kinda like a genius
Published November 8, 2006 | 
Whose words were like the tablets of stone
Because it’s easier to learn than unlearn
Because we’ve passed the point of no return
Gather your goods and follow me
Or you will surely die
– paul simon
Yeah, maybe that’s a bit over the top. But then, he sure did something pretty smart. I know it has something to do with how he takes time to demonstrate rolls in every sort of kayak possible. That 80 foot long kayak super tanker was best. (Although I didn’t see him do an elbow roll in it.) This really set the tone for students that their kayak will not slow them down if they work with the boat. An important message. It has something to do with his camera angles and the stop-start footage. Nice thing. Although I’d know enough to use my remote to get a better look at the action, Dubside knows not everyone will, and includes freeze frames, slow motion, and reverse footage to really be sure you can visualize each motion of the roll. This kind of visual reinforcement is invaluable for some learners. But I think what really proves Dubside is kinda like a genius is probably the most unlikely thing you’d ever guess in a traditional rolling video. . . THE SIT-ON-TOP!!
Using a big clunky sit-on-top kayak to demonstrate what the lower body does during the roll was perfect, unadulterated, genius! Suddenly it becomes perfectly obvious to the student how the lower body twists to bring the kayak around, and the upper body just follows along. Using the sit-on-top not only makes it easy to see what’s happening with the lower body, but forces you to exaggerate the motions just to get the pig over. Great idea.
Wonderful video Dubside! Thank you for putting time into creating this video. I hope “GREENLAND ROLLING WITH DUBSIDE” ends up in lots of stockings this christmas!
(Thanks Tom)
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5 Responses to kinda like a genius
While I think Dubside’s video is great and his rolling is topnotch, “The Kayak Roll” was actually the first video to utilize SOTs to demonstrate the rolling motion. They also cut the bow off a regular kayak to show the leg movement in dry land.
I think the best aspect of Dubside’s video is that he sheds some of the Greenland kayaking misconceptions regarding volume. Low volume is great for laybacks but a high foredeck makes forward finishing rolls easier as well. Also his tips about arching your back, getting your butt off the seat, or even elevating the seat to overcome a high coaming are sure to be useful for many people.
“The Kayak Roll” was a pretty good rolling vid, but Dubside has gone several steps further in many respects.
He goes into more detail about what causes you not to roll and his focus is more on lower torso, laying back and forward finishes. None of that finishing in the “C” position. Finishing in the “C” position is fine and I do this with many rolls, but layback and forward finshes are just a more logical way to learn for a beginner.
Some may argue that the “C” finish rolls are better for white water, but I think the Greenland “storm roll” is more reliable and finishing forward just makes more sense to me as I’m in a position to brace and paddle.
As you guess I highly recomend this video for all, including Euro and WW paddlers.
stevie
Hmm… are you sure you’re talking about the Kayak Roll? That video teaches a sweep/slash roll rather than a c-to-c. Yeah you finish fairly upright but it definitely is not a “C” position. I personally think that the Kayak Roll is brilliant in the subtle things it catches in regards to rolling. From my personal experience, it’s the little things that differentiate a good rolling instructor and a poor one and I’ve picked up more tips from that particular video than any other by far.
Dubside’s video is good but it would never teach a complete beginner how to roll. Rather it would show a person who can already roll the various body movements required to do some of the different greenland rolls. I would recommend Dubside’s video to sea kayakers but not to whitewater kayakers since the rolls that Dubside demonstrates aren’t ideal for whitewater which requires powerful and speedy rolls.
Yeah, let’s qualify. This is a traditional rolling video. Whitewater is something else. Also I agree that it’s not necessarily a beginners video, yet after spending a day teaching a student their first traditional roll, I’d then say “get this video” as it will accent what I was telling them in the water. Help them to better visualize body movement. Also regarding the use of a sit on top, I was again talking about it in terms of Traditional rolling.
)
I’ve heard it referred and think of it like three basic finishes, layback, forward and “C”.
The “C” being the position that most WW roles finish with, including the screw, slash and C-to-C, with your body up, but ear on your shoulder.
I do agree that “The Kayak Roll” is a good, very detailed video, but I was never able to get it until somebody suggested that instead of trying to finish upright(C position), try laying back(Standard Greenland Roll). That was the ticket and became my first reliable roll. I now finish in the “C” position when in a a high back boat.
It might be me, but the early skills taught in the Dubsides video seem easier to grasp for a beginner than the Screw roll taught in “The Kayak Roll”. I know a few beginners that learned from Dubsides video.
I didn’t think that a person could learn easily by watching a video, but one person I know studied it off and on with several lake sessions and over two weeks had most of the layback and many forward finish rolls without any instruction. I haven’t seen that much success with any other rolling video.
As far as helping WW paddlers, I know one WW paddler that said that it taught him a lot and he says his rolls are much easier after watching Dubside’s use of torso rotaion. Most of the rolls translate well to a Euro paddle as well.
Sorry for the long post
stevie