The Art of Tae Kwon Do and Sea Kayaking

“Where’s that bloody article on Tae Kwon Do that you promised me?” roared the email with a distinct Canadian accent. “Wet World is ready for publication and I’m waiting for it!” What had I promised? It turns out that I had promised an article on the arcane subject of Tae Kwon Do following a throw-away line in the last issue about the use of martial arts to maintain a preferred position in the kayak pack. Talk about being hoisted on my own petard.

In desperation, I phoned a friend who’s into Tae Kwon Do and asked how Bruce Lee would settle a dispute over a position in a kayak pack.. Well, apparently Bruce Lee settled a dispute once out to sea on a cruiser by saying to his antagonist “hop in the dinghy and we’ll have it out on that nearby island”. Once his antagonist had hopped into the dinghy, Bruce Lee untied the connecting rope and motored off in his cruiser. Sensible. But not particularly applicable to this article.

Well then, can Tae Kwon Do help us to become better kayakers? Tae Kwon Do and kayaking have similarities. They both have levels of technical standards that students can strive towards. Progression through the standards of Tae Kwon Do is recognized by the award of different coloured belts whereas, in kayaking, initial levels of accomplishment are defined by awards from Australian Canoeing.

Nevertheless, there is a significant difference. Tae Kwon Do recognizes small advancements in technical standards. There are a large number of different coloured belts. Also, TKD uses competitions to promote improvement. In contrast, the increments of technical advancements in sea kayaking are large and once basic sea kayaking awards have been achieved, further advancement in sea kayaking is usually measured by the completion of increasingly difficult expeditions. Also, any competition in the sea-kayaking world is more covert, through people comparing their achievements to others or trying to equal or improve on other’s achievements.

Does the lack of an advanced award system in sea-kayaking matter? Clearly, not to some. The wonderful voyages of Paul Caffyn and the recent outstanding solo crossing of Bass Strait via King Island by Andrew McAuley show that the sea kayaking reward system can lead to the highest achievements.

And yet, for every Paul Caffyn and Andrew McAuley, there are many kayakers who seem stuck at a level of accomplishment that they are unhappy with. How many kayakers do you know that have been able to roll for some years using a Palata but have never quite managed to advance to a screw roll? How reliable is your sculling brace?

Would a different testing and reward system for sea kayaking assist in improving technical standards? It’s difficult to imagine that the Tae Kwon Do system would transfer comfortably to kayaking. Yet the idea of aiming for and achieving small improvements in technique is attractive. Let’s speculate how this might be achieved.

Most sea kayakers go on kayaking trips with friends. Perhaps you could contribute to your friend’s technical development during these trips. For example a trip from Ettalong to Box Head at mid-tide could include a brief lesson (with practice) on ferry gliding at Wagstaff Point, the entrance to Brisbane Waters. This could be followed by a competition to ferry glide from Wagstaff Point to the port channel marker using the least number of forward strokes. Other examples include kayaking trips within Port Jackson using dead reckoning alone; who can return closest to the starting point?

So there it is - a dispute over a kayak pack may not be solvable to the satisfaction of all parties using Tai Kwon Do but TKD can contribute to your kayaking development. A year or two of small incremental TKD – like improvements in technique, duly noted in your log book, could soon lead to achieving that dream of a Bass Strait crossing or a circumnavigation of Tasmania or could make a personally challenging trip safer and more comfortable because you have become a better kayaker.

Good luck.

Kevin Melville