About

James Stevenson is a highly qualified and experienced Kayaker. He’s never happier than when he’s out on the water. 

James loves kayaking and has an extensive portfolio of teaching experience across a wide range of client groups. Patient and calm, he has a real knack for developing and building confidence. 

James is a BC Level 5 Coach, the highest level qualification in kayaking. It identifies a competent, motivated individual with a depth and wealth of knowledge, who provides reliable, practical coaching and guidance up to a high level. 

Chris has worked and paddled all over the UK, Europe, California, New Zealand, Zambia, Canada, Norway and Nepal. He has been a National Trainer working for the National Governing Body and currently works part time for BCAB (British Canoeing Awarding Body) as an EQA (External Quality Assurance) officer for their coaching awards. He’s also worked for the national outdoor centre, Plas Y Brenin in various different roles with the latter being head of paddle-sports. Accomplishments, aside from a twenty year plus outdoor career with only a hernia operation and some glue or stitches for some minor injuries, include many instructional, coaching and leadership qualifications, British freestyle squad twice, BCU Level five white water kayak coach and the completion of the British Canoeing Diploma in performance Coaching and subsequent MSc in performance coaching.

Chris owes all of this to a missed deadline at school during an options week where he’d chosen computer studies but was too late and had to (kicking and screaming) join the water week instead. This was the first taste of Kayaking, at the young age of ten and, following this week, all he wanted to do was paddle! The Thames is a fantastic training ground for all forms of competition paddling and playboating (now freestyle) and Slalom were the hook. Once the natural river was introduced the competition slowly fizzled. Chris has been lucky enough to find himself on some amazing adventures and rivers in the past which vary from remote ‘heli’ (helicopter drop off) kayaking on the Arahura in New Zealand, steep granite slides of the Kaweah in California, big volume drops of the Austbygdai in Norway, big volume rapids of the Zambezi and the expedition paddling of the Thuli Bheri (although the group were aiming for the Humla Karnali). Currently Chris is cramming himself back into his freestyle and squirt kayak as the playboating bug has been re-lit.

Chris gets excited about being part of peoples learning journeys, his beliefs around coaching are firmly rooted around having the participant at the heart of all interactions and directions. To truly get the best out of people and help move people toward achieving their goals, he believe that an appropriate blend of up to date knowledge, personal skills, equipment and choice venues are essential to achieving what people are after.  

The Online White Water Courses can be completed in many different ways.  You may want to take your time watch a lesson get out on the water practice the exercise on the course, upload a video for feedback and then when you are ready move on to the next lesson on the course. 

You may find it useful to watch all of the lessons over a few evenings then go back to the lessons you feel you need to work on and get out on the water and complete the exercises and get feedback and ask questions through the site.

Another option is to take your mobile devise down to the water and watch a video and then straight away do the exercise.  When you have got that exercise you can watch the next lesson.  While you have your device in a waterproof case get your paddling partner to take a video or two and upload them for feedback.

You may have booked into a course or are taking lessons on the water.  Use these courses and lessons to give you a greater understanding and to prepare you for your course or lesson on the water.

If you are a kayak coach there are lots of ideas to use while coaching. These courses and individual lessons break the strokes and techniques down into their key component parts and have lots of useful exercises to help paddlers develop their techniques.

Use the content in a way that suits you best and please ask questions and get feedback from us and the growing OWW community to help you progress.