Not only will the bow stall improve your balance and vertical boat control, it will also give you something to do in the eddy while you wait for your turn to surf (not to mention spice up a pool session!).

"There are two ways to initiate a bow stall.  One involves putting your kayak on edge and slicing the bow below you, as though you were initiating a flatwater cartwheel.  Though physically easier for some paddlers in some boats, this approach is more complicated to learn so I'm going to focus on the straightforward method by which you paddled your bow straight ahead and down until you reach a point of equilibrium."

Read the full Bow Stall Article in the Early Summer 2006 issue of RAPID magazine.