I would like to be able to abandon my nose plugs, which I use for rolling practice. What techniques are available to comfortably roll without the wet boarding sensation of not using plugs?
Hold your breath
Seriuosly, when I learned I didn’t use nose clips. In real life, having to roll when you least expect it really doesn’t give you time to put the nose clipa on.
Try This…
Breathe out slowly through your nose as you roll.
But… I put my nose plugs on last summer when I paddled through Bear Inlet. It looked like I might get knocked over and by God I did get knocked over.
Go play in the ocean …
much less annoying than pool water up your sinuses.
Reverse the flow
Gently exhale through your nostrils. You’ll still get some water in there but not as much as without this tactic.
I’ll keep wearing my noseclips for practice. The times I’ve forgotten to put them on, or they’ve come off underwater (thanks to slippery sunblock), I did the bubble-nostril bit and rolled up anyway.
i agree
salt water doesn’t hurt - head to the ocean. And since you are dressed like a ninja - you are protected from the jellyfish
Is it just me …
or is there something a little odd about folks who dress up in leather to go roll their kayaks but only do it in pools and calm water?
True Kudzu
but you also rolled back up like a champ. if it hadn’t been for you and Jay, I wouldn’t have pushed my self to surf, crash, and roll.
Hope We Can Go Again Soon
I acquired a helmet a while back for those shallow places.
yep. any swimmers here?
My own experience is that people with swimming experience/familiarity of strokes have committed this technique to memory.
I don’t get it
why so many people rely on nose clips?
nose clips
because getting your sinuses flushed with river water can mess up your sinuses quite a bit.
for long sessions clips rule
I’m fine with some water up my nose and with some simple exhaling can keep it down. But still being upside down a lot over a few hours can add up and you spend the next 24 hours draining every time you bend down to tie your shoes so clips are nice.
Use a snorkel mask for rolling practice
Problem solved. Some say that practice should mimic reality, but I’ve found that when reality bites the lack of a mask does not prevent me from rolling.
exhale technique
I don’t inhale any water through my nose even after hours of rolling in fresh or salt water…
I prefer to exhale slowly… and can stay upside down for a long time if necessary when waiting for a bow resque, reenter and roll, on or off side roll, etc…
Say what you want but you won’t always have nose clips when you need them…
Mask good for troubleshooting
I keep the mask handy in case I think the roll could use some tweaking even though I’m rolling up. Donning the mask and opening my eyes sometimes tells me immediately what to improve. Then I do it again immediately, with closed eyes, several times, to reinforce the body movement memory.
fresh or salt water?
Big difference. Fresh water really stings. You weren’t designed to be upside down under water. I use them with no fear that anything different is going to occur if I really have to roll up without them. The one thing that no nose plugs can sometimes do is make you rush things a bit and not be as relaxed as you would with them.
Uh, because the water is cold
I don’t have enough experience in pools to speak on those, but lakes and ponds do get cold.
Some neighbors keep a greenhoused pool unheated. They wear wetsuits while swimming, instead of burning fuel to heat the water.
Rolling is not easy
Now that I’ve learned to roll, I can learn to do it without nose clips. Why learn both things at the same time?
So why do some people say bad things about people who wear nose clips? Yes, it’s good to be able to roll in combat but the nose clips will do nothing to help or hinder the learning of “muscle memory” needed to do rolls without thinking. Only repetition can do that.
Dave
consider your social situations later
I don’t use nose clips, but am almost always in the ocean. I find salt water rinsing of the sinuses pleasant. However, it is truly amazing how much salt water can come out for hours later - and how suddenly - especially in certain positions you might find yourself in during a romantic evening.