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Re: Other: rolling
By:Thomas Duncan
Date: 8/21/2011, 9:01 am
In Response To: Other: rolling (Kevin McAtee)

If you roll clockwise, you are setting up along the right gunwale, and capsizing to the right, so your recovery side that you come up on will be the left, so it would be your left knee in a clockwise roll.

I think a working vocabulary is helpful. The term "hip snap" can be accurate for something like a C-to-C roll in a whitewater kayak, but in Greenland rolling, the implied "snap" is less frequently used. So it need not be a violent all-or-nothing affair. Assuming you are learning a standard Greenland layback roll first, which is the usual progression, the hip snap is more of a continuous pressure you apply with this recovery side knee -- there's the terminology again. We say "knee" because that is where the pressure tends to be centralized in a modern kayak, but it can be more on your thigh in a traditionally fitted kayak with a masik (thigh brace) rather than modern keyhole thigh braces.

The thing about rolling is that -- well, the first thing is that the first half is easy, everyone can setup and capsize. After that it gets trickier... when you set up for a standard layback roll, you are going to place your paddle more or less parallel to one gunwale and bend forward at the waist, as close to nose to deck as you can. What you ideally want to do is maintain that forward tuck through the capsize, until you are 180° upside down. So, upside down, you are using your abs to crunch forward, up toward the surface. It's a common problem to lose the tuck/crunch upon capsizing, but you need to keep or regain it so that you are "wound up" -- holding tension in your crunch -- and your body is as near the surface as possible. The next thing, when you feel air on your hands, is to unwind your torso and transition from this crunched forward, closed up position to opening up and arching your back as your body becomes perpendicular to the kayak. As you are unwinding and twisting so that you come to this arched back, back/shoulders flat to the water position, you are beginning to apply pressure with that recovery side knee/thigh. This is critical, you are wanting to get that kayak moving around it's long axis as you are sweeping out, with your body close to the surface. Once your torso gets perpendicular or just about, the kayak should be rotated up onto it's side by virtue of your "rolling leg", just about pulling you up out of the water, and all that's left is to again use your core to slide laterally onto the aft deck, from where you can sit up with the kayak underneath you.

What do you do with the paddle during this time? Try not to let it interfere with your roll. Hold your hands up in front of you, palms out in the typical "stop!" gesture. Now bend your elbows and move your hands close to your shoulders -- like pushup position. Now imagine you are holding your paddle in an extended position -- left hand near the end of the blade, right hand approximately at the blade shoulder/loom. That's where you want to hold your paddle pretty much through the whole roll. So when you come up, your palms face the sky, this is a high brace roll, palms up. Make the paddle simply be an extension of your body, it's just coming along for the ride, so you want to get it in a position where it can slice through the water -- you'll have a bit of a climbing angle to the leading edge of the blade so that the paddle seeks the surface rather than diving. What is a climbing angle? Imagine going down the highway holding your hand out the car window, palm facing the road. If you rotate your thumb upwards you feel the wind catch your hand and make lift. That's a climbing angle, same thing with the paddle blade sweeping/slicing through the water.

For my 2¢, you should learn side-sculling first, and a balance brace, then go for the full roll. By working at these first, you are learning to recover from the last stage of the roll. Many people make it all the way around, and almost up, then sink again, so these two keystone maneuvers are extremely helpful to learn first if possible. You can also work on these techniques in shallow water where you can push yourself back upright. However, if you get into a pushing off the bottom scenario, be extremely careful, your shoulder will most likely be in a weak position and many have injured shoulders by pushing off the bottom. Better to wet exit than tear something.

More than you asked for... hope I didn't make you more confused! In a well fitting kayak, rolling is not about any power or muscling, it's not an all-or-nothing frantic thing, and you *can* learn to do it, no matter how confusing and frustrating it may seem at first. It's a skill very much worth pursuing as it is the single best form of self-recovery. But not the only one you should practice... however once you know you can pop off a roll, you've opened the door to exploring other kayaking skills like edging on the move, without fear of capsize. Rolling is more about orientation, technique and timing (ie, don't rush it), it comes from your core, not from your arms, as does most of paddling, and most every sport, really.

Finding an instructor or mentor may seriously speed up your learning! Good luck!

Messages In This Thread

Other: rolling
Kevin McAtee -- 8/21/2011, 4:24 am
Re: Other: rolling
Jay Babina -- 8/21/2011, 7:09 am
Re: Other: rolling
Thomas Duncan -- 8/21/2011, 9:01 am
Re: Other: rolling
Bryan Hansel -- 8/21/2011, 3:17 pm
Re: Other: rolling
Will N To Go -- 8/21/2011, 4:27 pm
Re: Other: rolling
Randy Knauff -- 8/22/2011, 11:16 am