Excuse the cross-post but. . . With the subject of learning and teaching skills within the context of our club flying around I've been looking at improving my own teaching as well as paddling skills. One thing I have been unable to do is to teach the most basic of the rolling skills because I can't figure out the mechanics of getting someone half way over and help them sweep the paddle without loosing my grip on the boat. So, I've been watching others teach to see how others deal with this issue. At the skills workshop we ran a couple of weeks ago at Lake Anna, I was standing in the water while 4 people were teaching rolling. I couldn't hear one of them but the three I did hear impressed me deeply. I was so enthralled by their approach I forgot to look at how they dealt the specific issue of the paddle. All three of the students I could hear and see were struggling with this new, sideways/upside-down world. Each of the instructors was unfailingly positive and encouraging. They all kept telling their students how well they were doing. I watched as one man, who was having a problem with relaxing and trusting the instructor not to drop him, relaxed and focus on learning the skills. I watched an instructor deal with his own bad back but determined to teach his student to roll. What struck me isn't a new observation but one that made me feel very proud of the people in my club. All four of these people who were standing in water, early on a Sunday morning, far from home were there for the pleasure of being there. They are not paid/certified instructors. They were/are some of the best teachers I've seen. Kevin got his young student rolling that session, as did Gar. Not bad, 2 out of 4 in a one hour class of brand, spanking new paddlers. A while later I saw the boy whom Kevin had been teaching over on the side teaching his obviously very proud father to roll. If there was some way to capture the joy on the son's determined face and the air of pride of the father and bottle it the world would be richer. I still hadn't gotten any further with the mechanics of the paddle, though the lesson of teaching was more deeply imprinted on me. So, last week I was watching Brian teach Ruth to roll at Pier 7. He did a little of this and a little of that, assuring her he wouldn't drop her, which almost worked <G>. But in teaching her balance he sat on the bow of her boat, told her to keep her head and shoulders level while he rocked the boat. It was like a light bulb lit up over my head! It just couldn't be that simple. It just couldn't be. I ended up leaving because I had to see if this was the answer to the struggle I've been having for a year with my Gulfstream. I paddled out and looked for a wake or two to try this idea on. I tried edging, keeping a thought on where my shoulders were. Maybe someone had tried to tell me this before but I didn't get it. Watching the display of what happened when Brian rocked Ruth's boat finally gave me an understanding of the dynamic of the balance. I was just floored. I was frustrated that for a change there were few boats out to rock my boat. So, the next day I went to the Potomac for the club paddle there. I got one good wake to ride there, again, not a bobble. It just seemed too easy an answer. Sat. I'm out on the Bay with the wind making some of the water a bit lumpy. There is even a white cap or two for a few minutes. Nothing. I'm like a rock out there. I decided to test the theory by going back to my old way. Immediately I felt the tippy, unpleasant feeling. I can't be sure it isn't that I expect to feel that way so I do but I do know that the water I'm in would have made me at least concerned but I was out there feeling like I'm in my armchair. I guess for now I'll have to stick to watching the others teach rolling while I stick to the rescues, strokes and stuff I don't have to hold someone else's' boat up for. It will all come in good time. Now that the roll is there and the balance is coming I can focus on my bracing for this season. Maybe one day i'll grow up to be a brave paddler. Joan Spinner *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Joan, I just graduated from being a good strong intermediate paddler on an SOT (20+NM ocean paddles, surf launches and landings, open ocean crossings of 13+ NM etc) to being a beginner again in a Gulfstream. I purchased mine from a friend whom I've paddled with for several years and I too was feeling the "tippy" feeling. My friend Pete kept telling me that the boat has low initial stability but that the secondary stability is awesome!! The trick for me was when Pete suggested that I just get a lot looser in the hips and let the boat do what it wants to do. His advice was that the boat would not capsize unless the occupant (he said idiot-referring to me) in the cockpit did something to make it capsize. This weekend, I did my first surf launch and landing in it (I've only had it for 2 weeks now), and I lost my reputation as the "holy roller" of our club--I gained that reputation from some of the more spectacular surf landings that I've attempted. On Sunday, I started to surf a wave in and Pete had told me that this boat will broach every time and to not try and fight it. I just slid my stern rudder stroke over into a low brace and rode that wave in sideways. It even looked like I knew what I was doing. Trust your boat--it's a great one and don't think tippy---think "it's really easy to edge and control". ;-) Steve Holtzman > It just couldn't be that simple. It just couldn't be. I ended > up leaving > because I had to see if this was the answer to the struggle I've > been having > for a year with my Gulfstream. I paddled out and looked for a > wake or two to > try this idea on. I tried edging, keeping a thought on where my shoulders > were. > Maybe someone had tried to tell me this before but I didn't get it. > Watching the display of what happened when Brian rocked Ruth's > boat finally > gave me an understanding of the dynamic of the balance. I was > just floored. I > was frustrated that for a change there were few boats out to rock > my boat. > So, the next day I went to the Potomac for the club paddle there. > I got one > good wake to ride there, again, not a bobble. It just seemed too easy an > answer. > Sat. I'm out on the Bay with the wind making some of the water a bit > lumpy. There is even a white cap or two for a few minutes. > Nothing. I'm like > a rock out there. I decided to test the theory by going back to > my old way. > Immediately I felt the tippy, unpleasant feeling. I can't be sure > it isn't > that I expect to feel that way so I do but I do know that the > water I'm in > would have made me at least concerned but I was out there feeling > like I'm in > my armchair. > > Joan Spinner *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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