Rolling assistance

He Looks Reputable :)

I have been meaning to post for a while now, but then summer happened and many other things like weddings and other matters have crept up.  I wanted to take a moment and address some things I have noticed recently from both students and instructors and both recently and over my years teaching.  

Rolling can be a tricky thing.  Many people have thoughts on it and various perspectives.  It is often hard to know what is the best approach or the best roll.  What I and many other instructors have come to think is that there is not one best way to roll (probably while thinking our own way is the best one :).  If a variety of friends, fellow boaters, or instructors are giving you advice, you may be confused and overwhelmed by the different versions and prescriptions.  When seeking out a source for rolling advice I would look at the following things.

Look at your would be instructors roll first.  If it it appears smooth, graceful, and effortless then check consider lending an ear.  Next can they break down what they are doing and relate it back to you in way that makes sense?  Can they adapt their approach to your situation?  If yes, then continue to contemplate what they have to say. Finally, can they analyze what it is you are doing and present you with a potential remedy? If the answer is yes to these, I would begin to listen to what the yahoo has to say on rolling.  There are a wide variety of folks who may fit this criteria who you boat with regularly or recognize from a video or have had a lesson from in the past or present.  

The following statements I find important to remember when it comes time to discuss or teach a roll.  These are what I consider universal ideas that apply to most all rolls.

• A good kayak roll is smooth and feels effortless. If it puts strain on you, it needs more work. 
• Most all rolls start and end with the body/head at the surface of the water.  This is most evident in the c-c roll or EJ rolls, but is also true of the sweep and rodeo rolls.
• The boat comes up first or at the same time as the body.  
• A good roll is driven from and relies on torso and/or hip movement. 

Keep these in mind when you are working on or trying to improve your roll.  Here is a bit of a video I recently put together on rolling.  Be patient with me as this is my first time putting one of these together.  You can slow it down with the pause feature to look read the tips or more closely analyze a movement.  Happy rolling!

Link to downloadable version.

Liquid Adventures Kayak School offers rolling instruction on Monday and Saturday evenings at Angler's Inn during the warm season,  June - September.  We offering rolling lessons in the pool Saturday evenings from November - May.