Depends
On wind and waves…which side will work best. There should be no “weaker” side. It doesn’t take strength to roll. Rolling is All about technique.
Best Wishes
Roy
Where conditions
such as wind, rocks or another kayak might prevent you from using your strong side.
Full disclose: I practice using both sides, but personally I am far better going to my strong or right side. In fact after further analysis every successful “combat” (in real conditions) roll I have completed has been to my right. When truly in the soup that’s the side I will automatically go to.
Oddly enough I brace and scull for support better on my left or “off-side”. I have no idea as to why?
rolling on both sides
Generally I almost always use a layback roll (standard Greenland roll) on my “strong” side, if it fails after 2 attempts I switch to my other side with the assumption that something is physically impeding my roll on one side.
What could cause this? You could be trying to roll up into a strong side-wind that is pushing you back over (rolling up on the other side would allow the wind to give you a boost to make the roll easier).
In fact, at the Greenland competition, if there is a strong wind, you will see competitors orienting their kayak so that they capsize away from the wind and roll up into it, to have the wind as an ally. This is a good trick when practicing difficult rolls (in a sheltered area), when you just need a little help.
This can also happen due to a current, but generally if you just wait a few moments your kayak will reach the same speed as the current, and you can roll up on the side of your choice.
You could have a weird deck load that prevents the kayak from fully capsizing, so you might need to roll up on the other side.
You could have a physical obstruction (rock, tree, etc) on one side that prevents you from rolling on that side.
I’m sure others will think of additional examples. The point is that having options increases your safety.
Greg Stamer
It’s Quicker and Easier
– Last Updated: Nov-16-16 4:14 PM EST –
to just come up on the side that nature made you 'set up' in. Think of it this way, when a wave knocks you over one hand is going to be in front of the other... one end of the paddle is going to go forward. Rather than move the paddle to your preferred side while underwater, just roll up where mother nature set you up. Makes life easy.
Once you get a reliable roll on your 'good' side start working on your weaker side. From that point on for every roll or brace you do on one side do one on the other side until there is no preference.
This rolling and bracing thing has very little to do with strength. It's just a timing thing and all it takes is practice to get comfortable on both sides.
what kudzu said
You’ll find yourself in situations where rolling up from the easiest side will be easier than moving into a position that facilitates your strong-side roll. For example, rolling back up in the surf zone.
Everyone begins with an off or a weak side, ideally they just have to work to develop it to the point where it’s no longer weak or “off-side”. I still spend more time bracing and rolling on my offside than my strong side.
Ayup, it is not strength
– Last Updated: Nov-16-16 6:16 PM EST –
Has absolutely nothing to do with it most times, especially for women. We already have our weight distributed better for rolling than guys, inside the boat. There are situations where some strength may be needed. But someone who is relying on muscling up in a fairly easy rolling situation is likely to have technique problems that get fatal in a really challenging situation.
Lower body starts and that is not going to be so one sided in terms of strength.
I happen to be a bit less flexible on my left side, but what mostly makes that side harder has been that I am really, really right sided. So I had to break thru some spatial disorientation for the left side that was not an issue on the right. Totally opposite for my husband, in fact never did get solid on his right side. He was a hugely dominant leftie.
That is if you stay on the back
I first learned a modified sweep ending with my torso forward, so the head has to stay down.
But the basic rule is the same, whatever type of roll you are going for, keep the weight of the head out of the equation.
Thank you, good mentors.
The only time I’ve seen someone successfully roll was in the pool a couple of winters ago. A guy in a Betsy Bay Dirk. It looked strenuous to me but if that’s not the case, all the better as shoulder injury is a concern.
A high brace wasn’t covered in my L2 class. I’ve never done one. I’ve got books that cover it as well as videos. Should I learn it?
High brace and rolling
A safely executed high brace is used in a number of approaches to rolling. Safely executed means that you never, ever violate the basic box. However it is common for new people to do that , especially working alone, hence shoulder injuries.
It really depends on what kind of roll you want to start with. A Euro paddle high brace has no use at all in a Greenland style roll, for that matter the more dramatic hip snap action that applies in a lot of Euro paddle based rolls is not a big deal in Greenland either.
Rookie, I can’t help but get the image that you think of the roll as focused on your upper body. That is the least important part of it. It is also unfortunately the part that dominates when you look at a video, since see the lower body action is more subtle and occurs inside the boat. You are also getting images of doing it from a lot of sources at once, where specific steps may differ based on the approach you are using.
Is there any way that you could get to a single place to get help to start your roll, just to get you going consistently at first. Once you understand it and have some successes under your belt, it is a lot easier to mess around with variations in the execution.
Probably not until next year.
– Last Updated: Nov-16-16 10:36 PM EST –
I've been looking for a coach but the weather is changing as snow and high winds are forecast this weekend. The recommended instructors are all in the U.P., about four hours north. Colder up there than down here.
I know of pool sessions in Kalamazoo, but that's about 250 miles south and they run Sunday evenings. My alarm rings at 6 a.m. weekdays.
While the upper body is involved since your hands hold the paddle, I'm more interested in the hip action and find Greg's instructions and land drill a good base to work from, so that's what I'll practice on land and even in the water here at home. Hanging onto a dock at first and then maybe with my stick for support. Only this time I'll make sure my sprayskirt is attached.
I would never, ever attempt to try a roll unless I had a coach I trusted to lead me.
Edit: this is more along the lines I'm thinking of, except using a dock for support: http://www.sherrikayaks.com/2010/02/22/the-all-important-hip-snap/
And a paddle instead of a paddle float because the water's getting quite cold.
Wish Someone Had Told Me
– Last Updated: Nov-17-16 7:08 AM EST –
early on to bring my boat upright with my knee or thigh. That 'hip snap' idea works for some folks and for the C to C roll. For a lot of us, and for a back deck roll, using the knee or thigh produces better results. My on land exercise was to do a silly march up the stairs at work... when no one was looking. Think of the guy that leads a marching band. That exaggerated knee lift and twist from side to side. That's the motion that rolls a boat up for me. No joke.
Maybe I shouldn't share this here but what the heck; once you learn to roll with a lot of lower body motion you absolutely can roll with just about no lower body involved. Eric Jackson used the term 'paddle dexterity' to describe the power and finesse you can get out of it. I know it's blasphemous but it's true.
The
Same move, of the hip, that is used in Dancing {Rumba, Salsa} rolls the boat.
There are two kinds of kayaks {as far as rolling is concerned} A log roller and a plank roller
The log roller just takes a gentle nudge to roll and can be rolled quire smooth and quite slow.{slow and sultry works}
The plank roller takes a little more “Salsa” hip and does a flop over.
Best Wishes
Roy
Practice make…
Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice only made permanent. That goes for both good habits and bad habits.
So I wouldn’t put too much into those “land drills”. They’re useful to get the right idea to your brain. I don’t believe “practicing” those a lot is going to do much. May even “made permanent” some bad habits. Personally, I feel anything solid and connected to the ground is a bad thing to “practice” on. They don’t “give” like water…
It may make more sense to go south for a weekend and work with a GOOD instructor to get it going. For many people who’re average flexible and not too afraid of water, it’s a good chance to roll up after a weekend.
Then go home and practice on THAT!
Thanks for your input.
The land drill exercise described by Greg Stamer turns into a nice core exercise if you don’t use your arm for support. I figure anything that helps strengthen my core will be beneficial for paddling.
Driving south for a weekend isn’t really an option as the pool sessions are Sunday nights from 7 to 9 pm, which would put me back home around 1 a.m. (barring snowstorms), where I’d have to unload my boat and gear.
I don’t function well at work with four hours of sleep so I’ll stick to my plan on working what I can work on for the next few months, then head north for instruction.
In just 35 days, the dark days will get lighter and the light will be longer as we approach spring.
So simple…
Kicking a dead horse here, but why didn’t anyone point me here?
https://paddling.com/learn/teaching-the-roll/
Same info appears here in the Articles
– Last Updated: Nov-17-16 9:14 PM EST –
tab, under the technique section.
http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showCategory.html?category=12
Maybe it wasn't mentioned because few have read it?