateral(strong on both sides).
Introduction to Moving Water (Matlock)
Our Intro to moving water has been popular for over a decade on the iconic River Derwent in the Peak District whether in canoe or kayak. The river is a perfect place to learn white water skills whilst journeying with great fun rapids along the way to learn breaking in, eddying out and surfing small waves. The day ends at the Matlock Slalom course rapids to again hone skills after a great day on the water.
Our white water coaches can help you practice rescues and moves along this river journey.
Develop your moving water skills (2 day) (River Dee)
This two day coached course with professional coaches is designed to help you attain new levels whether in kayak or canoe tackling different locations on the Dee Loop in Llangollen, Wales. The course will help dynamic and active paddling down Grade 1-3 rapids on this great white water river such as the Mile End Mill, Serpents Tail and the Chain Link Bridge.
- Consolidation of foundation skills (your Canoeing Toolkit)
A top Tip: Journeying and consolidation of skills doesn’t always sit hand in hand as we are focussed on A to B on the water as opposed to skills, and additionally our energy levels are linked to the effort exerted and conditions (wind, grade of river etc)
- Locking In skills (developing autonomous skills )
As the grade of water increases we use block practice and mentored training to develop skills so they are ‘locked in’ and ready to deploy as needed. A good test of this to self assess progress such as whether you can ‘hit’ eddies of your choice, breaking in and breaking out of the flow, surfing a wave or similar elements. Sometimes simple top tips from a peer paddler or another coach can help you achieve that bit. Paddling well autonomously usually means we can deploy the skills and moves we want at the right time on the river as opposed to just getting through.
Top Tip – We are all between swims, try moves and push yourself but of course paddle safely.
- Skills Mastery – moving from Intermediate, young paddling jedi to Jedi Master
Keep developing, as advanced canoe leaders, and moderate endorsed coaches we are still learning. We develop by paddling with a strong paddling group, often our team but also working with other leaders to cross pollinate ideas.
It is important to remember at more difficult river conditions you make take some time to get your eye in, regain your sequences of strokes and timing. Stick with it and start with easier conditions before pushing to your max.
There is a wealth of videos on you tube to help you build your more advanced skillset to be a master. Work on deploying power to allow you to combat wind, waves and rapids in more difficult conditions.
Top Tip – As the river conditions (river grades) get more difficult take time to be comfortable in the level below before pushing to the next level. Us
Top Tip, set goals and use positive mind set to challenge yourself to progress skills in more moderate environments. Examples of creating a positive mindset may include visualizing the line you wish to paddle, scouting the river instead of read and run or perhaps a simply as spashling your face with water to be in the zone. Calm your breathing to get the best version of yourself to achieve the goal.
Handy Hint – A problem shared is a problem halved, check the guidebook for the river, lake, loch or coastal area. Perhaps paddle it the first time with someone who is more experienced and has done it before.
Moving From Courses and Practice to Journeying
Journeying by canoe is a right of passages as old as time as our ancestors used canoes as ancient freighters to carry and trade good inland across Northern America and Canada. Journeying is a modern antidote to escaping the stresses and strains of modern life, a chance to rewild and enjoy nature with wildlife galore, often heading to wilderness area.
This is our happy place, Ash and I have completed over 15,000 miles of human powered expeditions over the past 15 years exploring so many bucket list destinations, writing magazine articles, delivering talks and of course writing guidebooks – Our new book “Great British Paddling Adventures” has been endorsed by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Steve Backshall, Ray Mears, Etienne Stott MBE and Miranda Krestnovikoff and covers over 50 routes but with multi day trips offers over 100 paddling days by canoe, kayak or SUP.
Don’t overthink it, plan some overnight or simple day trips before aiming for multi day challenging trips. Once into the grove you can then extend your range and ideas.
Here is our list of some of our best trips and expeditions on the Horizon to whet your appetite:
- 2026 Sea kayaking the Jurassic coast (4 days exploring this UNESCO World Heritage site)
- 2027 Yukon Canoe Expedition (21 days with 15 days on the river)
- 2026 Algonquin Canoe Expedition (10 days with 7 days on the river)
- 2026 Great Glen Canoe Trail (4 days) this trip featured in the Times
- 2026 River Tweed Paddling Expedition (3 days)
- 2026 Best of Wales Paddling expedition (3 days)
- 2026 Finland Arctic Canoe Expedition (8 days with 5 on the river)
- 2026 River Stour Paddling Expedition (2 days)
- 2027 Norfolk Broads Paddling Trip (2 days)
- 2026 Matlock Intro to white water day
- 2026 River Tay Canoe Expedition (4 days) from Loch Tay to Perth
- 2027 River Spey Loch Insch to Spey Bay Canoe Expedition (4 days)
- 2027 Ardeche region paddling trip (4-5 days)
- 2026 Bedford Intro to White water (½ day)
Outfit your canoe
Outfitting your canoe for journeys is important and links to what is known as ‘trad’ skills, which include:
- Sailing (this can be simple with a small tarp to catch the wind, to a purpose made sailing rig or a large improvised tripod and tarp sailing rig
- Lining and tracking – Moving up and down rapids using lines bow and stern to ‘walk’ the canoe up or down the rapids
- Portaging – Carrying your canoe around rapids, over hill or dale or to connecting waters
If you are not sure then watch some You Tube channels such as Ray Goodwins channel to witness the skills deployed.
How to Outfit your Canoe
Start by making sure the canoe is comfortable for you to journey and tackle bigger white water. Useful additions and outfitting can include:
- Buoyancy blocks or air bags to provide floatation and reduce ‘sloshing’ water in your canoe (free surface effect) which makes it wobbly.. Buoyancy makes it easier for your canoe to be emptied and rescued
- Swim lines and throwlines – Swim lines allow you to grab your canoe in the event of a capsize and pendulum it to the side whilst swimming down the river or lake yourself.
- End Ropes – these allow a rope to be attached to retrieve the canoe in the event of a pin, broach or strainer with mechanical advantage.
- Suitable Dry Bags of Kit to adjust trim – moving weight in the canoe is a great way to change trim (front to back / bow to Stern) weight distribution
- Carrying Yoke – comfortable carrying for solo portaging or consider a trolley for some trips
About Rich
Rich is a wilderness guide, Paddle UK Provider, white water coach, advanced canoe leader and expedition leader with over 15,000 miles of human powered adventures from minus 50 in the Yukon Winter to big sea kayak crossings and journeys and thousands of miles of wilderness canoeing. Rich is a director of watersports and adventure company www.canoetrail.co.uk with his wife Ashley and they also run award winning wellbeing and life skills social enterprise www.inspiredlife.org which was a London 2012 Inspire Mark Project. Rich and Ash recently wrote Great British Paddling Adventures with over 50 paddling routes for canoe, kayak and SUP.
Richard Harpham FRGS and his wife Ash Kenlock run Canoe Trail www.canoetrail.co.uk, a watersports and adventure business which was voted one of the ‘Top 52 Things To Do in the World’ by Lonely Planet and Top 3 UK destinations by Red Bull Magazine and has featured in the Times, Telegraph and Huffington Post. Qualified coach, Paddle UK Provider, Inspirational Speaker authors and expedition guides they write for many magazines, including Bushcraft & Survival Skills Magazine(Rich was the former editor of the Bushcraft and Survival Skills Magazine), Paddler, Huffington Post and National Geographic Kids and featured on BBC1. Follow them @canoetrails
As renown adventurers Ash and Rich have covered 15,000 miles of wilderness expeditions by ski, bike, kayak, canoe and SUP. www.richadventure.com including canoeing the Yukon, Algonquin Rivers and Lakes, Temagami, sea kayaking 1000 miles from Vancouver to Alaska and even mapping the North Seal River in Northern Canada. Together they paddled over 100 different UK locations by canoe, kayak and SUP and have channelled their passion into the book Great British Paddling Adventures. They founded a social enterprise and London 2012 Inspire Mark Project Inspired Life pioneering well-being resources. www.inspiredlife.org
Sophie (Fun 4 Young People)
Michael (Goldington Academy)
Gemma
Matthew
