ACA Paddling Techniques & Skills 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the key biomechanical principle behind an efficient forward paddle stroke?
- Pulling mainly with arm muscles
- Rotating the torso to engage core and large back muscles (Correct answer)
- Keeping the torso stationary and using only shoulder muscles
- Pushing down on the grip hand while pulling with the lower hand
Correct answer: Rotating the torso to engage core and large back muscles
Torso rotation engages the powerful core and back muscles, reducing arm fatigue and generating more powerful, sustained strokes.
Question 2: During an ACA skills assessment, a paddler consistently slips their blade through the water during the catch phase. What should the instructor diagnose?
- Blade is fully submerged at the catch
- Blade is not fully submerged, causing a flutter or slip (Correct answer)
- Stroke rate is too slow
- Torso rotation is excessive
Correct answer: Blade is not fully submerged, causing a flutter or slip
A slipping or fluttering blade at the catch means it is not fully buried before the power phase begins, wasting effort and reducing efficiency.
Question 3: Which type of rudder stroke is best suited for maintaining a straight course in a following sea without losing speed?
- Stern rudder (Correct answer)
- Bow rudder
- Duffek stroke
- Cross-bow rudder
Correct answer: Stern rudder
The stern rudder acts as a passive steering correction at the end of a stroke, allowing the paddler to track straight with minimal speed loss.
Question 4: A student struggles to hold a ferry angle in moving water. What is the most likely cause?
- Paddling too fast
- Not maintaining a consistent angle relative to the current (Correct answer)
- Using a low-angle paddle stroke
- Sitting too far forward in the boat
Correct answer: Not maintaining a consistent angle relative to the current
A successful ferry requires holding a precise upstream angle; letting the angle collapse allows the current to spin the boat downstream.
Question 5: What is the function of the Duffek (bow draw) stroke in whitewater kayaking?
- To slow the kayak abruptly
- To carve a sharp turn toward the paddle side while carrying momentum (Correct answer)
- To brace against a hydraulic
- To ferry across a current
Correct answer: To carve a sharp turn toward the paddle side while carrying momentum
The Duffek places the blade forward and out to the side; the paddler plants it like a pivot point and the boat swings toward it using existing momentum.
Question 6: When teaching the high brace, what common error most often leads to shoulder injury?
- Keeping elbows below shoulder height
- Raising the hands above the head with elbows extended (Correct answer)
- Using the torso to support the brace
- Maintaining a climbing angle on the blade
Correct answer: Raising the hands above the head with elbows extended
Hands above the head with extended elbows places the shoulder in an impingement-prone position; force on the brace can dislocate the joint.
Question 7: In an ACA instructor course, what does 'blade path' primarily refer to?
- The angle of the blade relative to the water surface
- The track the blade travels through the water during a stroke (Correct answer)
- The speed at which the blade enters the water
- The length of the paddle shaft
Correct answer: The track the blade travels through the water during a stroke
Blade path describes the trajectory the blade takes through the water, which determines whether a stroke is propulsive, turning, or bracing in effect.
ACA Paddling Techniques & Skills 3
What is the key biomechanical principle behind an efficient forward paddle stroke?