Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board

Re: All you bombproof rollers..........

Posted By: Craig Bumgarner
Date: Monday, 13 May 2002, at 1:22 p.m.

In Response To: All you bombproof rollers.......... (Bruce S.)

Good points, and hopefully we can all learn something by telling out tales of failed rolls!

I am just starting on hand rolls and don't have your level of experience, but I pridefully thought I was beyond swimming and was proved wrong about six weeks ago. Like you, I was tired and was cramping a little in my abdomen from the rolling. Of course, that is no excuse as you can someday be tired and drowning at the same time.

I missed my first roll and just could not get set-up properly after that. I tried four more times to come up, but ended up swimming. I hadn't missed a roll since last summer, maybe 400-500 rolls, now I miss five in a row???? My confidence was severely shaken.

On the good side, the swim really made me focus on what I was and had been doing wrong for some time. Hopefully this will now make my roll more reliable. In my case, I think the problem was that once I failed a roll, I would get sloppy with my position in the boat, both in the fit to the thigh pads and by not extending to the side enough before the sweep. The result is a subconscious over reliance on the paddle to lift up. WRONG, position first, then sweep!

I was relying too much on the setup before capsize and the momentum of the capsize to help bring me up. I have started practicing intentionally failing a roll and then just hanging upside down a while, then setting up afresh. I had thought my fit in the boat was pretty good, but I now think my thigh grips are less positive than I would like, especially if I get a little cockeyed in the boat. The 31" keyhole cockpit probably contributes to this. I've got plans to shorten it up some.

I'm back to hitting every roll, but....

Until the next time,

Craig

Messages In This Thread

All you bombproof rollers..........
Bruce S. -- Monday, 13 May 2002, at 1:38 a.m.

Re: All you bombproof rollers..........
Craig Bumgarner -- Monday, 13 May 2002, at 1:22 p.m.

Re: All you bombproof rollers.......... *Pic*
Jed -- Monday, 13 May 2002, at 10:10 p.m.

Re: All you bombproof rollers..........
Kent LeBoutillier -- Tuesday, 14 May 2002, at 6:05 a.m.

Re: All you bombproof rollers..........
Jed -- Tuesday, 14 May 2002, at 6:58 a.m.

Yo ......Mike......I'll be there for ya.....
Bruce S. -- Tuesday, 14 May 2002, at 11:59 p.m.

My last one was...
Brian Nystrom -- Monday, 20 May 2002, at 2:11 p.m.

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