Fly to Washington
If I don’t have you rolling effortlessly in 30 minutes I’ll pay for the ticket! Actually there are hundreds in your back yard who can do the same.
Clear your head, find a great teacher, relax, listen, and have fun. Your head is in the way here. You WILL be sucessful and become EXCELLENT at rolling in short order.
Get a great instructor NOW.
My offer is legit.
A few things that helped me…
Lots of great tips here.
A few other things to play with that helped me:
- Focus on the hand closest to the kayak, instead of the one holding the paddle away from the boat. If that hand raises, it will tilt the other end of the paddle down, causing a diving paddle. First get that arm right against the kayak and as high as you can to get the paddle on top of the water. As you roll, focus on keeping that hand against the rolling kayak (if it travels out, your paddle will dive), and not letting the hand lift any higher out of the water. So the movement of that arm: starts fairly straight, so if you’re standing, it would be as if you’re simply reaching down alongside your body; then bending at the elbow, keeping the elbow close to the body, bring the hand up to in front of the shoulder. Very simple and minimal movement. If you keep the arm straight and rotate it from the shoulder, or lift it out to the side, it will make the paddle dive. The stronger and more stable that hand is, the stronger your roll will be, imo.
2.Rolling quickly. When I first learned to roll, I did it slow and deliberate. I would set up, then pause and take a moment to relax, remind myself of a few key things (‘keep your head down’, ‘strong hip snap’, etc…) then roll up. It worked fine until I tried rolling a wider flat-bottom WW kayak, and just couldn’t get up. Someone pointed out that I set up strong, but in the moment of ‘pause’ my paddle would start to sink, so it was in the wrong position before even starting. Once I started rolling up without hesitation, it worked.
- For a C-to-C roll, as I bent to lift my body towards the surface for the set-up, I started twisting my torso to so my chest faced upwards. I think some ppl call this a corkscrew roll. Try this standing: tilt you body as far as you can to the right (or left) while facing forward. Then twist to face the right, and curl down towards your hip. Which movement gets you closer to your hip? The added twist also involves more core muscles, and for me, makes the roll feel easier and stronger.
Good luck!!
Great Video
Never seen that type of roll before looks interesting.
back hand
The back hand (by which I mean the one on the short end of your extended paddle) needs to stay CLOSE TO YOUR SHOULDER. If your back hand is pushed away from your body, it will cause the paddle to go vertical, and dive.
As others have said, diagnosing your roll is impossible without seeing it. I think you’re right that 2 hours with an instructor would get you straightened out. I think there are some near the capital district, no?
One general piece of advice I’d give - think about keeping pressure on your lower knee. A sweep roll rights the boat with constant pressure on the thigh brace. It’s not a snap. Just pressure from the beginning of the sweep to the end. Sometimes we think too much about our hands and arms, when the lower body and trunk are really the parts that make the roll work.
Good luck. Nate
ditto
I agree. Top hand glued to shoulder can often cure the diving blade during a sweep.
ditto…on the hand, and the knee
For me, when i used the diving mask i got distracted and find myself looking @ the bottom of the boat, the lake etc… then it all falls apart, the hand leaves the collarbone area and who knows what else falls to pots, but then i have lost the momentum and can’t fix it usually and end with a wet exit. ditching the mask next time out.
knees
The biggest problem I’ve found personally related to knees/lower body wasn’t so much failing to engage the knees but rather some instinct in me making me engage both knees (my other knee thought he could help out). I especially had this when I first starting working on my weaker side rolls. So for me the biggest advantage of practicing hip flicks using someone’s bow, etc. was to learn to relax the other knee. Otherwise proper hip/torso rotation seems to engage the knees pretty automatically.
…and one more:
When you’re trying a sweep roll, don’t forget torso rotation. The swwep should come from that and not from your arms. For me this helps keep my head down AND my off-hand near my shoulder.
Different rolls.
Everyone learns and envisions their roll differently. As a result, some people learn c-2-c easily while others learn sweep easier.
Sometimes, if one type of roll doesn’t work, try a different one and you get an “ah-ha” moment!
I started with a c-2-c with WW boats. But somehow couldn’t transfer it to a sea kayak. I came to this board and learn the “blended” roll (c-2-c with an initial sweep). After I succeeded with the blended roll, I got the c-2-c back as well.
When I had trouble rolling a boat with a loose cockpit, the buddy who helped me had me try a sweep roll instead. I found the sweep roll very confusing, with everything going on at the same time. (in a c-2-c, there’re distinct phases which you only focus on 1 thing at a time) But with the 2 other rolls in the background, I was much more aware of my body and paddle position. So I was able to do what’s required and got it. I might not have succeeded had I started my first attempt with a sweep roll.
Each time I lost a roll, I end up learning a new one and getting the old one back! So I now can roll in 4-5 different ways. :o)
They say the reason you lose your roll is because there were some defects in it in the first place. So when you get it back, your rolls will be more solid. My experience is there’re definitely some truth in that.
DId you do it? Watch these…
– Last Updated: Jul-17-11 12:40 PM EST –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWrOPs8K5SM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff_te_yjcHM&feature=related
I find this roll easier than C2C or "sweep" (although it looks a bit like a sweep). Works very well with a WW kayak but also works well in a sea kayak.
While there, check out their other videos.
I could roll my sea kayak fairly well at one point in time, but at the same time I could not really roll my WW kayak (river/play) pretty much at all.
Then I watched the above video for the screw roll - sounds unbelievable, but the first time I tried it, it worked so effortlessly that I was surprised. Has worked ever since, though it requires to try it from time to time as I seem to lose form if I don't practice often enough.
This is a roll that is indeed effortless - if you are pushing down with the paddle - you are not doing it right. The paddle needs to slice with no resistance and not much of a lifting force and your torso follows - there is no pushing down effort, really.
Works with 1/2 paddle just the same and you barely need to hold the paddle - one finger on each hand is enough (just to check that you are not forsing/powering through it).
I agree
Don’t get hung up on which roll is ‘best’. Different ppl find different rolls work best for them.
Also it’s possible to blend different elements from different rolls. No point in being dogmatic.
instruction…
…I’m a tad late in seeing this post but you can try Bay Creek paddling center or oak orchard canoe in Rochester for instructions. Bay creek had a pool rolling class this past winter in Rochester area. There’s also Camillus Kayak too to ask.
http://www.baycreek.com/
http://www.oakorchardcanoe.com/
I got a guy for ya His name is Marshall
from The River Connection. They have access to a huge pool and teach everything about kayaks. Google it or www.the_river_connection.com Have Fun!
Huh?
The OP is from Quebec. An instructor from New York is a strange recommendation indeed.
The OP indicates location is Central NY
– Last Updated: Jul-18-11 2:50 PM EST –
furthermore they state that "I am willing to travel and pay anyone within a reasonable distance of central NY to help me work this out."
I will second the recommendation for Marshall and he is certainly a reasonable distance from central NY.