Kayaking on calm waters is the best way to start but, when the time comes, don’t be afraid to face bigger challenges.
To take the next step in kayaking, you just have to follow the advice of multi-time slalom champion Jana Dukátová (35 years old). When she was 14 years old, the Slovak athlete was a promising calm water kayaker until she discovered how exciting the rapids were: “For me, calm waters were too boring,” she remembers. She has now become one of the best whitewater specialists in the world.
Explains why you have to make the decision to try it and how to learn the technique necessary to overcome the challenge of whitewater.
What advantage do rapids have compared to calm waters?
Kayaking on flat water is truly a beautiful thing, but once you’ve experienced what it’s like to paddle the rapids, you realize it’s a whole new dimension. In the river something new always awaits you, some kind of challenge. White water is never the same and you can do a multitude of things: surf a wave, turn upside down, jump off a waterfall… As you improve, there are always new things to learn. You will never get bored.
What skills do you need before tackling the rapids?
The key is to be comfortable when navigating the kayak in any direction. Which is important when you go through calm waters, but becomes essential in rapids. There you must have the ability to move the kayak quickly because there are always many obstacles that you have to avoid.
What special techniques are needed in rapids?
On calm waters, the boat always goes flat but in rapids you will have to tilt the kayak. You should be able to maintain control in that situation because it helps you remain stable in the middle of the current. Learning to roll (righting your kayak after a capsize) is important because it gives you a lot of confidence and helps you progress quickly in whitewater.
How do you learn those extra techniques?
You can learn in a swimming pool, where it is nice and not cold. It’s a good place to start but the real test is when you face the whitewater.
What do you need before facing white water?
You must be a good swimmer, in addition to knowing how to interpret rapids and have the ability to move safely through the river.
How important is trust?
Like any other sport where adrenaline is very present, confidence is important. If you are afraid of rapids you will never be able to master them. However, we must not forget that overconfidence can also be dangerous. White water is sometimes stronger than it seems.
When, where and how did you go from calm waters to rapids?
I competed in flat water for a few years, but when I was 14 an artificial rapids circuit was built in Bratislava, my city. When I saw it, I immediately decided to change my specialty.
I was doing well on flat water but the new course was grade 3-4, which was quite a bit for a whitewater beginner. So first I had to learn on easier circuits like Dolny Kubin (grade 1-2) and Liptovsky Mikulas (grade 2-3).
What grade should you start with?
Start with something easy and end up facing something complicated. This is the philosophy that must be applied. At first grade 1-2 is fine to learn to read the currents. Once you have gained confidence you can move on to the next grade. If you go step by step it is much more fun.
Taking on a whitewater beginner at a grade 3 would be more a matter of survival than having a good time. It is something that is not going to be good in the long run.
What are the most typical mistakes at the beginning?
It usually happens that many people avoid the easier levels but I think these are very important if you want to enjoy them later. Another mistake is usually when choosing the kayak, that its volume is not adequate for the weight of the athlete. Then things get difficult. If you have the kayak that fits your characteristics, everything is easier.
What is the transition from easier rapids to more complicated waters like?
Once you control all the parameters in the lower grade rapids you can enter more difficult waters. The basic principles are the same, no matter how strong the water is. You just have to be more precise, because the current is faster and more powerful. Mistakes have greater consequences.
What is the funniest trick?
I would say surfing with the kayak on a river wave. It is a lot of fun and it is something that impresses the public because the strong currents flow under the kayak but the boat stays in place without any problem.