Some Of My Kayak Rolling Hints
 -- Stevie McAllister

I am not a rolling expert, but since I enjoy rolling and coach/mentor and practice regularly, I have some opinions/hints that I have learned from rolling experts and non-experts and what I have learned from my own experience.


Why learn to roll a kayak?

Rolling is fun.

Rolling is good exercise. It improves your flexibility.

Rolling improves paddling confidence and skills.

Rolling makes you a better paddle partner. Nobody is going to have to come to your rescue when you go over.

Rolling is by far the easiest, safest and fastest rescue to perform in a kayak. Instead of spending time perfecting other self rescues, spend the time learning to roll.

Rolling is the only self rescue that works reliably in rough seas. Two person rescues like the T-rescues work OK in rough water, but rolling is less stressful and safer.

It is generally not recommended to go into rough conditions without a roll as other rescues can be difficult and/or dangerous.


Some tips

When learning to roll, try to ignore your instincts. They are wrong. Rolling is not intuitive. Your conscious mind should be in charge, not your subconscious.

It is by far easier to learn rolling with the help of a rolling instructor than a book or video.

Rolling videos can be helpful. The most effective rolling video that I know of is Greenland Rolling With Dubside - Paddling.net and others carry this. I know a few people who have really improved their rolling skills from watching this. It is one of the very few rolling videos that teaches using the traditional steps that makes learning easier.

Right the kayak first, then the body. Your instinct will try to do otherwise. Fight the instinct.

Roll with your lower body, not with your upper body. Do not pull down on the paddle, pull up to the paddle with your legs and torso and fight the natural instinct to do otherwise.

Since rolling is a lower body exercise, any upper body pain is a sign that your technique is wrong. Again, focus on the lower body.

Keep your arms in close and do not extend them. Extending the arms can be instinctive, but is a detriment and can cause shoulder injuries.

It is easier to roll a kayak full of water than a dry one. It is often easier to get the mechanics down without a skirt (bulkheads or floatbags required) and then work up to a dry kayak with skirt. This is  especially helpful if you don't have a partner to help.

If you have a problem keeping your head down at the end of the roll, think about keeping your knee pressure on the knee brace all the way through to the end of the roll. Your head will stay down automatically.
This is the #1 reasons why people fail their roll. Do you find that you get almost all the way up, only to fall back over?

If you are in a kayak that is hard to roll because it has a high deck or has nothing for the knees to grab, sliding forward before you roll up can make a big difference. You can slide back into the paddling position after you are back up after the roll.

Some people find opening their eyes underwater while wearing goggles helps to learn a first roll. This is a crutch, so make sure you roll without the goggles after the roll is mastered.

Some paddlers can get vertigo from rolling practice in cool water. Wearing a neoprene hood, tuilik or ear plugs can help a lot. This is another crutch, always roll without these crutches every now and then.

Nose plugs can help dealing with nose/sinus irritation and can extend your rolling time and reduces the red eyes and running nose after a rolling session. Again, this is a crutch so be sure you do a few rolls without them from time to time.

Try to learn to roll when you first get into paddling. It helps improve your paddling skills and confidence. Traditionally, the Inuit taught rolling before a person was allowed to paddle. A wet exit is not an option in arctic waters.


If you already have a roll

Try to practice rolling every time you are on the water. It helps keep it reliable. If you don't have a 100% bombproof roll, have somebody spot you to do a bow rescue.

Try to learn other variations.

Do most of your rolling practice on your off-side. If you have an audience and don't want to embarrass yourself, roll on your on-side.

Do not consider a wet exit an option, even if you are out of air as is usually the case in a real world situation. Rolling will get you to the surface quicker than a wet exit.

Be careful not to scare people when rolling. Roll in a group of other people, not alone. An upturned solo kayak means a capsize to many people and they will call the police or coast guard.

Learn to incorporate sculling into your roll. It can help speed up the setup and can make the roll continuous and more reliable.

Consider learning to scull on your back Greenland style. This can be done with all styles of paddles and the paddle doesn't have to be extended. It can also be done in high decked recreation and white water kayaks. This skill helps improve rolling and bracing.

Practice rolling without setting up. There are many creative ways to do that. Put your paddle under the deck lines or hold the paddle vertical before capsize are examples. This will help provide the experience you need for rolling in real conditions.

For most layback rolls, after you capsize, rotate your body 90 degrees facing up, shoulders and head back and back arched, you will practically float to the surface, making rolling much easier and more reliable. The Greenland side skull and balance brace helps teach this position.

You can practice rough water exercises in a pool by having someone grab your stern and try to knock you over without warning you as to which side they will tip you. This can progress from easy to very difficult depending on how sadistic you want your assistant to be. Practice seeing how rough you can go.


A common opinion

All the top rolling experts I know recommend learning in steps.
The Inuit perfected methods of learning rolling over hundreds of years and their methods have proven to be the easiest way to learn for most people. They start with rotation and confidence exercises first and then work up to "The Standard Greenland Roll"(Pawlatta).

The more advanced rolls like the C-to-C, Sweep/Screw, Storm and many others can then be learned as a next step.
It is better to have an easy reliable roll in the beginning so you can always roll up when you fail the more advanced rolls.

Many people will argue this as bad advice on the grounds that the extended paddle and layback are bad habits, but I know very few people who have mastered the Standard Greenland roll first that didn't master more advanced rolls soon after. There is nothing wrong with learning to crawl before you learn to walk.


A good rolling cross reference:
http://en.kayakwiki.org/index.php/List_of_kayak_rolls