PROGRAM

In his signature course, “Mastering the Basics of Va’a,” Master coach Laughlin teaches you a step-by-step process while providing feedback on what you learn at every step. Trainings never exceed 90 minutes —an optimal time for absorbing information and practicing technique. This 6-week course is designed for novices, with no more than six paddlers per class. Students are required to paddle 10 miles per week and have someone videotape small segments to observe their posture, form and stroke. Paddlers will also be given exercises to help strengthen their paddling muscles and develop their endurance, so essential for advancing to the next level of paddling. Paddlers will measure their heartrate, with the goal of attaining a Zone 1 heartrate (100-120 bpm) and graduating to a Zone 2 heartrate (125-145 bpm). There will also be online Q&As to help reinforce the essential information you’ll learn to master the basics. 

Laughlin’s intermediate instruction, “Taking Va’a to the Next Level,” is designed for those who have mastered the basics of the paddling and want to take their paddling to a higher level of mastery. It is 6 months long, focusing on individual or small (2-3) group instruction. This course is more personalized, rigorous, and aims to get you to a higher level of heartrate conditioning—Zone 3 (145+). The goal is to prepare paddlers for “race-date performance,” at whatever level you wish to compete.  

Note: If you sign up for this 6-month course, you get the 6-week “Basics” course for free!  

Laughlin’s third course, for 6-man/women teams, is called “Teams: Va’a in Harmony.” Here emphasis is on bringing everyone’s skills together in a finely orchestrated unit. Team members learn how to paddle in sync and to create an enduring bond, each being like the string in a six-string guitar, performing in harmony. The goal is to get paddlers to connect and be connected, so the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When there is shared responsibility among team members, this connection gets stronger and stronger. It takes this enduring connection to achieve a winning team performance!  

Laughlin also offers 7-to-10-day retreats in Tahiti, where paddlers can immerse themselves in paddling and the culture and beauty of Tahiti.