Reaching Your Goals

Everyone needs to set goals in order to improve. Without them, learning can be very difficult and

dysfunctional. This especially applies with kayaking, because without any direction, progress can

become slow and exasperating.


I often set goals that seem to be unrealistic and unattainable. I quickly become frustrated and give

up, so here are some of the simple steps I use to reach them.


1. Set your long term goal. This can be anything from being able to do a blunt, an airscrew, or even just a bow stall.

2. Set a few smaller goals that are easier to attain and will bring you closer to achieving your overall, long term goal. A few smaller goals can be spinning on a wave, learning a backdeck roll, or a simple double pump.


3. Set daily goals. This can simply be doing three double pumps on each side every day.


4. RECORD YOUR PROGRESS! This will be much more rewarding and will keep your focus on your long term goal. You can simply write it down, or even just talk to a paddling buddy.


5. Keep trying! Don't forget to never give up on your goals. Once you've learned something, it can stay with you forever.


One of my biggest goals for this session of keeners is to get a loop on a wave. But in order to do
this, I am constantly practicing my flat water skills, because if I can't do something on flat water,
than how could I hope to do it on a wave. Though this can often be demotivating because flat
water skills are not nearly as fun to practice, by using the above techniques I am making constant
progress and not losing sight of my overall goal.

paddling hard for race day wednesday