Re: Rolling my 17lt

Posted by Randy Knauff on Jun 21, 2005

Rolling is fun and a good skill to learn. However, in real sea kayaking conditions, you will seldom ever do a full 360 unless in surf. Sea kayakers ususally know when they are going over. Learn a high sculling brace, learn to scull over and back up, learn to scull back to the surface from under water and finish with a scull up/kayak back under you. Each of these reinforces the same muscle use and builds muscle memory used in rolling, no trying to learn several parts and put them together. A sea kayak, especially if loaded at all, is not "flicked " up like a WW kayak may be. It is continually driven up (actually rotated under your body) with the knee/hip and torso motion while the paddle sweep provides support. Regardless of the sea conditions, an extended paddle is a more efficient lever and an advantage. All the comments about head last, laying back to get your body in line with the rotational axis of the kayak as you twist the boat under you are very important. If you keep sculling over and back, wait a bit longer every time and soon you are waiting until you are in the roll position and doing a roll. If you are upside down, it doesn't really matter which side you went over from. Hope some of this may help.

Randy

In Response to: Rolling my 17lt by Susan on Jun 20, 2005

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