Principle Three
The Set
A level boat moves. A rocking boat fights itself.
Where balance lives
- In the hands. Level handle heights on the recovery. The boat tilts toward the higher hand — always.
- In the core. Engaged, not collapsed. A loose torso transmits every wobble.
- In the eyes. Looking out of the boat at the horizon, not down at the feet.
Cues
- Hands level
- Eyes up
- Light grip
- Still in the middle
Common faults
- Hip-balancing. Twisting the body to fight a list. Doesn't work — the boat goes where the hands are, not where the hips are.
- Death grip. Holding the handles too tight. Every micro-wobble gets transmitted into the body and amplified back into the boat.
- Looking down. Staring at the feet collapses the chest, disconnects you from where the boat is going, and tells the body to brace instead of glide.
- Lifting one hand. Almost always the cause when the boat lists. It's usually the hand on the high side that's lifted.
Self-diagnosis
- Where are my eyes — out, or down?
- Are my hands at the same height when they cross my body?
- Is my grip light enough that I could lift one finger off the handle?
- If I let the boat sit at the finish, would it find its own balance?