RE: [Paddlewise] 5 rolls is not enough

A good training trick for calm water or the pool is to have some on 
stand behind your boat and try and tip you over. The randomness of it 
really helps with a variety of braces and rolling to get back up once 
you miss a brace. The person behind the boat can really cause some 
chaos by rocking the boat up and down, back and forth, and twisting 
it from side to side.

Another fun thing to practice is paddling as fast as you can and then 
rolling. I think many of us forget that when we capsize, we are often 
moving. More often than not, people practice rolling while "standing" 
still and set up before the capsize. The "damn, I going fast" roll 
offers a very interesting sensation and shows off one advantage of 
the sweep roll.

Another party trick. Throw your paddle as far as you can, capsize and 
then "swim" to the paddle and roll up. This is actually somewhat 
useful as you learn how to properly orient your paddle while 
inverted. Swimming with the boat isn't as hard as it seems, and you 
can actually cover some distance this way. The way I check my paddle 
position (euro-style paddle) is to grab the paddle at the blade, feel 
for the power face, then slide it down to the setup position. Judging 
by shaft alone can often result in rolling with the paddle upside 
down. I've done this a few times and it is an odd experience.

-Patrick

At 3:20 PM -0800 3/12/01, SNStone wrote:
>The issue is not the number of rolls, but the ability to execute a roll in
>varying conditions. You learned and practiced in one environment and then
>put it to the test in another environment. Rather than learning another roll
>I woudl focus on practicing in more difficult conditions wearing the
>equipment you would use in a real paddling situation.  You must  also have
>one roll that you are totally confident will work.  I initially learned to
>roll using an extended paddle (pawlatta) roll. I periodically practice it as
>I know I can get back up. It's my  insurance policy.
>
>When it comes to rolling, quality over quantity.
>
>sid
>
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