30 years ago I could roll reliably on either side. Now, late 70’s, I practice less and miss some. So I have been focusing on things to keep in mind while upside down setting up for a sweep roll:
Very hard to remember all of them under water. What do you try to remember?
@gjf12 said:
30 years ago I could roll reliably on either side. Now, late 70’s, I practice less and miss some. So I have been focusing on things to keep in mind while upside down setting up for a sweep roll:
- Pressure on knee from the start.
- Sweep with whole body, not just arms.
- Head turned toward working end of blade at the end.
- Inboard arm does NOT punch out, but ends near chin so blade does not dive.
Very hard to remember all of them under water. What do you try to remember?
Rolling anytime at your age is an accomplishment. You da man!
@string said to @gjf12
Rolling anytime at your age is an accomplishment. You da man!
I’ll be 78 in December. I think this is a 70’s thread.
This is a senior site in general.
I’ve been thinking about writing a book, or rather a series of books. I’ve got the titles figured out: Let’s Roll, That’s Not How I Roll, Roll On, What’s Your Roll, Keep On Rolling With The Flow, Roll, Roll, Roll Your Boat,
Maybe I’ll have to do some research and see if any of these have already been used.
Guess I better not comment on anything…I’m only 66 {just a young, know nothing, pup }
Roll Over, Roll Up, Right Way to Right Yourself
For either the C-to-C roll or the sweep roll, the first thing I think about is getting good extension up toward the surface with my paddle and hands out of the water if possible, and my helmet breaking the surface, if possible. Also making sure the orientation of my sweeping paddle blade is correct relative to the surface of the water. I will typically maintain a slight climbing angle, although some contend a neutral angle is better.
On the whitewater sweep roll, I will usually move the sweeping blade a little out from the boat (about a foot) before engaging the knee on the side of the sweeping blade. As I sweep the blade I try to concentrate on maintaining the correct paddle blade angle and keeping the sweeping blade as close to the water surface as possible by maintaining good extension of the arm and torso on the side of the sweeping blade. I also think about smoothly rolling the wrist holding the non-sweeping side of the paddle back to maintain the proper blade orientation.
As I come up out of the water I think about rolling both wrists back to keep the paddle shaft close to the upper torso, ending the sweep in the rear quadrant of the boat (maybe about 110 degrees off the center line of the boat) with my chin on the shoulder of the arm holding the sweeping side of the paddle, looking straight down the paddle shaft slightly toward the back of the boat.
Rolling on the River
I’m dated.
Kudos to you!
Mary would be proud! B)
I suffered from diving paddle and was told to reach for the sky. For some reason that worked
"As I sweep the blade I try to concentrate on maintaining the correct paddle blade angle and keeping the sweeping blade as close to the water surface as possible by maintaining good extension of the arm and torso on the side of the sweeping blade. "
pblanc,
I find your post very helpful. The above quote is the only part not so. I don’t have a sense of the correct blade angle during the sweep. Only at the end do I realize if it was wrong, and then it is too late. So I don’t know how to ‘concentrate’ on maintaining the angle.
BEFORE. Take the deep breath BEFORE I go over.
Joking aside… I second what pblanc said. When doing a C to C I think of it as ‘tensioning the spring’ when I bend up toward the surface. Then I ‘release the spring’ when I flick the boat up with my knee and straighten up.
@gjf12 said:
"As I sweep the blade I try to concentrate on maintaining the correct paddle blade angle and keeping the sweeping blade as close to the water surface as possible by maintaining good extension of the arm and torso on the side of the sweeping blade. "pblanc,
I find your post very helpful. The above quote is the only part not so. I don’t have a sense of the correct blade angle during the sweep. Only at the end do I realize if it was wrong, and then it is too late. So I don’t know how to ‘concentrate’ on maintaining the angle.
I think maintaining the correct blade angle relative to the surface requires a smooth, progressive rolling of the wrists. Either a neutral angle or a slight climbing angle will work. What you don’t want is a diving angle that will cause the blade to submarine.
You can make sure your blade is correctly angled at the start by checking it before you capsize. And you can practice rolling in a clear pool with googles or a dive mask that allow you to actually see your blade as you sweep. An observer can also tell you if you are doing it right.
Of course, in practice when you have to roll you won’t have the luxury of carefully setting your blade angle before you capsize, you usually won’t be able to see your blade as you sweep, or have an observer on hand. Moreover, your paddle might have gotten knocked a bit loose in your grip as you go over. So this all has to become muscle memory through practice.
Fortunately, most paddle blades are ovalized to allow you to orient the blade faces by feel without looking. So a good thing to practice is letting loose of the paddle, regrasping it, and reorienting the blades before you roll up.
You euro guys roll so funny. Iam amazed you ever make it up. Learn a proper greenland roll and its effortless. You look a straight up toward the sky while your shoulders are flat on the water.Looking at the paddle means you get zero flotation from your body. But hey if it works for you great job. Iam a youngster in my 50’s.
@dc9mm said:
… Learn a proper greenland roll and its effortless. You look a straight up toward the sky while your shoulders are flat on the water…
Nowadays, I almost exclusively use one of my GP’s. However, a ‘proper’ greenland roll is impossible because I cannot get my back and head anywhere close to the back deck, nor can I twist enough to get my shoulders flat on the water. I wish I could.
Different strokes/rolls for different folks. How many Greenland paddles do you see used on white water or with canoes? I paddled the Enoree River Saturday with two other guys. Two of us were in high end solo canoes, and one in a recreational kayak. We all had a great time. Different strokes for sure. Now I do agree that Greenland kayaks and wooden paddles make a fine rolling combo.
@castoff said:
Different strokes/rolls for different folks. How many Greenland paddles do you see used on white water or with canoes? I paddled the Enoree River Saturday with two other guys. Two of us were in high end solo canoes, and one in a recreational kayak. We all had a great time. Different strokes for sure. Now I do agree that Greenland kayaks and wooden paddles make a fine rolling combo.
You had perfected the half roll, last time I checked .