EJ coaching at Rock Island.
Few paddlers have influenced whitewater kayaking as profoundly as EJ. A four-time World Champion, Olympian, and coach, he has spent more than five decades pushing the sport forward while helping generations of kayakers progress on the water. Today, EJ is bringing that coaching experience to a wider audience through Coach-EJ, a remote coaching platform built around structured progression and personalized feedback. The program combines monthly video reviews with a comprehensive curriculum covering stroke technique, rolling, bracing, river running, off-season training, and mental preparation, giving paddlers a clear roadmap for improvement whether they’re working toward a reliable roll or preparing for high-level competition. In this article, EJ shares one of the most important lessons he has learned: why most paddlers stop improving.
EJ seal-launching at Rock Island.
Alabama Waterfall, father and son.
For years, I believed the answer was simple. Practice more. More days on the water. More rapids. More tricks. More attempts. Paddle harder. If you wanted to improve, you simply needed more experience and fitness. At least that’s what I thought.
After more than 55 years in a kayak, four World Championships, an Olympic Games, many thousands of river miles, and years of coaching paddlers of every level, I’ve changed my mind. The paddlers who improve the fastest are rarely the ones who practice the most. They’re the ones who practice the right thing.
THE TRAP:
Most kayakers eventually hit a plateau. Their roll isn’t getting more reliable. Their surfing isn’t improving. They’re still missing the same moves on the same rapids. The usual response is to work harder, to practice more. Unfortunately, that’s often the exact wrong answer. Practice doesn’t automatically create improvement. Practice creates habits, and if you’re practicing the wrong thing, you’re simply getting better at repeating the problem.
Looking at his own shadow.
THE SKILL YOU WANT vs THE SKILL YOU NEED
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a coach is that the skill a paddler wants is often not the skill they need. Someone tells me, « I want a better combat roll. » But when I watch them paddle, the real issue might be body position, or paddle dexterity (very trainable), or a misunderstanding mindset. Someone else tells me, « I need more confidence. » Usually they don’t need confidence. They need a specific skill that creates confidence. Confidence is often the result of competence, and competence is built in layers.
« The paddlers who improve the fastest are rarely the ones who practice the most. They’re the ones who practice the right thing. »
PROGRESSION BEATS REPETITION
This is where many paddlers get stuck. They repeat the same exercise over and over, hoping for a breakthrough. What they actually need is progression. Every kayaking skill is built on top of another skill. If the foundation is weak, adding more repetitions often creates frustration instead of improvement. The paddlers who improve fastest are rarely the most talented. They’re the paddlers who work on the right thing at the right time.
EJ has been coaching for so many years.
WHAT CHANGED MY COACHING
When I was younger, I focused on techniques. Today, I focus on progression, on strategy. Winston Churchill said, “The difference between the amateur and the professional; The professional focuses on Logistics (Strategy) while the amateur focuses on tactics.”
The question is no longer: « What does this paddler want to learn? » It becomes: « What does this paddler need to learn next? »
Those are often completely different answers. A better roll might not start with rolling. A better surf might not start with surfing. A harder rapid might not require a harder rapid. The breakthrough often comes from solving a smaller problem that has been hiding underneath the obvious one.
A DIFFERENT COACHING
The next time you find yourself stuck, ask a different question. Instead of: « How can I practice more? » Ask: « Am I practicing the right thing? »
That question has changed the way I coach, and it may change the way you improve. Because the paddlers who improve the fastest are rarely the ones who spend the most time on the water. They’re the ones who understand what to work on next.
