How to Flatwater Loop By: Ethan Frangenberg

     The Flatwater Loop, or Flat Loop, is a 270 degree rotation starting on the bow, then flipping over the head, and back to a flat position, in which 180 degrees of the rotation will be free of the water. The prerequisites to this move are the double pump, bow stall, and the loop in a feature.

     The first step in learning the flatwater loop is getting in a bow stall from a standstill, preferably from a double pump, and practicing moving the arms in small circles. This is by far the most effective way to establish bounce, as it minimally interferes with the boat and paddler's balance, yet still achieves the goal of the bounce, which is simply to establish a rhythm, but not bounce as much as possible. In fact, a small amount of bounce can even help balance the stall more than trying to stand still in a bow stall.

     Because the bounce is harder than the actual move, you should learn the Flat Loop as a "single bounce" technique, as it can make balancing, as well as the loop, much easier, and reduce the risk of falling over. Once in a bow stall, feather your wrists back and lean aggressively forward, and think about reaching down. Then, feather your wrists forward again and use a dual forward stroke to pull the boat under. If things go well up to this point, stand up on your bow, throw forward and push the back faces of the paddle blades into the water as the boat comes back up, then throw aggressively back, like a normal loop for the finish, with both blades back for a double loop stroke.
Big Air Tip:
     If you want to go above and beyond on your loops, then using the big air technique is optimal. Instead of doing only one bounce, which will make the loop more consistent but with less air, do two arm circle pumps, then doing the main pump the same way as the "single pump" method, but pull down harder. However, the main difference lies in the move itself. Instead of reaching up with only the body, then throwing forward and pushing both paddle blades down, you stand up and reach with both paddle blades, then throw forward and finish back.
Common Mistakes include:

     1.- Trying to push down to bounce, which results in the pitch-pulling of the boat over vertical and on to your head. The best way to bounce is to focus on only pulling, not pushing, and to minimize on the movement of the body so that it does not interfere with the bow stall, then give a big pull, as said before.
2.- Too many bounces- try to limit the number of bounces before you throw. 1-3 bounces depending on the air you want is optimal.
3.- Over-reliance on the paddle-If you find yourself rolling up on one side, you are relying too much on the paddle. Throw back harder when landing the loop.
4.- If you try to throw at the peak of your pop, then you will find yourself unable to complete the loop. To avoid this, throw when you feel the boat shooting upward.