ACA Canoe Touring and FreeStyle Canoeing Course Outlines

The following course outlines are sample courses that can be taught by instructors at the appropriate level. ACA Instructors are certified to teach the body of knowledge included in the Course Outline and Instructor Criteria of the certification(s) held.  

SmartStart Paddler Orientation: Level 1 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: Level 1  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: Level 1 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.

 Flatwater Canoe Safety and Rescue introduces essential flatwater safety practices and rescue techniques that can be performed with a minimum of equipment, in the first few minutes of an emergency.

Essentials of Canoe Touring: Level 2 is an eight-hour class focused on helping the student learn to travel safely and efficiently by canoe and assumes a significant commitment to the sport. It is designed as a stand-alone course, but could advantageously follow the QS or IC courses. There is more emphasis on stroke and paddle mechanics and the stroke/maneuver list is more complex than in the shorter courses, including corrected forward strokes and cross strokes. Classes may be in tandem, solo or both. Touring canoe is a prerequisite to the FreeStyle course series.

Freestyle Canoeing: Level 3 is a five-part, multi-day program emphasizing advanced techniques for technical quiet water paddling. Levels are based on a progression of compound and linked maneuvers with strong emphasis on canoe and paddle dynamics and biomechanics. Students and instructors should combine excellent technical skills with the required intellectual content. Classes may be in tandem, solo or both.