From: <SeaKayakNH_at_aol.com> > >For some folks, rolling is hard to learn. > > Agreed, and for many people it is even harder to teach. I remember some > of the frustrations I felt teaching some students to roll. I have come to > believe that it was not the student that stood in the way of their learning > but rather my inexperience teaching to that type of student. While I have limited experience teaching kayakers, my nordic ski instructing has taught me a lot about teaching athletic skills and some of that knowledge is portable. Every student requires a different approach. Some need clear explanations, others good demonstrations to copy, while others require a hands on approach where the instructor manipulates the individual. Some pick up stuff in a group while others need personal attention. The trick is figuring out what works for the student. I was faced with one kayaker this summer who couldn't paddle. His stroke was irregular and assymmetric. Several of us in the club tried to teach this guy, but his problem was that he can't listen, look or pay attention. All of the folks who tried teaching him gave up. While rare, the truly unteachable do exist (for the time/cost we can afford on them). I've also met a few "skiers" who are convinced that they don't need to learn anything! Try teaching them! Given time, you'll run into them in a kayak. > Michael, I > believe you have a reliable roll, no? Would you describe the roll you perform > as requiring significant strength or inordinate flexibility? When asked if > rolling is difficult I remind my students that this 46 year old, overweight, > out-of-shape and inflexible paddler has no difficulty rolling wherever and > whenever I find myself in need. Strength isn't an issue, but the more flexible the better; inordinate? - no. I've tried to think of the most common problems I've seen in folks trying to learn to roll. Getting the timing of the double twist in a screw/Pawlata is one (torso rotating in yaw with lower body moving in roll). Setting up correctly is another. Maintaining the blade orientation (blade dive) is a third (difficult to separate from the set up problem). There are other problems. These three are all motor skill and "body awareness" problems. Those skills are learned in youth and difficult to master in older people. Many paddlers only need to be taught to connect to this latent skill. If you absolutely don't have this though, a _reliable_ roll is probably beyond you even if a basic roll is learned. > But isn't rolling it's own backup? When a roller exits > his boat, isn't a reenter and roll the first choice of rescues? Will anything > more than a paddle float or, God forbid, an assisted rescue be required? True. Mike *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Dec 31 2001 - 10:28:23 PST
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