Too much food before rolling, ugh
Yeah, that would foul things up alright. I’ve had sessions in which I regretted having eaten certain things for breakfast, even though all it did was make me burp a little. It feels extra-unpleasant when upside-down or in-between.
I do have a GP, one I made in a Don Beale class. I do like it; in fact I like the feel of its loom and shoulders MUCH better than I do Euro paddles. But I like the bite of Euro paddles better. I’m keeping the GP for more committed practice later on. Stay tuned in the future 
true
but completely unnecessary…
Weird but not difficult
– Last Updated: Sep-16-07 6:02 PM EST –
OK, I did my first half-paddle roll yesterday. Came up fine but almost kept going!
The half-paddle feels weird because it's so light. I agree with the comments about it being nice not having the inactive blade and the extra shaft length possibly getting in the way. Gotta practice this one more, and sculling it too.
In the process of trying it, one thing became very clear: I am going to get one of those paddle-shaft-end-stow tubes. It was impossible, when seated in the kayak, to insert the half-paddle so the tube end was pointed forward, using just the deck bungies.
Tried it Today
Couldn’t quite manage it. Almost made it on my first attempt, and it got worse from there. It felt like my reach was suffering due to having both hands on just half the shaft. Any suggestions?
I haven’t yet learned a norsaq or angel (butterfly?) roll. I’ve made a lot of progress this year, so maybe I’ll save this for next year
On the plus side I got to play around with a GP all afternoon. Found it very easy to roll with.
don’t try so hard
If you almost had it and then it got worse three things come to mind. First, your muscles fatigued a great deal after each attempt making the following attempt less successful. I really doubt this was the case since that would mean you barely have enough strength to perform 1 or 2 rolls with a ‘normal’ paddle. Second, you started trying to muscle your way up and sacrificed technique. Third, when you didn’t achieve the roll the first time you ‘psyched’ yourself out. Each unsuccessful attempt reinforced the belief that you could not roll.
My gut is that it was a combination of reasons 2 and 3. If you are relying on ‘reach’ to perform a roll then I would work on technique. But, you always need to believe that you can do the roll.
Yes
Definitely not fatigued, as I went on to perform “normal” rolls the rest of the day.
I suspect it was mostly psychological, as you indicated. Whenever I have trouble with a roll I like to think about it for a few days and see if I can diagnose it. I know I’ll get it eventually.
Thanks for the help
Update
Tried again today - did it easily! I think last weekend it was just all in my head. Also tried stowing the paddle half in the fore bungies and retrieving it underwater. No problem.
Thanks all -
easy but…
then you’ll want to learn to paddle at least half decently with that half paddle. if you are doing this on flat water for fun, no biggie, but if you think you want to rely on a half paddle roll and subsequent paddling on the open sea, in conditions that forced you to capsize, that’s an entirely different skill set. proficient canoeists may be well off, but unless one has practiced big water half blade paddling, you’d be in a world of hurt. my thoughts on the matter are never let go of your paddle, never, ever, because any of the alternatives are highly problematic.
Yes
That’s what I started thinking about on the way home. I do hope to ingrain the habit of never letting go of my paddle in the first place.
I thought it might have a practical application, but so far it’s just for fun on flat water.
to a Greenlander
I dont think paddling all day with a Storm paddle would be an deal at all.
Lessen to others and mostly SELF, hang upside down in the kayak increasing your time down-under, while there twist and lean in all directions. Maybe a Rubiks cube, tie and unti shoestring, whatever to engage the mind in a puzzle while there…it’s good for the brain I think picturing things in another dimension.
There is no reason you can’t have EP Splits on front, storm paddle and extra GP on the back and a 4 piece in the hull or any combination you deem fruitfull.