StretchLearn Course

Paddle With Confidence From Your First Day on the Water

Strokes, rescues, and river reading — taught the way certified instructors do it.

Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course walks you through every foundational skill a new paddler needs: choosing the right boat and paddle, executing efficient forward and sweep strokes, bracing against capsize, performing a wet exit and self-rescue, and reading moving water up to Class II. Lessons draw on American Canoe Association (ACA) and British Canoe Union (BCU) standards so the techniques are transferable and correct. By the final module you will be able to plan, load, and execute a solo day trip safely.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Select an appropriate kayak or canoe hull and paddle for a given water type and paddler size

Execute the forward stroke, sweep stroke, draw stroke, and low brace with correct body rotation and blade angle

Perform a controlled wet exit and re-entry from open water using a paddle-float and cowboy scramble technique

Read flatwater and moving water features — eddies, waves, hydraulics — and make go/no-go decisions for Class I–II rapids

Apply a trip-planning checklist covering float plan, weather assessment, and essential safety gear

Load, strap, and transport a kayak or canoe on a vehicle roof rack using correct tie-down patterns

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Boats, Paddles, and Getting On the Water

Learn how hull shape, kayak versus canoe design, and paddle length all affect performance, then practise the launch and basic on-water orientation drills.

3 lessons

Choosing Your Hull: Kayak vs Canoe, Sit-in vs Sit-on-TopContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Safety Gear, Fit, and the Pre-Launch ChecklistContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Launching, Landing, and Sitting PositionContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Core Strokes and Boat Control

Build a complete stroke toolkit — forward, reverse, sweep, draw, and low brace — using torso rotation mechanics and precise blade placement.

3 lessons

The Forward Stroke — Power, Rotation, and EfficiencyContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Sweep Strokes, Draw Strokes, and ReverseContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Low Brace and Edging — Preventing CapsizesContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Wet Exit, Self-Rescue, and Assisted Rescue

Build the critical safety skills: capsize recovery from inside a kayak, solo re-entry using a paddle float, and the T-rescue for paddling partners.

3 lessons

The Wet Exit — Exiting a Capsized Kayak CalmlyContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Solo Self-Rescue — Paddle Float and Cowboy Re-entryContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Assisted Rescue — the T-RescueContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: River Reading, Trip Planning, and Transport

Develop the judgment to read flatwater and Class I–II moving water, plan a day trip safely, and transport your boat to and from the water.

3 lessons

Reading Moving Water — Eddies, Waves, and HydraulicsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Day-Trip Planning — Float Plan, Water Level, and WeatherContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Loading, Transporting, and Storing Your BoatContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

kayakingcanoeingpaddle sportsriver safetywhitewaterself-rescueACAoutdoor skills