Chris is a veteran instructor and coach and has been teaching since 2000. His personal pursuit in freestyle kayaking and creek racing have provided opportunities for him to develop custom programs for individuals and small teams. Both a master in the technical aspects of kayaking as well as psychological hurdles in whitewater sport, he continues to develop his resume and expertise as he currently is finishing a degree in Exercise Science at Appalachian State University, acquiring his NSCA-CSCS (certified strength and conditioning specialist), and in pursuit of his ACSM-EP (exercise physiologist) certificate. This unique background for a whitewater instructor/coach allows Chris to write more complicated programs for those that are more ambitious. As such, Chris’s time is dedicated to more intense programs with a fewer number of clients.
WHAT IS THE PROGRAM?
The goal of this program is to build independent, healthy habits that lead to accelerated skill acquisition in paddle sports.
Every program is custom and starts with a thorough and free (60 minute) introduction interview to discuss history, goals, and compatibility. From there, each candidate will go through a health/risk screening and a goal screening questionnaire. Once Chris receives that information, he will make a suggestion for a program length which is largely determined by your ambition, availability, and goal benchmarks. Each program will emphasize general and skill related fitness with weekly on and off-water practice (individual, prescribed), a bi-weekly on water commitment with Chris, and bi-weekly video conferencing (1 hour) check-ins for adjustments.
- In-person fitness and skill assessment. (2-3 hours) – sometimes paired with an introduction to skills you will focus on throughout your program. First on-water program.
- Access to Chris every day by messaging for feedback oriented Q&A. Aside from noted blackout periods
- Access to a private video library of exercises specific to your general conditioning.
- Access to private videos for kayak related skill development.
- Video analysis of your own personal kayaking videos
- Some additional resources at additional cost are:
- Nutrition assessment and planning
- Additional on-water coaching sessions
THE CORE COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM
WHAT DOES THE PRESCRIBED PRACTICE ENTAIL?
Each program will involve a prescription of weekly activities/workouts that an individual should maintain to get the most out of their on-water program. Although Chris will be checking in with you on a weekly basis, this will be the part of the program you will do on your own and will likely be the hardest to maintain. This is why you have access to Chris via message. You will also receive little reminders and motivators to keep working on the small stuff so that you can make the most out of your time with Chris. This component of the program only requires you, your boat, flatwater, and a few small props at minimum. For more ambitious programs anticipate more time and resources needed.
ON-WATER COMMITMENTS
These will be scheduled before the start of the program and cannot be rescheduled. This is the hardest part of the program for both of us, as our activities commonly share bigger logistics, adjustments in locations, and longer days. These will have skill specific themes each time and will be focused on working to your specific goals that you expressed earlier on in the program. They will involve travel at times to distant places so be prepared for additional time commitment and cost. At times they will have a group component as there are several clients sharing similar goals. Chris often coaches very small groups for skill-specific clinics and these could be included.
VIDEO CONFERENCING
Our bi-weekly video conference will often include a check-up to see how the program is going. In addition, you may be asked to submit videos from your previous week of work ahead of the meeting so that Chris can provide video analysis and critique of your work. These will always be done virtually, so no need for a radical departure in your schedule.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS
The biggest hurdle for many folks is their personal fitness or injury and health history that inhibits their ability to reach their paddling goals. This always starts with honesty up front, both with yourself and with Chris. Chris does an excellent job of setting and managing expectations from the get go and realize that the ideal program for you is seldom the one you think it will be. The goal of this program is to build independent, healthy habits that lead to an accelerated skill acquisition, but everything starts with general health and wellness first. This program very often will ask of you to make lifestyle changes that you may not thought about prior.
PROGRAM LENGTH AND COST
The minimum commitment for program length is 3 months at $3000. 6-month and 1-year programs are also available (please inquire if interested).
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