I was one of the lucky ones, I guess. After two failed attempts in the late fall, I gave up for the year. It might have had something to do with my mother-in-law calling me a geek after seeing me all geared up complete with mask and kayak snorkel flailing hopelessly in the pool. That winter, I spent a significant amount of time reading everything I could get my hands on with regard to rolling. In early summer, once the pool was warm enough, I practiced the motions with a paddle float. I was too new of a paddler (two months) to feel justified paying someone to teach me. So I just went through the motions with a paddle float and holding the paddle in the extended position. Day one was just practicing the hip rotation and moving gracefully into the Layback position. Two hours of laying over on my side trying to capsize the boat as much as possible, rotating the hips to bring the boat upright, then a smooth transition to laying on the back deck. All the while feeling to minimize the pressure on the paddle. I don't know how many times I actually did this maneuver but I'm guessing somewhere around 100 repetitions. Day two was fun, after laying over on my side, I swept the paddle towards the bow so I would fully capsize. From this position, you guessed it, I swept the paddle out, feeling myself stretch towards the surface, until my paddle was at 90 degrees to the boat where I would hip rotate and layback. This is the day I learned to roll. Not that I actually rolled that day, but all of the components of the roll are there. Sweep slowly, pulling your face to the surface all the while watching the paddle blade, rotate the hips, pulling the boat beneath you, then an easy layback and your up. As I said I didn't roll that day, but rather I saw each component and felt how my body should move. I repeated the motion each time trying to reduce pressure on the paddle. It was a fun motion, great for my old and stiff back. That night I dreamed I was rolling in Lloydesque conditions with Duane Strosaker cheering me on. Day three was tense. Several attempts to capsize into a roll with the paddle float failed because I couldn't control the float. I'd capsize OK, but the paddle was on the wrong side of the boat and I couldn't get it to the proper side. After 15 minutes of this I gave up and tried capsizing on the right and rolling up on the right, again with the float. It all felt so natural now that I wanted to try it without the float, but being of gelatinous spine I flipped the paddle end-for-end, holding the float with my left hand. After falling over on the right and proving to myself that I could switch the paddle back and still have time to roll with the float, It was time for the real thing. My first roll was only a half roll (up on the same side as capsize), but I could not have cared less. I righted myself from an inverted position! The smell of testosterone was thick in the air as I let out an ungodly loud "YEAH!!!" That first roll sucked for technique, but it didn't matter because I had finally made it! It was time to up the ante, a full, complete, legal, capsize-left-and-roll-up-right roll. I felt like Kayak Man, defender of the whole freaking universe!! I was amazed how easy it was, all that practice (two days seemed like a lot at the time) had really paid off, I was feeling the roll. Not just performing a sequence of events but actually feeling myself moving over the boat. Being the modest type, I had to show my roll to anyone that would watch. I promised myself to roll everytime I paddled, so I could test my roll in varying conditions. Then I started to work on other types of rolls. Rolling is, for me, one of the most fun things you can do in a kayak. I love using it to cool off when I've dressed too warmly for the air temp. I never, ever consider paddling without rolling. Now it's time to actually learn how to paddle this darn thing. Rolling is easy, moving forward efficiently and learning to control the boat is the tricky stuff. Moral of the story: Don't give up, don't get mad, just get even. Get your mother-in-law to insult you, it's a great motivator. Practice, practice, practice correct technique. Minimize paddle pressure. Learn with your body, not your mind. Don't analyze it, just feel it. Learn by yourself slowly or with an instructor quickly, but learn correctly. Bad habits take a long time to unlearn. While a roll is a great self-rescue technique and a fun trick to impress your friends, expert kayakers almost never roll, because they are good enough to avoid capsizing. Don't buy the gadgets to help you learn to roll, practice with a float or a friend or an instructor. Rolling a kayak doesn't make you an expert, but it's still a fun thing to do. Just one man's story/opinion/view/insert_whatever_here 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_at_aol.com wrote: > <bunch of interesting stuff, all snipped except what I want to talk about> > I was too new of a paddler (two months) to feel > justified paying someone to teach me. Huh? Who better to pay for instruction. After you know some stuff, you can teach yourself out of books. When you're new, find some help. Doesn't have to be a $$$ instructor. Lot's of clubs have roll sessions. You're not a member? We can fix that. > Day three was tense. Several attempts to capsize into a roll with the > paddle float failed. Day 3 as in Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday, or just the third time you tried it? New, demanding physical activities take a lot out of you and shouldn't be done 3 days straight. Ask Ski Patrolers when folks on a 5-day vacation are most likely to get hurt. > Don't buy the gadgets to help you learn to > roll, practice with a float or a friend or an instructor. Gadgets? Like Canadian Ballast Rocks taped to the keel? Nice story, Jed. Always good to hear a success. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Please forgive the public response to Steve Cramer's post responding to my response to the "eskimo roll" post. Steve brought up some very good points that I felt the need to defend, er.. address, er...respond to. Thank you all for your patients, er..patience I said: >>> I was too new of a paddler (two months) to feel >>> justified paying someone to teach me. Steve Cramer wrote: >Huh? Who better to pay for instruction. After you know some stuff, you >can teach yourself out of books. When you're new, find some help. >Doesn't have to be a $$$ instructor. Lot's of clubs have roll sessions. >You're not a member? We can fix that. My response: At the time neither my pride nor my wife would allow me to spend more money. Since I was a lone wolf paddler, I thought there *were* no clubs. Things have changed quite a bit, now I run pool sessions and skill sessions for a club that I joined. But the wife still doesn't want me to spend the money on instruction. The few lessons that I could get her to agree to pay for were great! You are absolutely right on this point! Newbies should take lessons to learn correctly *and* quickly. I said: >>> Day three was tense. Several attempts to capsize into a roll with the >>> paddle float failed. Steve Cramer wrote: >Day 3 as in Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday, or just the third time >you tried it? New, demanding physical activities take a lot out of you >and shouldn't be done 3 days straight. Ask Ski Patrolers when folks on a >5-day vacation are most likely to get hurt. My response: *Now* you tell me!! Yes, it was day three as in the third in a series of consecutive days. No one told me it was a bad idea, not that I would have listened anyway. Who knew ?? Of course you are right, three days straight is probably a bad idea, but it did make it easier to remember. My memory isn't what it used to be, and I needed all the help I could get. I said: >>> Don't buy the gadgets to help you learn to >>> roll, practice with a float or a friend or an instructor. Steve Cramer wrote: >Gadgets? Like Canadian Ballast Rocks taped to the keel? My response: No, more like a certain kayak snorkel that let's you breath the air inside your boat while upside down. It works just fine, it's just not necessary to learn to roll with a paddle. If I had been smart enough to do some research and "discover" Genuine Canadian Ballast Rocks, then I would never have wasted my time learning to roll, what would be the point. Everyone knows that Genuine Canadian Ballast Rocks eliminate that whole pesky capsize issue altogether. Oh well, live and learn. 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/ ***************************************************************************
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