Lost roll: things to practice in the pool

Ok, weird situation.

I have myself a pretty good roll, one side i can hit no problem, off side, not as much but i think i just pull m head to much.

lately, problem is once i try to roll on the river, my roll goes the way of the dodo. typically manage 1 feeble attempt before bailing.

so i have been going to pool rolling sessions, but the fact that i have no real problems hitting my roll in the pool i am stumped for what i should be practicing.

last time i went to the pool, i just chilled upside in the water a lot, and it helped a ton as far as confidence, that was a couple weeks ago. Fast foward to last time out, couldn't hit anything, i only flipped twice, but swam both times.

its just frustrating at this point

so long story short, what are some things i can practice?

well I DONT think u need more crack

In the pool, try building up some speed before tipping over, hit your head several times with your paddle(;)) and then roll up. And don't extend your back hand and arm, keep it tucked tight like you're casting a fly rod. If the back hand isn't tight the sweeping blade dives. Practice bracing and you'll find you won't be rolling much. Flip over so your head is under water and brace back up-both sides. A good way to practice is have a buddy stand at the back of your boat and have him try to flip you over side to side.

Also, don't forget to hip snap. Practice your rolls in slow motion too, they should be almost effortless. Add a little or a lot of punch depending on consequences of not getting up quickly on the river. Instead of one feeble roll attempt, get in the habit of setting up correctly and at least give it several strong attempts before bailing. And don't lift your head gasping for air, roll up then breathe.

^^^^^ Is smarter than me. But don't take his last sentence lightly.

My feeble experience demonstrated that when i missed rolls, it was almost always because i was pulling my head. Make it extreme. Try to roll the boat while keeping your head in the water as long as you can. Let the momentum of the boat turning drag your head up out of the water.
good luck, good on ya for practicing...

Try counting while upside down in the river. In the pool, you are not moving and neither is the water. In a river when you flip, give your body/boat time to reach the same speed of the current. It will be a lot easier.

Definitely let your boat settle down so it's completely upside down in the water, sometimes turbulent water will mess with your boat so one side is higher up.

Try to get in the habit of having your chin touching or near your shoulder as that helps keep the head down.

Make sure you fit in your boat like a glove.

Have someone push your boat around in the pool while your trying to roll to simulate how your boat might be moving while in the river.

Don't freak out if your head hits a rock while your upside down, just hang in there and try again.

bringing your head up first actualy forces the side of yer boat under cuz your body is making a C shape but in the wrong direction ... head up last make s the C shape in the other direction and yer head follows the rest of yer body

have some one hold your paddle blade in the pool so it doesnt dive ,if that person also pushes the bow of your boat away from them while holding the paddle it very much is like a paddle skimming the top of the water

for extra power on the Hip flick thing ,pull up with the knee AND also push HARD with the other foot,try for a huge initial effort at the start of the roll rather than a steady action ... turning over modern play boats is like trying to turn over a dock whereas old dancers would roll much easier


hanging upside down in really cold water is good for a bad hangover

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

hanging upside down in really cold water is good for a bad hangover

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werd....

In the pool:
try to be surprised - have someone flip you over
Flip over without your paddle in hand, look around for it and then get into position and roll
work on your hand roll to improve hip snap and head position

On the river:
roll more! do it on purpose and put your self into situations that might lead to a roll in safe places. Mess around on mellow eddy lines. The fastest learner I ever paddled with would get flipped and roll several dozen times each day we paddled. Meanwhile I was trying to avoid flipping and now I suck and he is a great paddler.

Pool practice:

Hold paddle in one (either) hand up over your head, flip in the opposite side of your normal setup, retrieve paddle under water, set up and roll, repeat using other hand, other side, all the permutations you can think of.

so i think i had an epiphany in the pool tonight. i made a subtle change in my positioning and it made a world of difference. i didn't miss a single on or off side roll and if anything, my off seemed to be stronger. hopefully it will translate onto the river , but its a step in the right direction

Three suggestions:

1. Practice in a playpark instead of the pool. It's August, the water should be low and warm. Think of a playpark as a swimming pool with current.

2. When you flip in moving water, count to three before attempting a roll. This will improve your comfort upside down.

3. Bite the edge of your lifejacket to keep your head down.

ductape a sheet of styrafoam to the paddle blade ...it will give you lots of flotation to get good form , you can make the piece smaller as you get better

Pay $30 to hire someone with teaching experience for an hour.

Practice slamming yellow beer out of smelly booties

I think working on your backdeck and getting that down as well will actually help your normal roll a lot too. It makes it easier to just push off of water and snap up in any orientation or direction of movement.

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Originally Posted by sar13

On the river:
roll more! do it on purpose and put your self into situations that might lead to a roll in safe places. Mess around on mellow eddy lines. The fastest learner I ever paddled with would get flipped and roll several dozen times each day we paddled. Meanwhile I was trying to avoid flipping and now I suck and he is a great paddler.

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This is a good one, go play in a hole once you have it to where you wont be swimming all the time. I find when I creek a lot and never roll, my roll is not as crisp.