off side rolling

[Jay - UK (can't log in)]

anyone know of any videos of how to do it?
is it worth learning it on the off side or should i learn a hand roll?

[willlyons]

I've never had to do an offside roll, or wished I had one, except a few times in a hole. It's easy to offside roll in the hole, but I don't really know how to explain it. It's basically an offside brace (duh?). As for the hands roll, it has come in extremely handy on several occasions. The only problem with it is, even if you roll up your probably still screwed since you don't have a paddle. So my recommendation is to not flip, and if you do, don't loose your paddle. If you are up against a rock or something and can't roll on your onside, either push off the rock with your paddle then roll, or switch hands. I've definatly had to switch hands a few times. It's not to hard.
Will

[SlickStick]

i asked a very similar question on ThamesWeirProject

Click the link to go there
http://www.thamesweirproject.co.uk/foru ... db9e75195d

Willlyons, How would you describe an offside brace? (one that preferably doesnt ruin your shoulders?) because i havn't been paddling C1 long and i cant figure a safe way to brace on that side.

Thanks,
Peter

[Paddle Power]

Have you read Thrill of the Paddle by Paul M. and Mark S.?
They show off side roll and hand roll.

[Guest]

Slickstick,
I can't describe a safe brace because I'm sure the one I do is really dangerous for my shoulders. I don't actually brace on my offside. If I ever feel I am going to flip on my offside, I just take an offside stroke usually. Or, I just go with it and roll really quick. That's way faster than hanging out airbracing waiting for the inevitable.
Although, as I sit here in my chair and think about how I roll up offside (when I do) it doesn't place that much strain on either shoulder. My T-grip hand (left) is pretty much right in front of my face. I dont' see how that would stress that shoulder, and my right one is low and "in the box" as well.

Unfortunatly, I can't simulate (in my chair or in my mind) the motions I go through when I do offside roll. That's probably because I hardly ever do it and it's usually unsuccessful.

But, to answer the Bracing question, I wouldn't go so much for a 'brace' as I would just a paddlestroke. Obviously there are some places (shallow slides) where this doesn't work to well and I usually just try to make sure if I take a bounce, it'll bounce me to my onside.

I'll start taking some more mental notes while I'm on the river in the next few days and try to post some of it up here. The problem is, and I'm sure you're in the same boat, I've never had anyone teach me "real" technique so what I've learned is mostly instinctual or from watching others. I don't usually put to much thought into rolling/bracing anymore, it just kind of happens. That's one thing that is so awesome about Cboating is that there are some very unique styles out there.
Will

[Jay - UK (can't log in)]

thanks for all the help, i see your post on thames weir project board but no one replied slick stick.

do u no the ISBN no. for the book Paddlepower?

[Jon]

by Paul Mason and Mark Scriver
Key Porter Books Ltd
www.keyporter.com
ISBN 1-55263-039-0

Paul Mason - himself
http://www.redcanoes.ca/paul/

[SlickStick]

I got 16 replies on TWP, many from top class C1 paddlers, including Stu Morris and Cheese...

http://www.thamesweirproject.co.uk/foru ... a1cafde959

I found their comments fairly useful, although it took several reads to make sense of the techniques they were describing.

[Jan_dettmer]

Slick Stick,

In general, most times its easiest to do a 180 under water. Just do a
really agressive cross deck sweep stroke. It'll turn you around a lot of times. For playboating, you might want to roll up on your off-side though...
Handroll is really handy when you creek. If I loose my paddle (it does happen), I'm rather right side up than up side down or swimming...
I do a roll where I end up on my front deck and use two strokes in quick succession, one with the right hand, one with the left.

If I roll off-side, I do a low brace off-side roll.
As Will said, its kinda hard to describe. This is what I do (right is my onside):

I start on my front deck, shaft hand against forehead, grip hand near left side of my tummy, palm facing away from boat (non power face of paddle rests against front deck).
Then I sweep out to my right (I'm righty). When my upper body has
90 degrees with the boat, I turn my upper body, so I face the bottom
and try to reach to the surface with my paddle while doing this.
Now, I do a hip kick which leaves my upper body lying on the water
but the boat almost upright.
My grip arms elbow is almost touching my spine at this point.
My shaft hand is still against my fore head.
Next, I start sweeping my upper body and the blade to the bow.
Once there, I turn it around real quick and do an off-side forward stroke.

It works pretty well but needs some training. The hole should help most of the times though.

Cheers, Jan

[Kevin]

i don;t really understand the use for it? 1) it puts your shoulder into a very vunrable area for dislocation, and 2) if im falling over to my offside, i can back deck roll fast enough my head never even touches the water. the only place i could see it used when you windowshade in ahole on your paddling side, but for some reason if that happens and it's sticky enough i usually come up somehow anyways with using a offside roll

[Ken D]

My wife had a pretty reliable offside roll. She was able to do it without switching her grip. She only practiced it in her C1. She never usee it in combat. We used to paddle C2 and it was great that she could roll on my side. She has since lost it and has been unable to find it again.

I tried learning it and had some real pain in my shoulder, so I gave up.

I found a video of the Olympics and the French C2 team flipped going from gate 5 to 6 river left to right move through a hole. The stern paddler, a rightie, cross rolled both of them up! So I guess there is a use for it.

Here the link: http://videoslalom01.free.fr/Qualif2_QueLE.mpg