C-Forum

Craig/Smurf and all others who can roll well and were kind enough to share videos of their skill;

What I noticed on your videos is that when flipping to your off-side, you seem to leave your paddles on your on-sides then sweep the paddle under the boat, first on the power face, then flip the paddle over to the non-power face for the last phase of a low brace roll.

Do you ever find that the current grabs your paddle sometimes and makes this underwater sweep problematic?

Smurf and Tommy both Flip they're paddles to roll with the Non power face(although at different Points during the sweep, Tommy b4 the sweep, Smurf at the end of the sweep) Craig does not flip the paddle and rolls with the power-face, Knuckles up.
And yes sometime the Water grabs your blade thus getting the Blade as close to the surface as possible helps avoid that.

p.s. Shawn Malone a.k.a the Animal also rolls the way Craig does and I see nothing wrong with his roll or Craig's different strokes for different folks, when I teach the roll I always teach Flip paddle over during the set-up phase t-grip hand Knuckles down towards the river bottom.
Cause that's the way I learned.

When you get flipped your paddle is usually on your on-side. I always practiced when I was learning by 'unexpectedly ' flipping to my offside because ninety-nine times out of a hundred if you're going upside down it's going to be to your weak/off side. If you are going over to your on-side... well... that's what low/high braces are for... so why bother practing your roll on your on-side if you already have good high/low bracing skills?

horizongfx wrote:when I teach the roll I always teach Flip paddle over during the set-up phase t-grip hand Knuckles down towards the river bottom.
Cause that's the way I learned.

How do you do a high or low brace Bob... knuck's up or down?

On a low brace I'm typically knuckles down... on a high brace... knuckles up.

oh btw... if I feel I'm going to go over (and I'm fairly certain it's deep enough and there's no rocks to hit)... I intentionally throw my weight into the roll to add to the momentum to get me back to my onside to roll up... a little trick Roy taught me a long time ago.

see :20 & :33 http://vimeo.com/5213136

kayakers will usually applaud when you flip and roll back up in the hole... plus you won't have to get back into line to wait for another turn.

Craig Smerda wrote:

horizongfx wrote:when I teach the roll I always teach Flip paddle over during the set-up phase t-grip hand Knuckles down towards the river bottom.
Cause that's the way I learned.

How do you do a high or low brace Bob... knuck's up or down?

On a low brace I'm typically knuckles down... on a high brace... knuckles up.

Low Brace= Knuckles Down
High Brace= Knuckles Up
U Roll with Knuckles Up ie


Tommy Rolls Knuckles down ie:

Both ways of holding the T-grip work Not wrong just Different.

Craig Smerda wrote:

horizongfx wrote:when I teach the roll I always teach Flip paddle over during the set-up phase t-grip hand Knuckles down towards the river bottom.
Cause that's the way I learned.

How do you do a high or low brace Bob... knuck's up or down?

On a low brace I'm typically knuckles down... on a high brace... knuckles up.

So essentially Your performing a Modified High Brace roll since your not using the Non Power face to roll and your Knuckles on your T-grip hand Face up towards the Surface while your rolling ?

horizongfx wrote:So essentially Your performing a Modified High Brace roll since your not using the Non Power face to roll and your Knuckles on your T-grip hand Face up towards the Surface while your rolling ?

pretty much... that's the way I was self-taught.

horizongfx wrote:Not wrong just Different.

exactly... as long as you are rollin' rather than swimmin'... do whatever works for you.

Craig,

That's the way I was taught; when you feel yourself flipping, turn the paddle over so the power face is on the airbag, tuck, then use your momentum to get the boat all the way over.

I find this does a couple of things:
- offers some protection
- avoids the boat turtling
- puts me and the paddle almost immediately in the roll position, thus speeding up the roll

I agree that it's great to flip and roll fast enough to stay in the hole.

Thanks guys; I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything with my roll.

roaring-riverman wrote:I've tried a L'Edge a couple of times and can't roll it. ... ... Any suggestions? Another tunnel? Better roll technique? We're both frustrated. Help!

Jus guessing ...



... but think it may take ripping up to a dozen brown paper bags, some glue, and twisting real tight.