PUNCHING THE BIG ONE!
Firstly there is not a definitive technique to doing this. It really depends on the hole, your kayak and you as a paddler. To be honest there is also some luck involved in many cases.
There are a number of ways I have found to punching a hole, the three I will speak about are the: A window
The window doesn't have to extend the whole way up the hole. It just has to make the foam pile smaller.
A diagonal
The diagonal hits the hole with a lot of speed. If you ride the back of the diagonal you can use this fast flowing water to pull your through the foam.
The coward role is actually a very brave move to use because you tend not to have any control and really rely heavily on luck. This involves getting enough speed before the hole and rolling over just before the hole. The aim here is to catch an undercurrent with your body to pull you through the hole. When on the other side all one has to do is Eskimo role up.
The one problem with this move is that 1stly you have zero control about where you hit the hole and when you roll over your body acts as a break slowing you down making you a very likely candidate for a beating.
The 'balls to the wall' involves trying to get over the hole by lifting ones bow and dropping ones stern. You have to aim for a diagonal or better yet a window to make this one work. When doing this move you have to hit the hole as fast as possible. When you hit the hole, throw your weight forward while putting your paddle on the far side of the foam pile to grab the exiting water. This should pull you over the hole.
One of the scariest feelings on the river is when you get the 'balls to the wall' move wrong because you stop on the hole and slowly you start sliding backwards towards the meat. All you can do at that point is HOLD ON.
The plug is probable the move I use the most when trying to get through a huge hole.
Get speed
Tuck, and hold on!!!
Using the diagonal
Get your Line
Place the stroke and GET SPEED
Tuck!
Punching big holes is fun but remember that there is always chance you are going to get stopped and beaten. When you practice this technique use a hole with nothing dangerous behind it so if you swim you should be ok.
For all the punching moves you have to look for a weak spot in the hole. Generally the weakest points in a hole are where a diagonal is hitting the hole or where there is a green window.
This is attempting to drive your bow down with lots of speed to catch the under current and pull you through. Paddle as fast as possible and as you get within a meter of the hole take a hard stroke and throw your weight forward. You want to use a diagonal here to get some speed in the water.
Good lines
Craig Rivett
lifebywater@gmail.com
The above article was written by an expert paddlers from Team Fluid. At the bottom of each article you’ll find their contact details should you have any queries about the move you are battling with or are looking to tackle for the first time. Keep checking back here because we are constantly adding new moves and techniques. We hope you enjoy learning these moves as much as we enjoy teaching them.