[Paddlewise] Rolling on my second attempt

A couple of people have asked me how I managed to roll on only my second
attempt.  I got the following instructions from Ken Fink on rbp.  His
instructions are clear enough to get a good mental picture of what is going
on -- I "practiced" mentally for a month before I actually attempted it.  I
also went out a couple of times on my own and did a little bit of paddle
float practice, focussing *primarily* on keeping my head down while I rolled
myself back up using the float.  Here are the instructions (I formatted them
a bit, but the words are all Ken's):

PRACTICE: For rolling up on right hand side (starboard side)

   - you grip left blade on lower half of blade (this keeps your hand from
     slipping off) and look at powerface of left blade.
   - Right hand grips paddle shaft a comfortable distance from left hand
blade.
     This means paddle is now extended as far to right as you can get it.
   - Try a few high braces with this by placing paddle at angle across deck
     starting with left hand near port side of deck and extending right hand
     blade to a position near starboard side of deck. Then as you roll over
     gently to right, let paddle sweep back towards the stern
     (the idea is for you to roll down on starboard and keep paddle at
surface
      as you do this).

     Do this only a bit at first until you can catch yourself with high
brace
     (elbow is below wrist in the high brace).

     Keep your head down and even throw it down to starboard as you catch
and
     recover with high brace. Keep going down further and further once you
     are successful (dip the elbow in and the your shoulder and then your
ear
     and then layout and count to two before catching and recovering.


THE ROLL
   - Once you can do this with ease, you are ready to try the roll. Simply
go
     all the way over now while setup with the paddle held along the port
     gunwale of kayak deck.
   - Left paddle and hand are resting along gunwale near the sternward of
your
     left waist.
   - Your right hand is also along the port gunwale and right blade is
rotated
     out slightly to make it parallel to water surface.
   - Lean as far forward at waist as you can. Now capsize to port or
starboard
     (starboard will keep you in progression with your previously practiced
high
     braces).  <Note from Milo: I found this simple trick -- capsizing away
from
     the setup -- made it much easier to mentally "see" the roll.>
   - Carefully reach up near where you have landed with paddle in the setup
     position. Be certain your paddle is on top of water and begin to sweep
     sternward and keep paddle on top of water surface; as you begin
sweeping
     paddle sternward, push with your starboard foot on the footbraces which
     lifts your knee hard against deck and forces your hips to rotate out
     (this foot,knee, hip motion begins the essential rotation of the boat
to an
     upright position as paddle is moving sternward).

   - Continue this movement with extended paddle until you are in your high
     brace position or even further sternward, keep your head down and let
it
     come up last as you now brace with fully extended paddle to get boat
into
     fully upright position.

The two most common faults are 1) letting paddle dive for bottom and
2) lifting your head too soon which drives you back down. But the leverage
from
the Pawlata is very powerful and almost guarantees a successful roll. Be
sure
to do it as slowly as you can; it is technique, not power, that gets you up.

Milo
Poughkeepsie, NY


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