ROLLING: THE FOUNDATION OF ADVANCED PADDLING
by Ken Rasmussen
In Greenland the traditional method of kayak instruction begins with
the sculling brace, progresses to the roll, then the strokes, and
finally, the student can go paddling. In our culture we begin by going
paddling, and often progress no further. That is why we tend to be
inefficient and vulnerable paddlers. Those of us who get training often
stop short of learning to roll, and very few learn to brace effectively.
If you want to learn to paddle effectively in a short period of time
it would be good to base your training program upon the Greenland
method, with a couple of modifications. The Greenland boats are very low
volume, and the paddles are exceptionally buoyant. Consequently, the Greenland boats
are much easier to learn to brace and roll than ours. Our boats can be
rolled easily enough, but the sculling brace is more difficult, and
should be learned after rolling.
Comfort in water: A prerequisite for rolling:
I have taught a number of people to roll. Some learn in a few
minutes, some never learn. You might suppose that athletic ability and
coordination would be the difference, but surprisingly, it is not. There
are two reasons why many people fail to learn to roll easily. Rolling is
physically easy, but mentally tricky. Cultivating a confident state of
mind is the most important aspect of rolling. It is crucial that the
student be able to function comfortably under water before trying to
learn to roll. I no longer attempt to teach rolling until I have had the
student perform some underwater tasks. The student must be able to swim
underwater with eyes open. (A face mask or nose plugs may be worn.) I
like to have the student locate and pick up items from the bottom and
bring them to the surface. I have the student tie knots underwater,
reenter his kayak upside down, and capsize and slip a paddle float onto
his paddle before exiting the cockpit. When the student can demonstrate
proficiency at these tasks he is ready to roll. A student who is
uncomfortable in the water needs to become comfortable by means of
swimming lessons, water polo, snorkeling, scuba diving or similar
activities before he learns to roll.
The importance of cockpit fitting:

An unsuitable boat is an almost universal barrier to rolling. Most
kayaks can be rolled if they are properly fit to the paddler. Even boats
which fit fairly well can usually be dramatically improved by making hip
and knee braces out of foam. The hip braces prevent the paddler from
slipping sideways in the seat. The knee braces provide a secure grip on
the underside of the deck. Some seat backs may prevent the paddler from
being able to stretch back onto the rear deck, making some braces and
rolls difficult to do. Many paddlers install backbands to correct the
problem. I prefer to remove the original seat from my kayaks, and build
my own seat, hip braces, knee braces, and install a backband. That
enables me to control all elements of comfort, fit, and trim. I cover
all surfaces with a high friction fabric for additional grip. For
detailed instructions on custom fitting a cockpit see the
"Instructions" elsewhere in this website. A good job of custom
fitting makes rolling, bracing, and leaned turns much easier. Rough
weather paddling, surf, and strong currents become less daunting. Don’t
waste your time or money on rolling classes until you’ve done a good
job of outfitting your cockpit. All aspects of paddling improve with
custom outfitting. It is the most significant performance improvement
that can be made to an otherwise good boat.
Choosing a boat for rolling and advanced strokes:
When choosing a kayak for advanced paddling, avoid boats in which the
back of the combing is too high or too far forward, making it hard to
lay back on the rear deck. Such a boat can be a hazard in waves. I’ve
been pounded flat onto the rear deck by a breaking wave. I might have
broken my spine if my combing had been high in back. The front of the
cockpit needs to cover enough of the knee and thigh to make it possible
to attach good knee braces. Avoid excessively stable boats because they
require more effort to roll upright. They can be rolled, but it is
difficult to be certain that they will roll every time. You want to be
certain that your roll will always work. If you can’t be confident in
your roll it will not be reliable in emergency situations. Any kayak can
be knocked over, regardless of the stability designed into the boat. You
want to be certain that you can recover. Since you are planning to
become a skillful paddler you can defend yourself with technique. A
medium or low stability boat will be safest because it will be
impossible to keep you down if you should be knocked over. A low volume
boat with low rear deck is the easiest for learning to do the sculling
brace. Large boats are much harder to scull. Sometimes it helps to leave
the skirt off so the cockpit will take on water, making the boat less
buoyant. Rolling and bracing are not your only concerns because you may
need a larger boat to carry camping gear, but it is better not to get
too large a boat. Size is relative. To a big person with a high center
of gravity, a large boat might have medium stability. A small
person with a low center of gravity might find medium stability in a
small, narrow boat that would seem tippy to a larger person.
Choosing an optimal paddle for sculling, rolling, and
the forward stroke:
Although composite paddles (fiberglass and carbon fiber) have become
the norm due to the low weight of those materials, you might wish to own a wooden paddle in order to bolster your
rolling and bracing skills. Wooden paddles have buoyant blades. Since
these have more thickness than most composite paddles, they will produce
lift when sculled sideways if the blade is correctly designed. A well
designed wooden paddle is
distinctly better for rolling. It is shocking to realize how much easier
the sculling brace is when an optimal paddle is used. Wooden paddles also
have an indescribable "feel" when paddling which can be
addictive. I’ve been noticing that many excellent paddlers are going
back to wood. When selecting length, don’t buy too long. Knowledgeable
paddlers usually use 205 to 220 centimeters unless they are in a very
wide boat. Short paddles are conducive to a high angle, quick cadence
stroke that is less strenuous, especially into a head wind. An
outward slice with a paddle that sculls well will add lift to the
forward stroke. The slice also makes it easy to flick the paddle out of
the water. The flick throws the drops of water off of the blade
and helps to set up for the catch of the other blade. (Kayakfit has been
testing a variety of paddles to find which are best for rolling.
Read
Choosing an Optimal
Paddle for Touring, Bracing, and Rolling for details. The Grey
Owl Spindrift is the most successful paddle we've discovered for rolling
and general touring use. The Spindrift is available on our
Products
page.)
Strategies for learning easily:
It is easiest to learn rolling from a good instructor. I was taught
by John Meyer of Northwest Outdoor Center in Seattle. I was getting
rolls in about 10 minutes. I am not a particularly fast learner, but I
am very comfortable in the water. A person who is genuinely comfortable
in the water, working with a good instructor, can expect to make rapid
progress. It is important for the student and instructor to understand
the normal learning curve. When performing a new task the student will
improve for a few minutes, then he will reach a plateau, and, after a
few more minutes, will get worse. It is important to rest or work on a
different exercise when progress ceases. If the effort continues too
long the student will become discouraged. Confidence will be undermined,
and confidence is the primary ingredient in the rolling recipe. Rescues
make good alternative activities to practice when a rest from rolling or
bracing is needed. Need we add that comfortable water temperature
helps? Don't hesitate to use a mask or noseplugs when practicing.
Maintaining confidence in the roll:
Many of us quit practicing after we succeed in getting a few rolls in
the pool. That is a serious mistake! Continue to practice until you can
roll equally well on either side. Perfect your technique until the
motion is easy and natural. The roll should require no more effort that
getting off of the sofa, and should be just as certain. Learn to roll
with the paddle in extended and normal positions. The extended paddle
roll will be your secret weapon, giving you a huge surplus of extra
support (and confidence) in case you need to make a 2nd attempt. Even
after you can roll perfectly, continue to practice to maintain the roll.
The roll doesn’t require practice, but you have to maintain your level
of confidence in order to perform it properly in an emergency. I roll a
few times whenever I paddle. If this sounds uncomfortable to you, you
may not be dressing adequately, a mistake that has claimed the lives of
many paddlers. If you are paddling in cold water and wearing a drysuit, you can keep cool
on a hot day by rolling periodically. That way you’ll be able to stay
comfortable and safe, and you won’t die of skin cancer (from too much
exposure to strong sunlight) several years later.
Learning to brace well:
As soon as you can roll fairly well you can begin to learn to brace.
It is much easier to learn bracing when you can roll because you can
recover from failed braces with a roll. People who can’t roll are
reluctant to jeopardize their balance, so their braces don’t amount to
much. When you know how to roll you can learn to brace back up from a
knocked down position by means of a high brace. The sculling brace can
be used to recover even if the head and torso are submerged. The
sculling brace and the roll complement each other. The sculling brace
enables one to recover from many capsizes without the necessity of
rolling. The sculling brace can be used to salvage a bad sweep, saving a
roll that would not work otherwise. The sculling brace also gives a way
to rest, compose oneself, and breathe.
Protecting yourself from hazards:
It is very important to learn to brace and roll without overextending
the shoulder joint. Many of us figure this out too late, after we’ve
already injured a shoulder. Don’t let your elbows get too far from
your ribs and you’ll be safe. I don’t try too hard to prevent a
capsize if I’m falling fast. It is better to allow your body to strike
the water than to strain yourself. The water will decelerate you
painlessly, and then you can bounce back up, uninjured. Don’t allow
your ear to come down flat against the water when falling. If you land
exactly wrong you get a monumental clap that sounds like a bomb
exploding in your head. You can rupture an eardrum. Avoid immersing your
ears repeatedly in very cold water. It thickens some of the tissues in
the ears which can diminish your hearing. Wear a neoprene hood or
earplugs to protect your ears from cold water.
A solid start leads to a strong finish:
After you’ve learned to roll and brace you won’t have much
difficulty in learning strokes, leaned turns, and low braces. With your
closely fitted cockpit and your confidence, you will be the star of the
advanced strokes class. When you’ve completed your strokes class you
will be ready to take advanced classes in surf paddling, paddling in
strong currents, or whitewater paddling. You will find that the
excellent foundation you’ve laid will make these activities easy for
you to learn. You’ll be amazed to discover how well the skills you
learned in a swimming pool have prepared you to learn to paddle rough
water. Beginning with the roll seems like a backwards way to approach
kayaking, but the bracing can’t be learned properly without a
foundation in rolling. The fitted cockpit and bracing skills are
essential for developing fluidity in any of the maneuvers that require
leaning. The Greenlanders had it right: You need the foundation skills
right away in order to be a safe and effective paddler.