Learning (teaching) the roll

I had an interesting little discussion the other day with some fellow instructors about teaching the roll. It's one of the hardest things to teach for many reasons: it's a hard thing to learn, it takes a lot of time, it can be physically challenging for the instructor, and there are lots of different ways to do it. I'm not going to spell out the details of rolling (or teaching it) here, but the approach I take when teaching and the way I think people should approach it when learning.

I've been teaching rolling for over a decade now and have taught hundreds of people how to roll. So I want to share my philosophy with the acknowledgement up front that there is no single answer. Other people may do things differently and I'm not saying that's wrong. But I've learned a thing or two in my time and seen a lot of paddlers rolling (or trying to roll) in different environments. I have specific reasons for doing the things I do.

I teach a modern (modified) sweep roll. The main points are a neutral blade angle during the sweep and a finish that does NOT lay back onto the back deck. It's the roll I use and what most everyone I paddle/teach with on the river or in the surf is using. I originally learned and taught the C to C but have since revised my opinion on that technique. (you can see a little clip of the differences in this post here)

The sweep roll I teach has several benefits over other rolls. It is gentle on the body, it doesn't require great flexibility or strength, it keeps the shoulders in a protected position, it will work with any type of boat. The only real downside is that it is hard to learn - you have to do several different things with your body with just the right timing. While upside down. Under water. Yeah. Once you get it it's easy, but that may take a while.

I believe that you should teach people the right thing from the start. Don't use shortcuts that involve different techniques that have to be unlearned later. Don't let people develop bad habits that they'll have to break. I can get someone rolling on their own quicker by doing the C to C or using an extended paddle or laying on the back deck. But I've worked with too many paddlers over the years who have discovered the limitations/dangers of those techniques in real conditions and now want to change to something that's better - and I've seen how hard it is for them to make that change. A little more time up front learning the right thing can save you months (years) of hard work later on and can prevent injuries that interrupt your learning (and your paddling).

And I explain that to my students. I get their buy in. I tell them up front it's going to take time. But I explain why and that makes it OK. It's important to give student success to keep them motivated, but when that short term success comes at the cost of slowing long term success I don't think it's worth it. I find other ways to create success - mostly it's just an attitude thing. I've had students take four or five sessions to get their first roll and they kept working at it because they knew it was worth it. They always left smiling.

So I teach by breaking the roll into individual muscle movements. I get people to practice those movements so they create the proper muscle memory. Then I start putting the movements together while still upright and dry. I get people to feel the rhythm and timing that is a proper roll. Then I support them so they can roll from a nearly upside down position - head still dry. When they're doing things correctly and rolling up from this position on their own, then we start going under water with me still supporting. It may take a couple hours just to get to this point (or ten minutes depending on the student). Then it's just a matter of getting them to repeat under water what they were doing when their head was still dry. That's the challenging part - mentally getting people to repeat what they can already do. That's what can be frustrating for the student.

This is the point where people often want that feel of success. They want to get up. But if you give them something to accomplish this that is different from the core muscle movements it will create a crutch that's hard to break. If you hold their paddle it gives them support that their body learns to rely on. If you extend their paddle it creates leverage they can push against (not something you want or need in a proper sweep roll). If they finish on the back deck they will get used to it - and being on the back deck in the middle of big conditions is not where you want to be. If they can muscle the roll that means they are straining muscles that can lead to injury. A proper roll is effortless.

So I stay focused on the proper technique and generally step back instead of pushing forward. I have students repeat the initial individual movement exercises. I have them practice the timing while upright. It doesn't give that same feeling of success, but it does give the same muscle memory for a proper roll. If people know that they are on the right path and that they are moving forward, if slowly, they will continue down it. And the reward when they reach the end is worth it: a solid roll that works when it's needed, doesn't lead to injuries, and inspires confidence in paddling. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes perseverance. From the teacher and the student. That's how I roll.

Paddling vs. Practicing

So you want to be a better paddler? Guess what, you have to work at it.

I hear from a lot of people how they wish they could paddle better - be it harder whitewater or rough ocean. When talk turns to surfing big waves or going to remote places, many paddlres get that jealous look in their eye. They even say it: 'boy, I wish I could do that.' As if you must have some secret code, or god-given talent to become a skillful kayaker. My favorite is 'you make it look easy', implying that in reality it's extremely difficult and unreasonable to expect them to be able to do the same.

But it is easy. You just work at it. You make a conscience effort to improve your skills. You work on drills. You watch other paddlers. You try different things. You fail. You try again. You put in time and effort and do it in a deliberate manner. And then it's easy.

Time alone is not enough. Lots of people think that improvement comes from time in a boat. Us instructors often say the same thing. And paddling will improve your paddling. But practice will improve it more and faster.

If you go out to have fun you probably will. But sometimes I go out to improve. It might not even be fun (though it usually is). I work on technique. I do interval training (well, I used to - but the point is I've done it). There has to be some thought behind it. Some awareness of what you are doing and what the result is. It may mean running a river that's easier so you can relax and make it more difficult. It may mean going out in conditions that frighten you (with some more skilled friends to provide safety). It definitely means repetition - often to the point of boredom. It's different than just paddling.

And don't think a class is the answer. The class is merely the start. It only shows you what to practice. Any skilled instructor and can show you lots of stuff to work on. But they can't do it for you. If you take the same class over and over again or one class right after the other, you might be shortchanging yourself. People say they always learn new things - great, but have you actually mastered any of the old things? You can now do a cross-bow draw but can you use a regular bow draw to maneuver through the rocks? Doing the basics really well will get you further than any advanced technique.

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if you get better. If you are having fun and that's all you want then keep doing it. There's nothing wrong with that. But if you want to get better, if you listen to others' adventures with wistful longing, if you aren't satisfied with the choices you have, then do something about it. Don't expect it to be all fun and games. Don't expect it to happen overnight. Anything worthwhile is going to take some work. But if you enjoy the process you'll enjoy the result all the more.

Helmet Safety

Let's talk about what makes a good helmet. This is something that I've discussed elsewhere but never in detail here on my blog. The topic comes up time and time again and it always surprises me how little people seem to know (or care) about what they use to protect their head. When I started paddling I did a fair amount of research to educate myself. I'll share my findings and developed beliefs to try to make things easy for folks.

A quick note about design: if you're more worried about how it looks, then maybe you should find another sport. Yes, there's fashion in kayaking. But it should always come after function, especially when the function is safety.

To a certain extent, the most important thing is that the helmet fits. If it doesn't, it won't stay on when it's needed or the owner won't want to wear it in the first place. Make sure it's comfortable. Take your time to outfit it well. Add some fit pads so it comfortably touches in many spots Adjust the chin strap so it's tight - it should make chewing a challenge. When you shake your head no the helmet should move with your head, when you push on the brim it shouldn't lift off your forehead. It should come down low enough to cover your temples and your occipital lobe (lower back of skull).

You can't tell how a helmet will fit and what it will cover without trying it on. Some small looking helmets actually cover the important areas. Some large helmets might still sit too high on the head and leave your forehead exposed. Try it on, look in the mirror, get a friend to tell you how it sits in the back. There's no other way than trying and I often take up to an hour to adjust and pad out a new helmet.

After the fit, the most important thing is the foam. Lots of people want to know what the shell is made out of, but it's not nearly as important as what foam is inside. And most people don't even ask what it is.  It's the foam that absorbs the energy of an impact - especially the big ones. There are different types of foam but all kayak helmets are made to absorb multiple impacts. That means the foam takes a hit and absorbs the energy without permanent deformation. (bike helmets, on the other hand, are designed to take a single impact after which they have lost their ability to absorb energy).

Some foams are better than others. The best is EPP (expanded polypropylene). It's got better energy absorption properties than standard minicell (often EPE - Expanded Polyethylene or EVA - Ethylene Vinyl Acetate). And all foams come in different thicknesses and densities. The dense stuff isn't as comfy but it absorbs more energy. Lots of companies either have two layers (a dense outside layer with a thinner, comfier liner) or they have fit pads that are softer to make the fit more comfortable. If you can compress the foam with your hands to touch the shell it is too soft or too thin.

And important thing to note is that even though helmets are designed to handle repeated blows, if the impact is large enough it will deform the foam and limit it's ability to handle more blows in the future. BUT YOU CAN'T SEE IT. You may not notice any difference in the foam but if you take a large hit you should think about retiring your helmet even if it looks fine. Some people talk about 'repairing' their cracked helmet - even if you do repair the glass shell you can't repair foam. It would need to be replaced.

The shell is the least important but the most noticeable thing about a helmet. Carbon fiber is light, stiff and expensive. Does it protect you better than plastic? Maybe. A stiff shell can spread the force of a point impact across more of the foam. That's good if you hit a sharp object. But fiberglass or a stiff plastic will do almost as well as carbon. A soft plastic won't do well at all - you want a helmet, not a piece of tupperware.

Another thing of note is shape. Helmets with a large brim (like the Sweet Strutter) can catch current and exert a tremendous force on your neck pushing the helmet back. Not good for surfing - river or ocean. Full face helmets can protect your teeth (and good looks) but can limit your communication. Some people talk about the danger of snagging the front bar of a full face, but I've never heard of it happening. On the other hand, I personally know several paddlers who have lost teeth and so does everyone else.

So take your time and put some thought into your helmet. You don't need to spend a ton of money - the most expensive is not always the best or necessary. But start with what fits. Pay attention to what it's made of. And keep in mind what you are going to be using it for.

For the record, I use a Shred Ready Shaggy fiberglass helmet for most paddling - teaching, easy whitewater, ocean playing. Good stiff shell, EPP foam, small brim. For class IV/V whitewater I use a Sweet Rocker Full Face - carbon shell, full coverage, lots of EPP foam.

Pyranha Nano mini-review

Since it's a short boat I thought I'd give it a short review (actually, I only paddled it one day on class III so I don't know enough for anything more comprehensive). The Pyranha Nano is a creek/play combination. That's not an easy combination and it's not a boat for everyone. Where I think this boat shines is for class V paddlers who want to play their way down easy class V runs - that's a small niche.   (video of the Pyranha pros doing just that can be seen here). This boat is a reincarnation of the Ammo (though Pyranha doesn't seem to want to associate the two boats together). The Ammo didn't win over many folks, but I used it a lot to teach out of and liked it for certain things. So I'm going to compare the two boats.

The Nano feels short. It turns quickly - spins on its flat hull. But it's got a lot of volume in both the front and the back. The planing hull surfs rather nicely and it cuts back so much easier than a longer river runner. But the weight of the boat (more creekboat-like) slows it down - it's not a playboat on the wave - just a nice surfing river runner.

The Ammo had a sharp edge that was fun to carve with - for some reason that Nano edge seems a little harder to engage. This turned out to be a good thing since it made the edges much more forgiving - combined with the volume it gave the Nano a solid stability that felt like a creek boat. The Nano was quick and fit into tiny eddies but handled the waves and funky current like a big boy.

The Ammo was also slow. The Nano is surprisingly fast for it's length. It's not as fast as an eight foot creeker, but it's got some speed to it. It also boofs like a champ! The speed, short stern, and just enough rocker allow it to launch off rocks. Couldn't do that so easily in the Ammo.

In the end I had a really fun day in the Nano. It's a similar concept to the Ammo but a completely different design. It seems to have improved a lot of the issues with the Ammo while keeping all the fun. Is it the right boat for you? If it is you'll know it. I think it would be great for certain runs but I wouldn't feel comfortable taking it down something that I thought was challenging. And if I was on something easy and wanted to playboat I'd take a playboat. Every time someone tries to come out with the 'one and only' boat you need I always think it ends up being the perfect third boat. But it is nice to see Pyranha doing something a little different and doing it very well.

The joy of surfing

I used to kayak surf a lot. That's when I lived 10 minutes from the ocean. It's two hours away now and with all the whitewater and sea kayaking and teaching and other stuff I just don't get out surfing much. And when I do it seems like it's been in a long boat which really isn't the same. My first kayak was a whitewater boat purchased solely for surfing and I learned so much that way. It's something I miss but not so much that I do anything about it.

And lately when I have found myself in the waves it's been a little frustrating - I can't read things as well as I used to, I don't have the timing or the rhythm. I've gotten exploded a couple times in the past year in sea kayaks. Lost some sunglasses, almost lost half a paddle. All from poor judgment.

But recently that all changed. I found myself passing through Ft. Bragg on the Mendocino coast. My friends Jeff and Cate had the day free and took me out to a new spot. They also loaned me a whitewater boat - the ever reliable Necky Jive. It was warm and sunny and hardly a soul in sight. The perfect surf session.

And I found my rhythm again. The waves were decent but hard to find the takeoff spot. They broke left and right and closed out quickly if you didn't get enough speed. They weren't huge but they had some power behind them. It took a little but I started picking my spots. I felt strong when accelerating to catch the shoulder. I was able to link some turns and felt the pure joy that is riding a wave. That's what I was missing and I'm so glad I found it again. Thanks Jeff and Cate!

Here's a little video from the day - it's all helmet cam stuff so it doesn't do the waves justice. But I had to speed it up to fit in all the rides - actually I only fit in half the rides. And you'll want to stay tuned for the surprise ending.