From the Strong Paddler channel
You’ve watched the drills. Here’s where the rest of it lives.
Ben Keys is a New Zealand national surf ski and kayak champion . A sport scientist and strength coach, and he builds every program on this site. The channel shows you one piece at a time. This is the whole system: the technique course, paddling-specific strength work, and programs that tell you what to do at training on Tuesday.
Pick a starting point
Three ways in
The free guide
Free
Strength Exercises, A free gym session. Access to the first lesson on the grade 1 paddler course, and a full guide on how to train for paddlers.
Membership
$19 USD / month, or $129 a year
Every training program, the Grade 1 Paddler technique course, the strength and mobility library, and ad-free video. Cancel any time.
Technique review
$80 USD / session
Send Ben your footage and get a personal breakdown, with the two or three changes that will do the most for your boat speed.
Free to read
Learn the fundamentals first
Technique
Free
How a fast surf ski and kayak stroke actually works: catch, rotation, leg drive and the faults that cost you boat speed.
Strength
Free
The gym work that transfers to the boat, what to skip, and how to fit it around your paddling week.
Training
Free
How to build a season: periodisation, sessions, zones and the programs on this site explained.
Racing in February?
Training for the Coast to Coast kayak leg
Ben paddled the Waimakariri stage in 4 hours 14 minutes in 2025. The program he hands to every Coast to Coast paddler he coaches is in the membership, and the guide to the stage is free to read: when to start, hours per week, Grade 2, gym work, river recon and race-day pacing.
“I’ve got a lot out of your programs, even as a 62-year-old Aussie paddler! It’s been fabulous to see how you’ve continually developed and improved what you offer. The content is practical, well thought through and genuinely useful.”
Peter · Ocean Surf Ski – Australia
“I’m 70. Was in the Ferguson MacDonald era. Olympic champ 1984 K2 ( Only gold NZ didn’t win). I was never comfortable with wing paddles though I’ve used one for years. I recently started watching your YouTube vids and got a tremendous breakthrough in my technique which has resulted in a lower stroke rate and higher speeds by at least 1/2 a km/hr on LD. Using leg drive a lot more etc. I didn’t think you’d be able to teach an old dog etc.”
Hugh · Olympic Gold Medalist K2 / Surf Ski Paddler – Canada
“I think I went at least 4mins faster over the 10km with a more forward position and a higher stroke rate. – Days after his first technique session”
Nick · NZ Training for Coast to Coast 2027
“I needed new focus and new ideas shortly before the Coast to Coast this year, so I approached Ben. I really appreciated his personable but professional approach. Many, many thanks — if you need a comprehensive training overview, Ben is your man.”
Dan · Multisport Athlete, NZ
“After a 15-year break from kayaking, I entered the Coast to Coast and realised I needed expert guidance. Ben built a kayak-specific strength programme with clear progressions I could do at home. I was genuinely surprised by how strong I felt in the second half of the race.”
Pippa · Coast to Coast Paddler 2026
“It's made a huge difference — I'm connecting a lot better with the water and moving the boat faster as a result. My stability is getting better, too!”
Sonia · New Surf Ski Paddler
“Ben introduced me to new exercises like landmine rotations that strengthened my shoulder, scapular and core rotation, and brought real discipline to my training. In five weeks my performance and motivation were up.”
Ted · Ocean Ski Athlete, Australia
“I really enjoyed the training programme and it definitely made a huge difference. Tidied up my ski and took me to a different level in swim and board.”
Dan · Surf Club Athlete NZ
“The Grade 1 technique course has been really helpful. The video showing the hand going up, throwing a cloth — I'm very visual, so that's really helped me on the water.”
Ben · Multisport Athlete – NZ
What’s inside the membership
The membership is the whole Strong Paddler library in one place for $19 a month: follow-along technique courses, periodised programs for sprint, marathon, flatwater, river and ocean paddling, paddling-specific strength sessions with a video for every exercise, mobility and injury prevention work, and the full training session library. Everything in it was written and filmed by Ben.
- Follow along technique courses
- Progressive programs for sprint, marathon, flatwater, river and ocean paddling
- Paddling-specific strength sessions, with video for every exercise
- Mobility and injury prevention work
- The full training session library
- Strength exercise videos to use in your training
Not sure which one fits? Tell Ben what you are training for and he will point you at the right place.