First Roll

[Cone Bone]

Hey, who else am I gonna tell about it???

I pulled off my first off-side roll without switching hands tonight in the pool. Several, actually.

[PAC]

Now you have to take pictures, better yet video, to post! So that us www (white water weenies) can learn!

[jdschall]

Video would be nice but hey I'd settle for a description of how you pulled it off?

And on that note I'm off to the lake to learn backdeck rolls.

Later,
Dave

[Cone Bone]

I haven't done it enough to really break it down, but here's what I think I did!

Set up leaning way forward, with the paddle against the boat on the bow deck. Personally, I place the paddle along the offside gunnel because that is my usual reference position. The hands stay on the paddle in the usual position throughout the roll.

Sweep paddle and body out horizontally until it is perpendicular to the boat when viewed from above. Sweep horizontally, keeping the head and shoulders as near the surface as possible.

Rotate shoulders until I am facing the bottom of the pool (or river.) Looking down while sweeping out will require arching the back to lift the shoulders towards the surface.

While sweeping and rotating, I keep the paddle shaft hand against my forhead. My grip hand is in front of my middle torso, reaching away and down until I find the water's surface with my blade.

The sweeping, rotating, and surface finding all happen during the same time.

Once my body is out perpendicular to the boat, and I am facing down, and I can feel the blade on the water's surface, I do the hip snap. For me, it feels more like a stomach curl. I try to visualize dragging the boat back underneath me using my stomach and legs. I try to ignore putting pressure on the paddle until the boat is under me. Then I try to finish with a low brace, keeping my head and torso down close to the foredeck until I am up and stable.

By now, one may notice that all this can apply to either side of the boat. If my body is in the correct position, ready for the hip snap, and the paddle blade is on or above the surface, and the paddle shaft is against my forhead; It doesn't matter which hand is on the grip, and which is on the shaft. It doesn't matter which side of the boat my body is on.

What does matter on the offside is that there is no low brace on the offside at the end of the roll. This just puts more pressure on finishing with a full, long snap; and keeping the head and torso low and close to the boat until one is completely upright.

I am sure if I ever video myself, I will realize I am talking backwater here! But hey, I ain't swimming (much...)

[jdschall]

Thanks Randy,

That's a great description. Sounds like a hand roll almost and in principle it is because there is no low brace. The hardest part for me in learning it has been having the discipline to work on the offside hipsnap. I have a whole lot of muscle memory working against me. For that matter I think that my hipsnap is weak on my onside roll and I think I rely on my paddle way too much. Maybe I should work on that too...

Dave.

[msims]

Hey, good job. I just completed my first OC1 roll last weekend.

I have an Esquif Nitro, I'm finding it hard to initiate the roll. I actually completed the roll in an ocoee, a much lighter and more responsive OC1 with respect to rolling (or at least I found that)

Anyway, im having alot of trouble on just about all components, but i think the biggest struggle for me is the hip-snap. I'm still trying to muscle it, and not getting very far.

Any tips on the initial snap would be appreciated!

Thanks, Mike.

[Cone Bone]

When my snap sucks it is usually due to poor wind up rather than a failure during the actual snap effort. Make sure you arch your lower back and reach for the sky, which should be at least somewhat behind you, before you go for the snap. Can you get your blade out of the water? Are you facing down?

Once I go for the stomach curl/hip snap in an OC-1, I plan on it taking some time to bring the boat back under me. Just keep the boat moving all the way through, until it is fully under you. I try to ignore my paddle once I start the snap. Use your legs and stomach to roll the boat.

Also, your head should be the last thing to leave the water. Finally, keeping my shaft hand on my forehead all the way from the snap until my head leaves the water helps me to avoid shoulder pain after many rolls.

[msims]

Hey, Cone Bone, thanks! I completed a few more yesterday, the biggest difference that I focussed on was my wind up, I focussed on starting closer to the surface, w/ my blade well out of the water.

I still couldnt shake relying on my paddle early in the snap, so I think i really muscled the roll as a result.... oh well, next time!

M.