© Duncan Cochrane Canoe Polo Level 1 Coaching Course By Duncan Cochrane Australian Canoeing Award Scheme

Module CP12 Basic Paddle Skills 2

Basic paddle skills Blocking Goal keeping 3

Paddle blocking The paddle becomes a natural extension of the hands Always use hands when the ball is within arms reach When blocking – watch the ball and use either face of the blade – whichever is comfortable Slide the bottom hand down to the neck of the blade and then slide the top hand to where it is needed When blocking – try to move the blades vertically not horizontally as then there is last chance of being penalised Paddle juggling both on and off the water is a great way to get comfortable with the paddle and ball Blocking is a last second action, it is more effective to continue a boat tackle rather than site and wave the paddle around in an attempt to block the ball 4

Keep paddle out of arms reach 5

Boat tackle and ready to block 6

Ball awareness leads to good blocking 7

Goalkeeping Watch the ball at all times Hold paddle up with one hand and maintain position by sculling with other hand Turn body to face shooter and cover near post on angles Cut down the angle by bringing paddle down for close in shots For high shots let go with top hand and throw top blade up to rest on top bar A deflection to the corner of the field or over the goaline is just as effective and often safer than a dead stop and rebound of the ball. Experiment with different techniques- especially the strike method for 1 on1 8

Watch the ball 9

Good positioning 10

Turn body to face the shooter 11

Bring paddle down to reduce angle 12

Strike method – used to deflect shots rather than stop them 13

On high shots let go with top hand 14