Whether you're trying to use a landing angle transition to cushion the impact or you accidentally boofed a little more than you wanted, the boof to stomp is one of the more useful waterfall techniques to know, but one of the most dangerous to learn because of the back breaking potential for landing in the wrong position, even on smaller drops. The stomp is specifically the technique for bringing your bow back down for a safer, softer landing. An essential skill for any waterfall kayaker's repertoire, it's also both stylish and fun! Be careful though; learning the stomp can be quite dangerous and late stomp on a hard boil, tall drop, or into green water can cause serious injury including a broken back. A lot of experts play with the timing to maximize exit speed from the landing transition, but it that's where it really gets risky. It’s pretty common to land still unhinged but in the process of getting back forward, ie still unhinged when the bow hits, but tucked forward by the time the stern lands. Being off on that timing though, is a great way to break your back. For that reason, I recommend making sure you're forward for landing until you really have it down. If you're interested in instructional opportunities with me, be sure to check out my website, www.BoydRuppelt.com, and subscribe to my email list so you'll be the first to know about the opportunities near you.

Kayaking waterfalls is one of the most feared, respected, and oddly underestimated feats you can do in whitewater kayaking. It blows my mind how many people step up to their first waterfalls with little more than a roll and some courage. The purpose of this video series is to get you started on the right track. (Please keep reading below) In addition to the tips described in this video, I strongly recommend practicing to find what works best for you on smaller waterfalls before trying to step it up to larger ones. Only step up in small increments and don't assume this is all inclusive information for making waterfall kayaking safe. The reality is that even though we minimize risk by practicing skills and setting appropriate safety, waterfall running is never truly safe. There are many more skills and technical details that I did not include in this video. Gradually practice on waterfalls before stepping up to bigger ones, and always be conservative when assessing your own skills. Never run waterfalls without proper equipment, safety, access, or practice and please huck responsibly! This is an introduction to waterfall freefall techniques.

Kayaking waterfalls is one of the most feared, respected, and oddly underestimated feats you can do in whitewater kayaking. It blows my mind how many people step up to their first waterfalls with little more than a roll and some courage. The purpose of this video series is to get you started on the right track. (Please keep reading below) In addition to the tips described in this video, I strongly recommend practicing to find what works best for you on smaller waterfalls before trying to step it up to larger ones. Only step up in small increments and don't assume this is all inclusive information for making waterfall kayaking safe. The reality is that even though we minimize risk by practicing skills and setting appropriate safety, waterfall running is never truly safe. There are many more skills and technical details that I did not include in this video. Gradually practice on waterfalls before stepping up to bigger ones, and always be conservative when assessing your own skills. Never run waterfalls without proper equipment, safety, access, or practice and please huck responsibly! This is an introduction to waterfall freefall techniques.

Kayaking waterfalls is one of the most feared, respected, and oddly underestimated feats you can do in whitewater kayaking. It blows my mind how many people step up to their first waterfalls with little more than a roll and some courage. The purpose of this video series is to get you started on the right track. (Please keep reading below) In addition to the tips described in this video, I strongly recommend sticking to known waterfalls and checking out waterfalls without water before you consider running them with water. Kayaking first descent waterfalls is a skill that takes years of practice and tons of homework, so don't assume this is all inclusive information for making sure a waterfall is safe. Gradually practice on waterfalls before stepping up to bigger ones, and always be conservative when assessing your own skills. Never run waterfalls without proper equipment, safety, access, or practice and please huck responsibly! This is an introduction to waterfalls.

All these new high rocker kayak designs make staying on top of the flow so much easier, but the technique behind it is a game changer. Keeping your bow up means maintaining speed, control, and the freedom to quickly change direction. It also means drops and ledges can act like ramps and aid in acceleration and holes don't have to slow you down. The foundational skills for this video include: Quadrants: https://youtu.be/1CObcO9IFeU?si=z_Po9DpulwEqUuVh The Lock In: https://youtu.be/23tX29LUOsc?si=_5BkdEfQ8K_0B-qF The 5 Golden Rules of Kayaking: https://youtu.be/-9nz6JKcybM?si=9CFhxMYhKURoWvPY You may also want to check out How To Boof 101: https://youtu.be/VoQEf9D0ZC4?si=1-qiyB1eVp4PYYGa How to Lean Boof/Ear Dip: https://youtu.be/5tHBtc0r6bE?si=wQ8GbtGrKp6zip66

With nearly 30 years of experience teaching people how to roll and over a decade of teaching experience in varied environments, I decided it was finally time to put my instructional experience to use in this video. This is not all inclusive, but this is a solid start for learning how to roll your kayak safely, effectively, and quickly. I always recommend working with a qualified instructor for learning how to roll, but hopefully this will serve a reference tool and learning aid for anyone wanting to learn the proper technique for rolling a kayak. Not everyone has access to someone to teach them, and my hope is that this will pave the way for you to enjoy kayaking as much as I do. If you have any questions, please feel free to post in the comments. There's a lot more on the way and in the works at this very moment. There are times when I accentuate movements to make a point or to make them more visible... the goal is for this to be a video you can learn from. Also, huge thanks to Katherine for volunteering to make common mistakes on video for this one... her roll is actually really great! As always, if you like this video, please take a moment to like, subscribe, and even donate. It helps me keep the channel going so I can get the information out there. I'll see you, on the river!

Quick and dirty edit, but whether you're just getting into whitewater kayaking or you're a long time river veteran and looking to raise your paddling game, these 5 golden rules are the fundamentals to get you there. I don't necessarily think these are all inclusive, but when someone asks me what are the most important technique concepts for getting started in kayaking, these are the 5 Golden Rules for whitewater kayaking technique that come to mind: 1. Good Posture 2. The Paddler's Box 3. Separation of Upper and Lower Body Movements 4. Where The Head Leads, Your Body Will Follow 5. Charging Arc and Vectors Several of these will require their own videos for more detail and explanation, but hopefully, these will serve a starting point to jumpstart your fundamentals.

Still feeling wobbly, unstable, or flipping a lot when learning new moves? Most people think about edge control as just a two dimensional concept, lifting the edges of the boat left and right, but edge control also includes bow and stern control. Quadrants are a technique game-changer that will make your edge control significantly more precise and help you better understand which edges to use and when. In this video, I'll go over the basics of edging, build into quadrants, give you real world examples, and then show you the drills to get your edge control on point. Before you tackle your edges, I highly recommend you see the '5 Golden Rules of Kayaking' video first: https://youtu.be/-9nz6JKcybM?si=nysVe_hr88JsOqkC