How to Train for the Slalom Kayak

A whitewater paddler negotiates a slalom gate.

Of the many types of whitewater competition, slalom kayaking is perhaps the most physically demanding and challenging. The course consists of a stretch of whitewater over which several gates are suspended. The paddler must either paddle downstream or upstream through the gates, depending on the color of the gate itself. While the event is considered a race, paddlers negotiate the course in turn, and each paddler's run is timed. Missing or touching a gate will result in a time penalty. Slalom paddlers must maintain an intense training regimen and constantly work to build core and upper body strength.

Instructions

1. Start training in the off season. Muscles are built in the gym before technique is honed on the course. Build a regimen that focuses on your core muscles and shoulders, with attention also paid to the back and arms.

2. Implement a regimen of flatwater paddling in the pre-season. Flatwater gives you no help with momentum or direction the way moving water does, so all of the work for power and correction of position comes from you. This builds both your core and shoulders as well as arm muscles used for boat control and position.

3. Practice upstream attainments in swift moving water. Look for a stretch of river with several eddies in a row down one or both sides of the river. Start in the eddy furthest downstream and paddle up to the next one, against the current. Repeat until you reach the top, then return to the bottom and start over. Attainments condition you for the short intense bursts of energy required for paddling upstream through gates.

4. Train on a stretch of river with training gates. Canoe and kayak clubs will often hang gates over a stretch of river so that paddlers can train for competitive events.