How to Do a Stern Pivot in Freestyle Kayaking
Video transcription
Stern pivots are very similar to bow pivots, but I'm using them in reverse. If I'm back surfing on a wave and want to do a back stab, or if I want to do a spin back to forwards, or if I'm in a hole and I want to spin back forwards, the stern pivot is really what I need. Especially in holes, a lot of people have the tendency to kind of lock down forward, but learning the stern pivot will allow you to drop a blade in the water and spin back forwards before that stern edge catches. What I want to do with the stern pivot turn is start off pretty similar to bow pivot. I'll lean toward my paddle a little. I'll start my forward sweep up near my bow. It's important to look over your top shoulder so that I'm pulling the bow through the move. I want to keep my torso and my eyes in front of the boat. Another thing with the stern pivot is that it's scooping underneath the water again. As I have rotational power, I'm scooping. At the end of the sweep when I wind back up, my boat's coming around the other way to keep the boat rotating through the move using that buoyancy energy again. After I sink the end in, I want it to give added momentum into my turn.