Mama, mama, look at Uncle Joe
Doing the hand jive with sister Flo.
Grandma gave baby sister a dime;
Said, “Do that hand jive one more time.” – otis

“Do rabbits see good?”!! People arrive at this site by searching some very “non-kayak” related terms such as the above “Do rabbits see good?” Regardless of grammar, I endeavor to be helpful. .

Yes rabbits do see . . well. For the most part anyway. They can see an airplane or hawk at a distance that we would never see, but on the other hand they do have a very small blind spot right in front of their nose. Here is a link: “What Do Rabbit’s see?”

I’m very sorry for that off topic interruption. Really! What I actually wanted to talk about today was hand-rolling which came up a couple of times yesterday. Maybe it will spark some comments from some of you ultra-super-fantastic-kayakers out there.

I’ve played with hand rolls a bit. Even come up a couple times!! But not knowing exactly what I did right, made it hard to repeat. Heck it seems like every time I get upside down without a paddle I have absolutely no idea what to do with my arms and hands. I just sort of flop around down there. Yet, if I’m holding a paddle I hardly seem to use it sometimes. It’s got to be a head thing. Mary suggested I just take the blades off my Lendal and “angel roll”. Maybe I’ll try that.

A good stout “BCU” stance on a hand roll may be . . “What’s the point!?” Remember this from the Book of Kayak Wisdom; “What ever conditions took you over will meet you again when you roll up”. So. . what good is a hand roll when you roll up into the nasty stuff that took you over!? You’ll probably just be right back upside down in no time. So is there a point to hand rolling? Does there need to be?

Thinking about that leads me into one of those kayaking absolutes; “Never let go of your paddle”. I just love those Absolutes! Absolutes always leave you asking “what if?”, and the coach just bailing out on actually answering your questions!! I’m aware they are trying to underline the importance of the rule, but on the other hand, when I’m still in the early learning stages is when I probably most need to know what to do if I break the “Rule”. To be sure EVERY kayaking disipline has their Absolutes. In Euro paddling it’s “never lose your paddle”. In traditional paddling it’s “roll up”. Never ask your traditional coach what to do if you can’t roll up!!! But I’m digressing.

Another “rule” to negate the hand roll is, “always carry a spare”. Personally I always have my trusty old, heavy, Bending Branches wooden paddle on my front deck. My friend JB suggested that it’s not a bad idea to practice putting it together under water. Again, you’d NEVER lose your paddle, but if you did, you could just slide your splits out from under your bungies, put them together, then roll up! I can just hear you “new” folks out there saying, “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me???”. But actually it’s pretty easy to do with a little focus and a little hang time. I have this feeling that with the bit of traditional rolling I’ve done, I’d be more tempted to grab one of the splits and roll up, then put them together when I’m breathing air. But then remember the Book of Wisdom, “What ever conditions took you over will meet you again when you roll up”. Maybe I’d go right back over before I could get the paddle together to brace.

So, have I made this complicated enough yet? Think about a traditional paddler who keeps a spare storm paddle on the deck. She’ll just slide that dog out from under the bungies, roll up and keep going. (or look for the other paddle). No hand roll necessary.

I’m sort of fond of a hybrid option myself. Even a Euro-paddler can carry a one piece storm paddle if they learn to be proficient with it. Again though, the voice of my inner kayaker coach says, “Maybe you’re carrying that spare for someone else in your party. Did you think about that, eh?” Ok. I’ll carry 2 spares!!

But where does that leave the hand roll? I know personally I find it as an important part of my growth in the sport. “If you’re not learning your dying” rings true with me. I need to keep learning. I’ve never settled well with those who stop growing and learning by choice. Comfort and complacency seem to me like two spellings of the same word. But then I’m a little twisted as you know. (rolling, twisted. .that’s a joke, son!!). Recently the hand roll is calling out to me and no doubt I will be getting pre-occupied with it. But I’m still curious, Is the much admired hand roll nothing more than just a good parlor trick? I wonder. Who would like to write a thesis on the hand roll as a valid emergency recovery option?

Any takers?