Birdy's Kayak Site

Kayak Freestyle Move

Tricky Woo

or Tricky Whu

Aug. 2006

 
 
It took me a while to figure out how a Tricky Woo works, not easy. People still often ask me, what it is, well, here's my version. I've made a 3d model and made it twist around.

A short description could be... It's a move with 3 ends and 2 splits, all on the same blade. You start forwards, do half a cartwheel on the bow, then you do a split wheel, your head turns downstream around the boat. Then another half cartwheel on the tail followed by another split, but then your head passes upstream from the boat. Once your there you do the last half cartwheel ending paddling backwards. Officially 2 ends must be over 70 degrees, one end over 45 degrees.

Easy isn't it :-)

Here are the steps for a right hand Tricky Woo:
(left hand Tricky Woo)

1. You start forwards in front of the wave.

2. Initiate the bow, like starting a cartwheel
(right blade in the water, head down, looking upstream)

3. You have the bow in the water, this is the 1st end.

4. Stop the cartwheel and start the splitwheel.
(lift your body and start looking over your right shoulder)

Your head turns downstream from the boat.

5. Let yourself fall down backwards.
6. Going for the 2nd end also on the right blade.
7. Soon you have to do another split, so actually don't stop spinning, while your doing the 2nd end.
8. Still going up to that second end, but you're already spinning for the 2nd splitwheel.
9. Here's the 2nd end and doing the 2nd split, this time your head turns upstream from the boat, not so easy.
10. Still splitting
11. Going for the last end.
12. For the third time on the same right hand blade.
13. This 3rd wheel is a bit more difficult because the blade is already in the water and most of the power is gone, so difficult to push yourself a last time around and up.

14. Here's that 3rd end.

 

15. Ready for landing

16. And you clear ! You're now paddling backwards in front of the hole.


This sequence shown here has been simplified a bit, showing every part of the move clearly, nicely split up in all different parts: wheel, split, wheel, split, wheel.

On the water, most Tricky Woo's aren't this clean.
Because doing it, you have to keep the momentum for the splits going, so your spinning continiously while also wheeling.

Lot's of time you see paddlers not finishing the second split (in step 9), so they land upside down (step 11-12), specially if it's a fast hole. From this upside down position, they do the last wheel and end up ok.
For people that don't know a Tricky Woo, this looks like a missed cartwheel, some trashing and a lucky outcome, but it actually is a move.


So that's it, you can start folding a post-it in the form of a kayak and start turning it around, 'till you 've got it. Then get off your chair and start airwheeling, throwing your weight around and spin it.
And if you're kids, wife or your boss catchtes you doing this, I wish I could be there and see their face. Bye!

(left hand Tricky Woo)
Birdy

back to base !