Balance and technique session - Look at me, I'm standing up!

I had hoped I'd feel well enough to do my planned run this morning, but I didn't. I also didn't want to risk making myself sicker and missing even more sessions. In the afternoon I was feeling a little better and I had the opportunity to go for a paddle. I still didn't feel up to a training session but thought I'd go and do some balance and technique drills. So I called Anton and he was keen to do some balance stuff in his K1. I got there a bit earlier to started with the following drills.

1) Balance with paddle overhead
2) Balance whilst rotating paddle overhead
3) Left and Right leans and bracing
4) Left and Right Draw stokes
5) Backwards paddling
6) Balance with eyes closed (still bracing)
7) Balance with eyes closed (paddle out of water)
8) Paddling with eyes closed

Then Anton arrived and while he was tentatively paddling around and getting used to his K1 again, I did some more of the drills. Now here's a little bit of background info. Anton has only just started paddling a K1. He normally paddles a Mirage, and that's what most of our training together has been - both paddling our Mirages to prepare for the Hawkesbury Classic. Well after the Classic we both decided we'd try K1's. Now previously he'd bought (and briefly tried) a very tippy K1. It's at least as tippy as a Van Dusen and lies on it's side when you put it in the water. Well - there's nothing like starting with that kind of K1! I remember transferring from a more stable K1 into my Van Dusen Hawk and doing a lot of swimming. Now - Anton is just a natural - he makes me sick. After only a couple of sessions paddling around our launching spot - he decided to try paddling up the river with a sandbag in. It took me months to try and do this kind of thing in a more stable K1. Anyway, tonight the plan was to just stick to our launching spot and just do some drills, but after a while Anton starts heading up the river, without a sandbag in. Mind you it's been 3 weeks since he last paddled the K1 at all (our session up the river with sandbag in). So with the lack of a turnaround spot, we ended up paddling right up to the lake (about 2.5km). And after a brief rest paddled back again. So I used this opportunity to do some technique drills...

1) 3 stroke pause (ie 1,2,3,pause with paddle ready to catch for as long as possible) and keep repeating
2) Concentrating on arm angles (top arm relatively fixed but rotating with body, and bottom arm almost straight for as long as possible)
3) Lengthening catch (paddle in as far forward as possible)
4) Working on rotation

Then for the last 1km back we both paddled hard. I felt pretty good, and Anton paddled it continuously without having to seriously brace. I think it's amazing that he can paddle that kind of K1 hard so quickly after starting to paddle K1's at all! When we got back I thought I'd try standing up in mine. I've done it before , but wanted photo evidence. After a few step outs, and some serious bracing I did it, and even held the paddle up horizontally at shoulder height. I couldn't manage to paddle standing up though, and I believe it can be done. That's my next challenge.

Photos: 1) Bracing 2)On my way in.....and 3) Look - no hands!