Fernando wrote: >But considering sponsons and paddle floats as true alternatives to the roll >is in my opinion a grate mistake. Rolling is not that hard to learn and >doesn't require any special ability neither physical shape. Everybody can >and should learn to roll, because roll is to kayaking as important as the >forward stroke. Actually, rolling can be learned before the rest of the >techniques, making the whole learning process faster and easier. Students >feel more safe when leaning the kayak knowing if hey can capsize they can >always roll back up. I have taught this way for years with grate success. Well said, Fernando. Threads on equipment based alternatives to rolling seem to go around and around but never seem to address the needs fully. I applaud your assertion that rolling can be taught first. I am a great fan of the rapid skills development that often occurs after a student learns to roll reliably, in large part because their fear of capsize is eliminated. Sooner or later we all find ourselves in situations or conditions that may require a rescue. In these situations, a reliable roll might mean the difference between a fun day in conditions and the end of an otherwise enjoyable day. I can understand that not everyone enjoys dancing on the outer edge of his or her comfort envelope, all the more reason to develop a reliable roll. Paddle floats, Sponsons and other device dependent rescue methods all suffer from the same flaw, they all are preceded by a wet exit and all the discomfort and rapid cooling that can come with it. Michael Daly's response brings up some interesting points. Michael, please forgive the heavy editing and my taking your words out of context. >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. 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. >There's no such thing as a bombproof roll either. Some folks have extremely good rolling skills, but there will come a time when they're out of the boat. They need a backup too. Agreed. There are really only two types of paddlers, those that have swum and those that will. 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? Rolling is not a panacea, we still need to observe safety guidelines like paddling in a group, dressing for immersion and paddling within our abilities. Rolling is a convenience, much faster and safer than a wet exit / rescue, but rarely is a roll a matter of life or death. No doubt some WW paddlers (and the honorable Mr Lloyd) may take issue with my previous statement, but in seakayaking as most practice it, rolls are a convenient and enjoyable self-rescue. That knowing how to roll will help every aspect of our paddling is pure gravy. Jed Luby, Team North Atlantic *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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/ ***************************************************************************
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