The American Canoe Association offers a comprehensive curriculum of canoeing courses for all levels of paddlers. From the entry level QuickStart course designed to give to a brief introduction to the sport of canoeing on flat-water, to advanced levels of canoeing in FreeStyle and Whitewater there is a course that fits your desire and paddling ability.
Listed below are some examples of curriculum utilized by ACA Instructors to allow continued skill and boating safety education / development as you start down the river on your adventure.
Entry Level (Level 1) Canoe Courses
SmartStart Paddler Orientation This one-hour course will expose participants to basic safety and paddling skills. This curriculum is used in combination with the SmartStart for Paddler Presentation and Lesson Plan.
QuickStart Your Canoe is a brief, three-hour introduction to paddling a canoe. Students are presented with basic information on boat control, paddling apparel, potential hazards and simple rescues. An entry level of paddling skills is presented and practiced, allowing students to safely and effectively maneuver on flat-water. While designed as stand-alone courses, the interested paddler can progress to more advanced levels of instruction, progressing to the Introduction or Essential levels of courses. These subsequent courses offer greater paddling skill development through additional guided, on-water practice time.
Introduction to Canoeing is a six-hour course focusing on the basic canoe skills for the solo and/or tandem canoeist. Students are presented with basic information on boat control, paddling apparel, potential hazards and simple rescues. An entry level of paddling skills is presented and practiced, allowing students to safely and effectively maneuver on flat-water. If a paddler decides to move above the Introductory level, the successive courses are divided into two categories: Touring Canoe & River Canoe.
Level 2-5: Intermediate to Advanced Canoe Courses
For those who desire intermediate to advanced levels of canoe instruction, and decide to broaden their knowledge and skills, a number of different tracks are available, i.e. more advance techniques on flat water by taking Touring Canoe courses; a more camping oriented focus by taking Canoe Camping and Canoe Tripping Courses. For those interested in river and more white water paddling, they can continue on to River Canoe courses.
