In the spirit of our upcoming special Creeking issue of Rapid (available May 1st), this is the first in a series of how-to boof videos and instruction from Liquidlogic's Shane Benedict and the Whitewater Instruction crew.

"The boof is, without a doubt, the most essential weapon in your creeking arsenal."

There are lots of variations on this move, but the video below explains the foundations for a basic boof. Read on for detailed instructions that break this move down into three easy steps.

The Boof from Whitewater Instruction on Vimeo.

The Boof, according to Benedict:

Step 1: The Approach Try to get an angle of attack that will make it easy to boof well and continue on after the boof in the direction you are trying to go. If you want to finish the boof going right, set up above the boof with left to right momentum and vice versa. Speed is a commonly misused part of the boof. Speed allows you to ride up higher on rocks and clear larger holes but it also makes the timing more difficult. Often, I will  have just enough momentum so that I can precisely place and time my boof stroke.

Troubleshooting A common mistake is not getting a good angle. Start off to one side of the move to give you a good angle on the obstruction. One of the hardest boofs to do is straight-off because you have to clear the entire length of the boat to make the move smooth. If you come off the drop at a slight angle, the boat clears the drop more easily.

Step 2: The Boof Stroke This is one of the most destroyed strokes in paddling—it's right up there with the Duffek. The boof stroke controls the boat through the entire move. Start your stroke just before you reach whatever it is that you are boofing. Pull the stroke all the way through the boof so that you control exactly how you interact with the feature you are boofing, and the direction you are going. With that constant pull you can fine tune your angle and lift off the drop. Finally, if you can continue the stroke past the feature, you can throw in that last little correction to finish in the direction you want to go.

Troubleshooting The most common mistake with a boof stroke is running out of stroke before the end of the move. At the moment the stroke finishes, the water takes control of where you are going. Finish to soon and you see the classic burning man boof, when the bow drops and you are at the whim of the water.

Step 3: Body Control The number one rule is to keep your body over the boat. If you are leaning, you are probably having to brace so therefore you aren’t paddling and moving yourself where you need to be.  Lean back a little as you start your boof to allow the boat to slide up a feature. Then lean forward to allow the tail to free up as you go off the drop for a softer landing. Leaning forward at the bottom also helps keep your stern from getting messed with in the drop.

Troubleshooting A common mistake that is made with body control during a boof is leaning to one side. Sometimes it helps to tilt the boat a little to get up on an object or lift it off the water, but as you leave that tilting boof, work hard to get the boat back under you so you can land balanced.

Learn more creeking skills at Whitewaterinstruction.com.

Photo courtesy Whitewaterinstruction.com