RISE LIKE A PHOENIX

In this column, Bartosz shares the magic of freestyle. More than just learning tricks, developing freestyle skills will progress your kayaking by allowing you to feel more confident on the river and more comfortable and controlled in challenging situations.

By Bartosz Czauderna

"THE KEY LIES IN GETTING THE RIGHT ANGLE AT THE START AND KEEPING YOUR BODY AHEAD OF THE ROTATION WHILE KEEPING CENTERED." One of the better-recognized tricks in freestyle kayaking is the phoenix monkey: a pirouette on the bow followed by a loop. It was the first big trick I learned after the Space Godzilla, and I still love throwing them—especially in steep features. As great as it sounds, it is actually a difficult trick to execute correctly, as ICF rules require the pirouette to stay at 45 degrees, which is very challenging, but we will get to that later! ROTATION - GETTING THE PIROUETTE To do a phoenix monkey, you need to be able to pirouette. So, after mastering your bow stall, it is time to play with rotation…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Spring 2022

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