Brian Nystrom ) writes:
"William R. Watt" wrote:

on the topic of lessons, there's been quite a heated debate in the local
Ottawa paddling newsgroup ott.rec.canoe-kayak. I'm on the "no lessons" side
of the discussion.

That's an interesting position for a novice kayaker to take. Whether to seek
instruction or not largely depends on how long you want to take to learn and how
much you want to learn. You can teach yourself some skills from books, but you can
learn much faster with instruction. Some techniques are nearly impossible to
describe adequately in print.

"Instruction" doesn't necessarily mean "professional instruction". Many clubs
offer free or low-cost instruction or "skills sessions" which can dramatically
shorten your learning curve.

I agree. That has been my basic position in the discussion. In addition to
your suggestions I've been saying that those of us with webbed feet who
grew up partially immersed in water learned from our families and by trial
and error. I also make the point that lessons can give you knowledge but
only practice gives you skill and experience. Knowlege is available from
many sources.

However "professional's" in the discussion maintain that most paddlers are
some kind of dummies who need to buy lessons and go on guided trips.
Perhaps the dummies gravitate toward professional paddlers and that's all
they see. I also suspect a lot of professional paddlers came up through
their own kind of system and know no other.
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