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2008 Forward Stroke Clinic - Tuesday, June 3, 3-7 pm at Kayak Adventure, Norwalk, CT.
Fee: $150 (limit 8 students).

Over 95% of kayaking effort is in your forward stroke. Learn to paddle for hours with grace and ease. This four hour clinic will explore the relationship between your body and your kayak. Keeping the body as ergonomic as possible, and the paddle, body, and kayak as efficient as possible, you'll significantly improve your kayak handling. Ben's clinics are technique-oriented and fun. He helps you learn to self diagnose bad habits and correct them. His style of teaching is functionally–based, with Safety, Efficiency, Enjoyment and Necessity (SEEN) being the key components. We work on land for about a half hour, then two+ hours on water, then meet over supper to review and critique video of the session. Hold your place by sending a deposit of $50.

Please contact us for more information and to help you prepare. Kayak Adventure provides Bed & Breakfast accommodations in Norwalk for $30 per person per night in a shared room, or $60 per person for a private room.

 Ben Lawry has been a paddler and racer for more than 30 years, and an instructor for twenty. He has taught on four continents, and competed on three. Ben is an American Canoe Association Instructor Trainer in three disciplines: Open Water Coastal Kayak, Surf, and White Water Kayak. He is a British Canoe Union 4 Star kayaker.

As a racer, he took 1st place in the Adirondack Challenge in 2006, in both the Clinton Sprint and Run of the Charles in 2005 (k-1 class), Blackburn in 2003 (surf ski), General Clinton 2002 (comp cruiser) and Rum Runner 2001 (sea kayak). Local paddlers met him at the 2005 Lighthouse to Lighthouse race, where his time was the fastest for a sea kayak, under two hours. See his race training "Tips from the Pros."

Our club members enjoyed Ben's "Dry Land Rolling" clinic at Jersey Paddlesports in 2006, which he will repeat in March 2008. He's a featured instructor at regional paddling symposia each year. For 2008, he's teaching "Rolling with a Euro Blade" at the Sweetwater Kayaks Symposium in February. Ben started the year paddling class III and IV whitewater in Ecuador. Here's his calendar.

A representative for P&H Kayaks, he is co-owner of BEAKayaking with his wife, Elizabeth. Asked about his goals, he says he wants to be the best teacher he can. He seeks out top international coaches, and distills the successful teaching strategies they share. Students in his Core Paddling Clinic last year appreciated his hands-on methodology, grounded in thorough understanding of ergonomics and physics. Here are some photos from our 2006 Forward Stroke Clinic.

Laurie, Ed and Rich listen attentively as Ben, second from right, teaches Forward Stroke in our July 2006 clinic.



Quotes from participants in Ben's clinics:

  • The way he breaks down the steps is smart, makes sense and is surprisingly easy to assimilate. I've used his technique on a multiple mile, several hour outing. Even when returning into the wind I found that I wasn't so tired that the technique fell apart. - Ed, Fairfield, CT
  • His discussion of the video was hugely instructive. He obviously has a very skilled eye, and his method of picking just three points to make to each of the students is spectacular. It gave me just enough to work on without including so much that it became useless. I've enjoyed and learned from all of the "specials" that you offer, Ben's course was certainly one of the best even in that select group.
    - Claire, Rye, NY
  • Our experience with Ben was outstanding. I consider him to be a superb coach,one of the best we have ever had. - Joanne & David, NY, NY


    Ed, Claire and Laurie in Ben's Forward Stroke Clinic with Kayak Adventure - July, 2006.

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