Mark, What a great list of questions. You will certainly be a rolling teacher someday. Please excuse the length of this post but your questions were so interesting that I felt the need to address each one of them. In a message dated 3/18/00 4:16:31 AM, MJAkayaker_at_aol.com writes: << Thanks again to all the people who answered my questions about which rolls I should be working on. I am 20 for 20 over the last week. A little over half were extended paddle and the rest regular screw rolls (both types with my Greenland paddle). I even did some out in the bay. It really was not much rougher than the pool, but it was a psychological barrier. >> Mark, congratulations it sounds like you are on the right track. Keep pushing yourself and your rolls until you can feel every nuance of body position in every water condition. The bay roll is a big step. Keep looking to test your roll in real life situations. << 1) Less force on the paddle = better roll ? >> Yes, the best technique is to work towards a "hands roll". The more you can pull yourself to the surface with your kayak's buoyancy (while inverted) the less is required of the paddle and then the greater your margin of error = higher success rate. The more effective the Hip rotation and layback the less the paddle is required. Watch a good rolling video like "Grace Under Pressure" and see how they roll sans paddle. Note: The term "Hip Snap" is somewhat of a misnomer. The movement is the same as for a "C to C" roll, a hip rotation of varying speed but not always super fast. << 2) Almost going over the other way = better roll ? >> Yes, and no, this shows you have the power but don't yet "feel" the righting of the boat. Try to visualize verticality as the target and measure success in part by how accurately you can hit vertical without adjustments/braces at the end of the roll. << 3) Paddle blade depth at finish of roll - shallower = better roll? >> Yes. The goal is to keep the paddle less than 12" below the surface. Shallower is better! This shows that the other components of the roll are effective and doing the lion's share of the work. << 4) You just know it when you feel it you over analytical dummy >> Well,...yes. But if you are the type that likes to analyze then go ahead and study the h*ll out of it! After you micro-analyze each component, take a step back and consider the roll as a system or, truer yet, as a dance movement. Once you have found your roll all of the components blend with much redundancy, as you start to feel the righting of the boat the faults are less pronounced and less one particular issue and more of a system issue. << I am not feeling a "hip snap" the way it has been described to me. I am aware of a change of pressure from one knee to the other and I feel my lay-back, but I do not feel the bending from one side to the other that I think I should feel. Is it just happening so quickly that I miss it (I am getting up) or should I really be aware of the bending? >> If you're rolling now without a hip snap then you will love the extra power that you have in reserve. YES, you should feel your body move from the starting position (cross-side shoulder to hip, bent into a "C") to the ending position (on-side shoulder to hip, bent into a "C"). Watch a professional video for this! For my money this is the heart and soul of competent rolling. << I was thinking of trying some rolls with just half a paddle to help me check my technique. Is this a good way to improve? Should I be working longer with a full paddle before I try this (ie can it hurt my technique)? >> I would be reluctant to advise you to play too much before the hip rotation is dialed-in. While in general the playing helps round out your understanding and 3 dimensional awareness, I am a little concerned that bad habits might form if you don't have the "Hip Rotation" committed to muscle memory. << I will also be trying my first offside rolls this weekend. I hope its easier than going from a stern rudder to a cross-draw. >> With proper technique the off-side roll is a piece of cake. Work in it until it's as strong as your on side. Then play with people by making your off-side roll better than their on-side roll. One of the best ways to "find" your roll is to slow the whole thing down. With a screw roll, see how slowly you can do it, exaggerate every aspect of the movement. The lack of momentum will quickly point out weaknesses. Many men have such explosive power in their upper body that they don't feel their weight on the paddle. Slowing the movement will let you feel each component more clearly. Also try using a face mask so you can watch the whole movement. This will help you to visualize the rolls later in your career. I roll with closed eyes because I know where vertical is and don't need the visual clues to right myself. I can't see worth a damn underwater anyway, never could. The face mask will let you fine tune your blade angle, monitor your position during the movement and speed muscle memory by adding a visual image of the dance. By next year you'll be sharing your learning experience and expertise with the next crop of budding rollers. You have the right approach, a great attitude and apparently improving form as well. Enjoy the ride, this is where the real fun begins! Jed *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
LedJube wrote: >One of the best ways to "find" your roll is to slow the whole thing down. Also try using a face mask so you can watch the whole movement. This will help you to visualize the rolls later in your career. The face mask will let you fine tune your blade angle, monitor your position during the movement and speed muscle memory by adding a visual image of the dance. I don't disagree with anything Jed says, but I do have a thought on the face mask thing. I learned to roll (both sides) with my eyes closed (never opened them underwater) and just for the fun of it I tried rolling wearing a face mask a few weeks ago. I have never failed so badly in a practice roll. I think this is because I know where I am upside down, how the body is supposed to move and feel during the roll, and what to expect coming up, so actually seeing the blade was terribly confusing and disorienting (I was focusing on what the blade was doing; not paying attention to my "dance"). Therefore, if you've got muscle (& "dance") memory without seeing the blade, using a mask may add confusion. Just my thoughts. Spencer A. Smith HotBot - Search smarter. http://www.hotbot.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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