How to do the Felix Trick for Advanced Kayaking

Video Transcript

"The Felix is a very dynamic move. On a big wave, it's called a helix. On a smaller feature, wave, or hole it's a Felix because you're feeling the boat come over your head as you rotate 180 degrees upside down. The way the Felix works is I start on top of the foam pile, carve down to the side. It's really like skipping a stone off the water. What I'm going to try and do is spin sideways and bounce my boat up and over me. In order to help this balance, I want to get my boat spinning as well. I'm going to take a back stroke, which engages the bow end into the water. As that bow loads up, it's going to spring over my head upside down. When I'm under water, I'm taking a forward stroke, which also helps me get into a setup position for rolling. It starts with a reverse stroke, and then it finishes by rolling up on the other side of your kayak. I'll first show you a drill in flat water to really help you show this. Next, I'll show you it in the hole itself and look for a nice 180 degree upside down rotation."