Kayaking - rolling
16/02/09 Filed in: Miscellaneous
My goal for the past summer was to learn a reliable kayak ( Eskimo ) roll. At the time I could roll maybe once or twice every ten attempts. Now, due to plenty practice, it’s pretty much rock solid and the goal was achieved. Of course, there is room for improvement...
The switch between poor reliability and solid occurred literally overnight. Everything seemed to come together at once, as if everything was working in harmony - i.e., hip flick, paddle sweep, etc.
I was ecstatic.
A friend and I were practising over a weekend during the summer and I had my camera with me, so we took a movie of us each performing rolls. We found it was very useful to critique later.
As can be seen from above, there is plenty of room for improvement.
I have been able to practice rolling again during in-pool practice sessions this winter and thanks to the great help from the Kayak Centre instructors, the rolls have improved further. The paddle no longer dives deeply into the water, but instead stays shallow during the sweep. Also, I’ve managed to slow the roll down and it is now virtually effortless.
If I did capsize, would I have the presence of mind to attempt a roll, or be able to roll in the conditions? For this, I’ll have to keep practising...
I was ecstatic.
A friend and I were practising over a weekend during the summer and I had my camera with me, so we took a movie of us each performing rolls. We found it was very useful to critique later.
I have been able to practice rolling again during in-pool practice sessions this winter and thanks to the great help from the Kayak Centre instructors, the rolls have improved further. The paddle no longer dives deeply into the water, but instead stays shallow during the sweep. Also, I’ve managed to slow the roll down and it is now virtually effortless.