Rules of the roll (role?)
September 25th, 2008 | 
Author: 
The problem is all inside your head, she said to me
The answer is easy if you take it logically
– paul simon
So continuing the conversation about rolling classes, David asked, “Is there a better way?”. Well, he knows the answer to this of course, but it eggs on a good discussion. From my perspective I’d bet there are a hundred other ways to teach the kayak roll. The trick is to find what works best for both the student and the instructor. I think as instructors we have to be pretty flexible and prepared to teach whatever way, or whatever roll is best for each student. Yup, that is a challenge for sure. However we do it, I’ll bet we could agree on some basic ideas. . .
Here’s my short list. . .
1. Students should enjoy themselves and not leave feeling helpless, hopeless and stupid.
2. Rolling does not hurt. (unless the coach gets a paddle in the head or that other sensitive spot)
3. There’s lots of ways to roll. Most do not require “muscle”.
4. Boys are NOT better than girls. . . . in fact. . . .
5. Boat fit is more important than fitness. (unless it’s not!)
6. Teaching a roll is at least as important a challenge to the coach as learning the roll is to the student.
7. Fear of water is common. Fear of not breathing is universal!
8. No cookie cutters allowed in the water! Each student (and coach for that matter) is different.
9. Coaches should have better than 50% success rates with new students.
Obviously I’m no uber-coach and I’m just thinking aloud. . so if you like, jump in and share your thoughts!
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Define a ’successful’ rolling class: Is it getting one successful roll during the class? Perhaps failing, but learning how to practice after the class until you get one? In my opinion, a reliable roll takes much time: practice, failure, practice, “success”, then perhaps failure as conditions teach you that your roll is not really as bombproof as you thought, then more experimentation and practice, etc.
So in my mind the the most successful rolling class needs to ‘hook’ the students into ongoing practice (and impress upon the basic need for a good roll). Having the first class be fun would be nice, but that might not be possible while getting dizzy underwater. At least not at first.
In my case, a friend taught me some fundamentals in his pool, and I made one nice roll. Like a single sweet spot hit from an entire bucket of range balls, I was suckered in.
I learned rolling from such distinguished instructors as Dubside and Freya H. Rolling Freyas little black kayak was effortless and fun, and I did a balance brace, the layback standard roll, the butterfly and even a forward finish roll all within the span of a half-our lesson, gently coached by Freya. Do I need to say I’ve been rolling ever since? Not in that kind of “cheater” boat; in my own old Capella. Because I know I can. It’s true I’ve had my fall-backs, but thanks to these marvellous teachers I know what I’m doing wrong, and I have NEVER had to resort to a wet exit while practising.
Though fear of drowning could be a useful encouragement to learn how to roll a kayak, IMO it’s the sheer fun of it that is the most efficient motivator. The first lessons are crucial.
In the post I mean “successful” as in more than 50% of your students should leave that class with a shaky first roll. Not bomb proof. I think 50% is pretty low expectations, but it’s a guide post. Not everyone leaves a class having rolled un-assisted but my experience is that most should.
Look at it this way. If an instructor sends 90% of their students home not knowing how to roll, how can they ever be sure they did anything valuable? I mean for all you know, the student went home and learned from a video or got a different instructor!? I can pull out a list of guys who failed C 2 C type classes and ended up learning a modified sweep from a friend. In my experience I’ve seen way too many coaches who can send students home rolling in an hour or so.
The argument from the old school has always been “is it bombproof”? Well, not in the least. Going home without a roll isn’t bomb proof either! Either way, the student still goes home having to do all the same things. Practice, fail, practice, practice. However, if they have roll (no matter how shaky) they are practicing from and building on success. Sharpening a skill. That’s a completely different world than going home with a concept of success might look like.
I agree that the most successful class has to “hook” the student into ongoing practice.Very good point. My experience is that if they come out of a class with a first roll, they are way inspired to practice.
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Dan, you’re a bit of a unique character I think! Not everyone get’s those all so quickly. Great Job! Freya is a great rolling instructor too. Most people probably don’t know that. But you clearly state what I’m on about. Going home with those successes in the cheater gave you a vision of what to do in the Capella. Of course it probably took a bit of “adaptation”! LOL! And as John said. . lots of practice!
I don’t prefer teacing rolling in a class setting. A student gets a little something and is set aside to work on his own…which is impossible and usually results in practicing wet exits.
I much prefer one on one so there is instant feedback and reinforcement for the student.. When that student tires he/she is asked to just rest while another student gets all the attention.
Wow, I didn’t mean to stir up the pot.
I wrote a response but I decided to sleep on it until tomorrow to make sure that it still makes sense!
Cheers,
David J.
Derrick wrote: “In my experience I’ve seen way too many coaches who can send students home rolling in an hour or so. ”
Names please!!!
short version: I think it works best keeping things fun. I like the one on one with instant feedback and the chance to trade off with another student(s) and take a rest when tired. To me the best thing an instructor can do is keep things positive, try different approaches which may sometimes mean a different instructor, know when things need a break, and encourage the student not to give up.
long version: Here’s what I got out of my first rolling session in the summer of 2007 – inspiration and a roll most likely assisted (but I’m not 100% positive) by the sandy lake bottom
I returned home excited and inspired, but had forgotten to ask the instructor the name of the roll I was trying to do. It looked like the Pawlata. I couldn’t find anyone who knew or wanted to know what I was talking about.
next person tried to explain the C to C, it didn’t work.
I tried repeating 1st rolling session magic on my own a few times -then took a rather long break.
ok, bought a video, but they’re teaching a sweep roll.
Paddled with a very experienced kayaker who offered to teach me to roll. He tried many different teaching techniques.
I customized the kayak cockpit.
Things got better and he tried many different teaching techniques
I got a divers mask which improved the quality of the underwater experience.
I tried dry land rolling to the amusement of my non-paddling friends. It hurt but I wasn’t doing it right.
Beginning to think I might pass the year mark without a roll, few months to go.
Spring 2003, pool night – a roll! 3 rolls, two of them actually in front of the instructor.
I took a break. Lost the roll, found the roll.
Summer 2008 – took another rolling class. There were 3 of us in the class and two of us rolled making it hard for the 3rd person who really really wanted a roll.
Returned very excited and inspired, rolled someone else’s sea kayak, rolled a white water boat, then lost the roll in my sea kayak and hurt shoulder in the process.
Took a break, now starting up again (had to start up again because anxiety/fear was getting worse and it’s not good to let that go on for too long).
Yeah David, just like you to start something!!
Hi Kellie, Here’s a story for you. I had a student (she’s a coach now) come to me in a rolling class. She had a roll then in a real life situation lost it. So she’s sitting in the boat telling me this story and I asked her to just show me so I could see what was going wrong. . . she just rolled right up! Easiest student I ever had. The mind likes to play games with you. Often learning stuff like this have very little to do with the process but a lot to do with those little inner wars, self doubt, self confidence, past experiences. . . That’s where the difference between teaching and coaching come to play. You can teach someone anything, but even when they learn what you’ve taught, often there’s still a lot of coaching to be done.
Glad to hear you’re jumping back in. Dick mentioned how nice it is to work one to one outside of a “class”. If you can get with a good coach or friend with a good roll privately that might help quite a bit. You certainly shouldn’t be hurting yourself! For what it’s worth a pawlata can be a good first roll. But lean toward the one that seems to feel most right to you and work with someone who knows that roll. You can really get confused if you mix and match rolls too soon.
Let me know how it goes!
Hey there. I slept on it and posted my thoughts over at my own blog. They were to long to post here.
http://www.paddlinginstructor.com/200809271493/paddling_instructors_blog/teaching/rolling-instruction-we-can-do-much-better.php
I’m sure they are way off base but it was what came to my mind when I think about rolling instruction.
David J.
As a more-or-less intermediate paddler, I might have a different point of view than some of the instructors who read Derrick’s wonderful blog.
Anyway, NOW that I have a few rolls is precisely when I would like to take a rolling CLASS. One-on-one mentoring or solo experimentation was very efficient in the beginning. An intermediate level clinic setting NOW would be fantastic, and I feel like the communication between students would be beneficial. (Would anybody care to suggest one, in the Midwest?)
When I was struggling to develop my first roll, the graphic and verbal description I found were not very helpful. Now that my body ‘gets it’ (at least some of it :^) my mind can better understand the verbage. And this still holds true for rolls I can’t do.
BTW, I kind of like Derek Hutchinson’s statement printed in Adventure Kayak: “There is no capsize, only degrees of lean”.