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Learning to Roll (whitewater style) (Read 1282 times)

Chicago_Mark

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Learning to Roll (whitewater style)
Oct 23^rd, 2007, 12:53pm

I don't have any video or pictures like Joel had in the previous post, but I still thought I'd share my experiences learning to roll, in a 10-week whitewater kayaking class I'm taking in the Chicago area. We've only had two 90-minute lessons so far, but we've already begun practicing the basic elements of rolling in the shallow end of the YMCA pool. Although I wouldn't recommend anyone trying to learn rolling without the help of an experienced instructor (and I'm certainly not qualified to explain the process 100% accurately, as I'm just a beginner), I'll describe the process of learning to roll for those who may be curious. It is done in a number of steps of gradually increasing difficulty, practicing each step repeatedly until it is perfected, before progressing to the next step:

1. Sit in the kayak and practice hip snaps to make the kayak rock from side to side.

2. With the assistance of an instructor (standing to the right of the kayak), tip the kayak partially onto its right side to just a little beyond the vertical tipping point, with the instructor holding your forearms to keep you from tipping over completely, then do a hip snap, pushing up with your right knee on the thigh brace, to flip the kayak back over the vertical and to the normal upright position.

3. Sit in the kayak leaning forward slightly with both arms reaching down on the left side of the kayak (and the instructor standing to the right of the kayak), take a deep breath, and tell the instructor to tip the kayak over to the left and upside down. With the kayak inverted, your arms are then in the "setup position" for the roll. The instructor then pulls your forearms outward from the kayak, simulating how you would do a "sweep" with a paddle (if you had one). At the same time, you roll your upper torso sideways to the left so that it is leaning over the left side of the kayak. Then do a hip snap, snapping your upper torso over to the right side of the kayak and hopefully flipping the kayak back to the upright position. (The instructor may also assist some by lifting on your forearms.)

4. Repeat step 3 but with a paddle in your hands, both arms extended downward on the left side of the kayak, and the right wrist bent backwards to make the front blade of the paddle horizontal with the "power face" facing downward toward the water and the edge of the blade touching the side of the kayak. After the instructor inverts you, the instructor will guide your hands and rotate the paddle in a sweep motion, in which the blade in one hand moves outward away from the kayak and the other blade goes under the bottom of the kayak (really on top of the kayak, because the kayak is inverted). This sweeping motion of the paddle is immediately followed by a hip snap to flip the kayak upright, as before.

That last step is a little hazy in my mind, as I only got to practice it a few times, but I think I described it more or less correctly. That's all the farther I got in the last lesson. Again, I think this is something that would be difficult (or even dangerous) to attempt learning without taking classes from a qualified instructor, so a class like this is definitely worthwhile if you want to learn to roll. My only complaint so far had to do with the discomfort of having the side of the kayak jammed into my right side while practicing hip snaps repeatedly. (I noticed in the mirror this morning that I have an obvious bruise on my right side slightly to the back near the bottom of my ribs, so I'll probably ask next week if I might be doing something wrong with the hip snaps.)

Another thing I noticed is that whitewater kayaking techniques are often different from those of sea kayaking. For example: (1) During a normal forward stroke in whitewater paddling, you have a "fixed hand" (typically the right hand) that is always gripping the paddle tightly so that it can't turn, and the paddle always can turn freely in the other hand (usually the left). In sea kayaking, I've always been told to hold tightly with the hand that is pulling on the paddle and loosen the grip with the other hand, so that the hand that is gripping tightly alternates from right to left with every stroke. (2) In the whitewater kayaking forward stroke, I was told to push with the hand that is not pulling, but some sea kayaking instructors have told me that is incorrect to push with the other hand, so this might be another difference between sea and whitewater kayaking. (3) Coming out of a roll, sea kayakers may lean backwards on the deck until the kayak is upright, but this is never done in whitewater kayaking rolls--you always lean forward or sideways with your helmet facing the river bed, to protect your face from being smashed by rocks that you might pass over.

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Joel F.

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Re: Learning to Roll (whitewater style)
Reply #1 - Oct 27^th, 2007, 10:27pm

Quote from Chicago_Mark on Oct 23^rd, 2007, 12:53pm:

Another thing I noticed is that whitewater kayaking techniques are often different from those of sea kayaking. For example: (1) During a normal forward stroke in whitewater paddling, you have a "fixed hand" (typically the right hand) that is always gripping the paddle tightly so that it can't turn, and the paddle always can turn freely in the other hand (usually the left). In sea kayaking, I've always been told to hold tightly with the hand that is pulling on the paddle and loosen the grip with the other hand, so that the hand that is gripping tightly alternates from right to left with every stroke. (2) In the whitewater kayaking forward stroke, I was told to push with the hand that is not pulling, but some sea kayaking instructors have told me that is incorrect to push with the other hand, so this might be another difference between sea and whitewater kayaking. (3) Coming out of a roll, sea kayakers may lean backwards on the deck until the kayak is upright, but this is never done in whitewater kayaking rolls--you always lean forward or sideways with your helmet facing the river bed, to protect your face from being smashed by rocks that you might pass over.

The push/pull question is a matter of opinion among instructors, as far as I can tell. In Greenland style paddling, one of the things that stabilizes the blade on the forward stroke is the push from the offhand.

On the layback rolls, again, I think that's a matter of opinion. When you're in the middle of a layback roll, you're not laying back on the deck. The head is still helmet down until you're at the surface, getting ready to finish the roll. One British whitewater article I was reading said that whatever roll you choose to use is based on what will get you rightside up the fastest.

Let us know how your Sunday night pool session goes on the 28th. Looking forward to getting in the pool myself in November.

Joel F.
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Chicago_Mark

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Re: Learning to Roll (whitewater style)
Reply #2 - Oct 29^th, 2007, 1:48pm

I need to make one correction to my first posting above--the forum software will no longer let me modify it--in getting ready for the "setup position" before tipping over the kayak, the "power face" of the blade should be facing up, not down. That way, it will be correctly facing down for the sweep stroke after the kayak is tipped over.

Joel, I agree that the push/pull question in sea kayaking seems to depend on the instructor, so maybe the same would be true for whitewater kayaking. I think the accepted "best methods" of kayaking are still evolving, as I was told in my class that whitewater kayaking increased in popularity greatly during the 1970's (only 30 years ago), so in that sense maybe it's still a fairly "new" sport in terms of its development. My instructor also said that the exact motions each person uses during rolling will depend on what works best for that person, which agrees with what you wrote.

Speaking of which, we began the class yesterday watching a 1970's video by the American Red Cross that gave an introduction to identifying and properly navigating various whitewater features and hazards. We learned about eddies, rock ridges, "V" patterns that indicate open passages between rocks, "holes," "stoppers," and standing waves. However, some of the terminology and methods have changed; for example, they used a different word for "brace," and the draw stroke method in the film was different from how the draw stroke is properly taught today.

In yesterday's class they were short-handed instructors, so I only got to practice rolls for about 10 minutes. On the positive side, I did my first unassisted roll (full 360 degrees) on only my second attempt! Cool

Because the pool was only 3-4 feet deep, I think I hit the bottom of the pool with the paddle blade while doing the sweep stroke, so the instructor called it a "pole vault" and said maybe it didn't count, but it was still exhilarating to do that hip snap and actually have the kayak make it around to the upright position, without any help from the instructor!

In other good news, this week I tried a different kayak that was narrower than the one I used the week before, and this narrower kayak doesn't jab me in the ribs on my right side, no matter how strong a hip snap I do. Thus, another benefit of taking a class like this is that I can try out many different types of whitewater kayaks and find out what works best for me, before buying one myself. (I would hate to buy a whitewater kayak and only afterwards find out that it gives me bruises during rolling!)

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Chicago_Mark

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Re: Learning to Roll (whitewater style)
Reply #3 - Nov 7^th, 2007, 2:01pm

This week's kayaking class started out with a safety video called "Margin for Error" about being properly prepared for what might go wrong on a river. In the pool, we practiced draw strokes for a while and then got in line for some slalom practice doing 180-degree turns (sweep stroke) around one pole and back between a pair of poles they had hung over the pool.

However, what I really wanted to do most was more rolling practice, and the good news is that I got a lot of it this week. I've had a few different instructors help me with rolling so far, each with unique suggestions on how to practice rolling and where I need to improve my form. I attempted to follow each suggestion on exactly how to lean, how to move my paddle during the sweep, where my head should be, etc., but by the end of class I still hadn't done a real unassisted roll without "pole-vaulting" off the bottom of the pool. For my last two attempts, the instructor said "Just do a roll and don't think about what you're doing or how you're doing it." Maybe that was the best advice of all, because I ended the class with my first unassisted roll that wasn't a pole-vault!

Yesterday evening, I went to a different YMCA near where I work and paid $10 to practice rolling by myself for almost 2 hours, and I'm guessing I did about 25 rolls during that time. Although I aborted one roll with a wet exit right at the start of my practice, other than that I had a 100% success rate at getting the kayak back in the upright position after tipping it over. In the rare case that I didn't succeed on the first attempt, I simply moved my paddle back into the setup position and tried again, remaining calm, and succeeded on the second attempt. I've pretty much eliminated my pole-vaulting problem, by reaching up high with the paddle during the setup and focusing on keeping the blade above the surface of the water during at least the start of the sweep stroke (sweeping to the side rather than pushing down into the water).

I'm not sure, but I think I might still be relying on the paddle too much and not using enough hip snap, because one of the instructors told me that flipping the kayak should be done almost entirely by the hip snap and very little by the paddle. We still have 6 more classes for me to work on improving my rolling form, and of course, at some point I need to practice tipping over with my paddle not already set up in roll position (as suggested in the British whitewater article linked above).

Bringing this thread back on the topic of Traditional Skin On Frame Kayaks, at some point I'd like to attempt rolling my Madeline 16 kayak during kayak practice hours in the "larger than Olympic size pool" at UIC, which I think starts on December 5 this year. Joel, let us know if you get a chance to practice rolling in Marquette. As another option, if you can come down to Chicago on a Wednesday, maybe we could make a trip down to UIC together.

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Joel F.

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Re: Learning to Roll (whitewater style)
Reply #4 - Nov 7^th, 2007, 2:50pm

So which kayak did you use at the YMCA?

Our pool sessions begin next week, so I'm getting more antsy to get going. I'm making a list of things to practice in addition to rolling, including a number of self-rescues. I also want to try out the "weird strokes" that Jim T. showed us at the KayakFest. Swimming the kayak and the Petrussen Maneuver are also on my list.

I've tried swimming with the kayak before, and felt like I almost drowned myself, although I did manage to swim the 25 feet to shore. Like rolling, I think relaxation is the key. I was pretty tense the first time I tried swimming with it.

With the Petrussen maneuver I'm just curious if I can do it and how well it works.

Thanks for keeping us posted on your rolling progress! I'm thinking that when I come down to your place in January I'll see if we can't work that in.

Joel F.
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Chicago_Mark

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Re: Learning to Roll (whitewater style)
Reply #5 - Nov 8^th, 2007, 7:10am

The other YMCA where I practiced also had a kayak class in session, so I called the head instructor beforehand and arranged to borrow one of their extra student kayaks. It was a Perception Dancer, a very old kayak, but worked well for me. My only minor complaints were that (1) it didn't seem to have suitable thigh braces for anchoring my knees, because my knees slipped around from side to side a lot during hip snaps and other maneuvers, and (2) it was more difficult to enter and exit because of its very shallow profile. The kayak I'm using in my classes, a Dagger Crossfire, is better in both regards. The original one that gave me bruises during hip snaps was a Dagger RPM, by the way. They have about a dozen different whitewater kayaks at my class, so I hope to try out more of them and take notes on what is good and bad about each one.

I should also review and practice what we learned in Jim's workshops. I just wish I had taken notes on the 5 or 6 specific items he said to focus on during the forward stroke, because I can't remember them all now. Sad

Swimming the kayak and the Petrussen Maneuver would be interesting to try. It looks like they both would require a PFD, something I don't generally have during pool practice. On Tuesday, some other guys that were practicing showed me the bow rescue and let me try it once, and I agree it would be more convenient to swim the kayak until someone can give you a bow rescue. I'm not sure how effective it would be for me though--no matter how tightly I tie the spray skirt, I always seem to accumulate more and more water in my kayak each time I tip or capsize (even though the elastic is very tight around the coaming), requiring me to empty the kayak periodically during pool practice. Huh

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Joel F. Owner There's More Than One Way To Skin A Boat! Posts: 1738 Gender:	Re: Learning to Roll (whitewater style) Reply #6 - Nov 9^th, 2007, 8:12am New whitewater park may be built on the Fox River: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=73390&src=5
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Chicago_Mark

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Re: Learning to Roll (whitewater style)
Reply #7 - Nov 10^th, 2007, 8:41am

Yes, there's been a lot of talk lately in Chicago area kayaking circles about the proposed Aurora whitewater park, and a paddle and media event to promote the park was held the following weekend after we attended Kayakfest. I didn't make it to the event, as I'm fairly new to whitewater kayaking and haven't been following these things very closely. That's a good newspaper article to catch up on the latest news. I imagine that even if I never become a serious whitewater kayaker, I'll someday try out the whitewater park in Aurora or Rockford, wherever they end up building one.

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