what is freestyle kayaking?
First of all, what is whitewater kayaking?
Whitewater kayaking is often broken down into three main "disciplines":
Freestyle basics
While freestyle kayaking started with kayakers simply trying to get their boats vertical in the water, today's top freestyle kayaking involves technical and often ariel maneuvers. The modern trick list features moves involving the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical axes of motion. Kayaks designed specifically for this type of paddling, often referred to as "playboats," have been around for nearly two decades, yet continuous innovation in the shape and composition of these kayaks has allowed for the rapid development of freestyle as a form of recreation and a competitive sport.
Different types of freestyle
Freestyle kayaking itself has multiple sub-categories, including:
The boats
Modern freestyle kayaks have a very distinctive shape - one that is designed for greatest performance both on waves and in holes. Boats 1 through 4 below represent four of the current leading designs in competition and production, while to put playboat design in perspective, kayaks 5 and 6 represent typical designs for river-runners and creek-boats respectively.
Whitewater kayaking is often broken down into three main "disciplines":
- River-running involves simply getting from point A to point B through rapids
- Creeking (or creek boating) brings the concept of river-running to steep, low-volume whitewater such as waterfalls and slides
- Freestyle describes the use of river features - abnormalities in a flowing current - to perform playful maneuvers not related to river-running technique
Freestyle basics
While freestyle kayaking started with kayakers simply trying to get their boats vertical in the water, today's top freestyle kayaking involves technical and often ariel maneuvers. The modern trick list features moves involving the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical axes of motion. Kayaks designed specifically for this type of paddling, often referred to as "playboats," have been around for nearly two decades, yet continuous innovation in the shape and composition of these kayaks has allowed for the rapid development of freestyle as a form of recreation and a competitive sport.
Different types of freestyle
Freestyle kayaking itself has multiple sub-categories, including:
- Standard "K1" playboating is the most commonly practiced form of freestyle. Kayakers surf stationary features in the river (either a standing wave or a recirculating hydraulic known as a "hole") and perform technical maneuvers. Often referred to simply as "freestyle," this will be the focus of my research and project.
- Down-river freestyle consists of performing tricks that utilize various river features while traveling downstream; it differs from regular freestyle in that does not involve the kayaker maintaining a surf on a stationary feature. It also does not rely exclusively on specialized freestyle kayaks.
- Squirt-boating can involve play in a stationary feature or the use of moving currents. It is performed in highly specialized "squirt boats" that are very low in volume and are tailored to a unique style of play, which often involves complete submersion of the kayaker and kayak.
The boats
Modern freestyle kayaks have a very distinctive shape - one that is designed for greatest performance both on waves and in holes. Boats 1 through 4 below represent four of the current leading designs in competition and production, while to put playboat design in perspective, kayaks 5 and 6 represent typical designs for river-runners and creek-boats respectively.
1. Dagger Jitsu (2013) 2. Wave Sport Mobius (2013) 3. Pyranha JED (2012) 4. 2014 Jackson Rockstar (2013) 5. Wave Sport Diesel (2012) 6. Liquidlogic Jefe (2008)
Competitive freestyle kayaking
Excerpt taken from the 2013 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships webpage (https://www.freestylekayaking2013.com/whatsKayaking.html)
Freestyle kayakers compete by performing a variety of moves or tricks on a stationary river feature. Standing waves, 'holes', or hydraulics, or eddy lines — areas where the water changes direction — are all potential freestyle features.
The athletes perform tricks like cartwheels, loops (full flips), blunts (really fast, near vertical turns that spew a curtain of water), and such colorfully named moves as the Roundhouse, the Phonics Monkey, the McNasty and the Donkey Flip.
There are nearly 30 different moves, including the 180-pointer Helix (a 360° spin with at least 180° of which the boat must be inverted. The boat must also be aerial at some point of the inverted part of the move) and the 10-pointer Spin (a 360° rotation of the boat at a 0°-45° vertical angle).
In ICF competitions, athletes have a set time to perform as many different moves as possible, and they can score additional points for style. The moves fall into three categories: Entry Moves, Basic Moves, Bonuses.
Kayaks used in freestyle kayaking are often shorter and lighter than other kayaks for whitewater boating, allowing for increased ease of movement. Some modern freestyle kayaks, made of light plastics, can be lifted completely out of the water by a skilled kayaker.
Originally called ‘playboating,’ Freestyle kayaking has been popular since the mid 1980s, about the time that many extreme sports were emerging or beginning to gain in popularity. The 1990s saw the introduction of organized competitions — initially called rodeos — but the sport really exploded in the 2000s with improvements in boat design and the manufacturing process, which maximized maneuverability and dynamic potential.
Freestyle kayaking is a growing sport internationally, and since 2006 has been sanctioned by the International Canoe Federation, the governing body of paddlesports world-wide. The first official ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships were held on the Ottawa River in Canada in 2007, and the first Freestyle World Cup series was held a year later in Prague (CZE), Augsburg (GER), and Thun (SUI). The World Championships and the World Cups are held on alternate years, with the World Championships taking place on the odd numbered years.
Featured videos
Wave freestyle: Fresh Melt Episode 1
An edit produced by the Airborn Kayaking group that features top paddlers and modern wave freestyle. |
Hole freestyle: The Playboating Bible
This compilation of footage from the 2013 ICF Freestyle World Championships offers a move-by-move breakdown of modern hole playboating with a strong emphasis on competitive freestyle. |