High vs Low

Bracing is one of those fundamental skills, just like the eskimo roll, that all kayakers need to have. As the title indicates, there is more than one way to brace, and which brace is better is largely a matter of what type of use it's put to. Primarily there are two main types of stability that we are looking to help: recovering our stability (relatively dynamic), and maintaining our stability (relatively static). These tend to require distinctly differing strategies.

Before we get too far ahead, lets define the terms here and look at the two main braces: the High Brace, and the Low Brace. Keep in mind that the definitions may vary slightly from paddler to paddler, particularly many paddlers call all unsafe braces a "High Brace" These are my particular definitions of two safe and effective braces. Starting with the Low Brace, place the paddle low to the deck of your boat with your elbows up and wrists down; utilizing the backside of the paddle blade. If you rotate your wrists back up towards your chest, with your elbows tucked down at your sides and your paddle at about chest to shoulder level; utilizing the power face of the paddle blade, you have a High Brace. Both braces can be potentially dangerous to your body, in particular your shoulder, if they are not performed well. Do not for assume that just because you are performing a "Low Brace" that it is any safer than a "High Brace", as the safety of the brace has everything to do with how well it is executed, AND how well your choice of braces matches the needs of the circumstances. In other words the Low Brace used in the wrong way or at the wrong time can be more dangerous than the High Brace, and vice versa.

We want to avoid three main problem areas when bracing: reaching too far up, out, or back. Any of these three things tend to put the shoulder in too much risk, and although they may work "just fine" for the short term, there is a very real chance that you may be doing damage every time you perform one of these sloppy braces. If you can actually feel ANY pain or discomfort in the shoulder during the brace, that means that you've just performed an extremely risky and sloppy brace. Even if you're not feeling pain in the shoulder, that doesn't mean that you're not weakening it, so pay close attention. In the Low Brace, make sure that the paddle is indeed low, and that the blade is in front of you; if you need to move the blade during the brace, move it forward, NOT back. For the High Brace, you will need to be extra vigilant to resist the seemingly natural temptation to reach the paddle way out to the side (this aint no outrigger here). Make sure in the High Brace that your arms are bent, with the elbows close into your sides. With ANY brace, if you feel that you might be abusing the safe bracing techniques, there is one simple solution: FLIP OVER AND ROLL!!! Seriously, which would you rather deal with: a flip and roll (or even swim), vs a bad brace resulting in a dislocated shoulder?

For the most part the Low Brace works excellent for minor amounts of stability, and for more sustained stability: in particular this is the ideal choice of braces to use while side surfing in a hole, whether on purpose or by accident. The position of the paddle relative to your body, puts your shoulders into an inherently weak position, and one that is NOT well suited to absorb a large amount of weight or shock. In other words, this is NOT the brace to through out in a last minute desperate attempt to save yourself from going over. Try to use the low brace while your boat is still within a relatively mild amount of edge, or tilt; if your boat has already tilted further over than you can normally balance you would need a High Brace or, possibly, a roll.

The High Brace, performed well, keeps your elbows relatively close to the body and gives your shoulders a lot of range of available motion (think "shock absorption"). Therefore it puts your body into a position of, relatively speaking, greater strength. The High Brace is an ideal choice for a more dynamic recovery of lost stability; in other words, this is a better choice for a quick stab at stopping the boat from getting flipped when you are off balance. The High Brace is NOT ideal for extended or sustained support, because in order for the brace to be in the water it means that we are over on a fairly high edge: this is a risky position that does not warrant maintaining! One example of poor use of a High Brace is the sculling brace, although it is still taught by many institutions, this brace is simply maintaining a useless position, and worse, it often tends to put your body into an unsafe position. Typically many newer paddlers use the High Brace when stuck in a hole; in this situation the High Brace tends to simply put your boat on a steeper edge, allowing the hole to have a better grip on the hull of the kayak, resulting in being pulled deeper into the pit of the hole. A Low Brace would offer a lot more control, while maintaining a better state of balance while in the hole.