>> Part of the problem I have is too much time in the water doing snorkeling. There, all your control is in your legs, so having the legs trapped in the kayak really bothers me. Wet exit, legs free, I'm fine. I've even managed some cowboy recoveries, just climb back aboard. I'll try using a mask, or at least nose plugs next time, I think I inhaled just a bit too much clorine last time I tried learning to roll. dave >> I use my legs when rolling. I find that when I do a sweep roll, I press hard against the foot brace on the side I am rolling on, and it wasn't till I applied that knowledge to my offside roll that I succeeded in my first offside sweep roll. I also recommend a mask for practicing; it is much more comfortable than a swim goggle and noseclip combination, and it lets you see what you are doing. Eventually, though, once you have your basic roll, you should practice rolling with your eyes closed and then without a mask altogether. I rolled on my first attempt -- sort of. Actually I took two two-hour rolling classes from a whitewater club, finally succeeding in my first C-to-C roll late in the second class. However, I was not able to apply it consistently in my Sea Lion, succeeding only about half the time. Like many others, I then came up with the idea of using a paddle float for practice, though I didn't work at it consistently enough for it to help. When I switched to a Greenland paddle, there was no one local who knew how to roll with one, so I studied the diagram for the Greenland sweep roll in Derek Hutchinson's Eskimo Rolling book, set up underwater for my first sweep roll, got all confused, and made a wet exit. This experience determined me to learn to roll by by working first on the last 90 degrees of the roll. I call it "learning to roll from the top down." I did it by working on my standard high brace, sweep brace, and sculling brace -- tentatively at first, then deeper and deeper as my confidence and skill improved. Once I had gotten to the point where I could put my head underwater and brace up, it was a short step to a roll. Finally, I rolled over, set up for a sweep roll, swept the paddle out from the bow -- and rolled up on the first attempt! By the end of the day I was even experimenting with rolling with my storm paddle. Mind you, my roll wasn't consistent at first, and sometimes it failed. By the end of the first summer, I thought it was pretty good. By the end of the second summer, however, my roll was much more fluid than at the end of the first summer. So once you accomplish your first roll, don't stop there. Practice, practice, practice, and you'll be surprised at how much better even a good roll can become. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Here in South Florida, probably due to the La Nina, we've had perfect afternoons. The usual 4pm thunderstorms haven't happened and we've had dry, cool (high 80s) evenings with a few puffy clouds. I've been able to get out on the intracoastal next to our local inlet for rolling practice almost every afternoon the past few weeks. What I've been working on is blown rolls. Sculling up to get a breath of air, then dropping back, making sure I'm properly positioned in the cockpit, doing a deliberate setup and then coming up as smoothly as possible. I'm hoping to be able to deal with a blown roll without having to make a wet exit, and so far, under conditions no more then 2 foot chop, it's been working well. Any comments or suggestions? cya *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Bob, First, and I'm serious and don't mean to sound arrogant or overly simplistic, but don't blow rolls! It is better to practice your roll to the point that it doesn't fail than to practice what to do if it does. Before I take heat for this, I'm not saying to give up on other rescue practice, but to concentrate on a roll that works first time everytime. Second, If you have sculled your way to the surface don't bother to capsize and go back into a roll set up position just hip-snap and come up. If this isn't clear think of it as two strokes, reverse sweep brace to the bow and that winds you up, forward sweep brace to the stern and hip-snap and you're up. Cheers, Rob Cookson "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" Benjamin Franklin > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of Bob Denton > Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 6:42 AM > To: 'Paddlewise' > Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Subject: eskimo roll > > > Here in South Florida, probably due to the La Nina, we've had perfect > afternoons. The usual 4pm thunderstorms haven't happened and > we've had dry, > cool (high 80s) evenings with a few puffy clouds. I've been able > to get out > on the intracoastal next to our local inlet for rolling practice almost > every afternoon the past few weeks. > > What I've been working on is blown rolls. Sculling up to get a breath of > air, then dropping back, making sure I'm properly positioned in > the cockpit, > doing a deliberate setup and then coming up as smoothly as possible. I'm > hoping to be able to deal with a blown roll without having to make a wet > exit, and so far, under conditions no more then 2 foot chop, it's been > working well. > > Any comments or suggestions? > *************************************************************************** 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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