white water kayaking- technique to an eskimo roll?

[cra1gy1989]

Hi, bought myself a kayak, attempted to achieve an Eskimo roll, all ended upside down once again struggling to get out of the bloody thing! Any advise or help I would be grateful!!!! Cheers

[anonymous-user]

First things first. Are you actually an Eskimo?

[cra1gy1989]

Crossflow Kid said:

First things first. Are you actually an Eskimo?

Of course? Did you not know Cheshire is over populated with eskimos....?

[Simpo Two]

Well you did an 'Eskimo 180' - great but not conducive to living...



How about an airbag on your head?

[mattnunn]

Ok, first things first ffs practice this somewhere safe...

Pick a side, if you're right handed I suggest you got to the right first, take the end of the paddle in your right hand, left hand placed in the middle of paddle, rest it on the water on your right hand side.

Now capsize

Now you're upside down, don't panic. Lean back and reach the paddle to the surface of the water and sweep it along the water surface and pull down, do not try to right yourself by pulling your self up against the water, it won't work. It's the surface area of the paddle pulling across the top of the water which will give you maximum leverage

it's actually quite hard to explain in words, put there is a definate nack to it. It's harder with your hands on the paddle in the normal position but the theory is the same.

Edited by mattnunn on Tuesday 14th August 12:07

[Mr E]

You really need someone to teach you to be honest.

I found the best way to teach technique would be to have the pupil roll in, set up for the roll and then support the paddle as they execute. This gives them rather more to push against and allows for poor technique.

Once you've come up a couple of times, the motion makes sense and it all clicks.

[Richyvrlimited]

Mr E said:

You really need someone to teach you to be honest.

This, it's just just about the paddle sweep either, there's a a lot of technique involved with the positioning of your body and movement of your hips.

But this is how I do it:

once upside down, bring your paddle parallel with the kayak and ensure that the end at the front of your kayak is parallel with the water surface,

Now rotate the paddle 90 deg so it's perpendicular to your kayak, (paddle face still level/flat with the water surface)

Lean back as far as you can and sweep/pull the paddle over your head, whilst flicking your hips. The last thing out of the water should be your head, if that's first you'll never get upright.

[Munter]

A log time ago. In a different county. I was taught how to do this in a swimming pool. It was not easy even in a pool and knowing what you were about to do. And I never got past the one where you hold the "rear" blade in your hand. Progression to a screw roll was a no hoper.

[DJFish]

Without taking your hands off the shaft, lean forward and position the paddle so the blade you're going to roll with is adjacent to the opposite foot (i.e. right blade next to left foot), then simply pull hard on that blade and sweep it towards the opposite hip/back deck whilst driving up with the opposite knee....easy isn't it?
Alternatively, get a coach to show you how to do it properly in a pool, it really will pay dividends!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et6dBnqMVec&fea...

[Zaxxon]

It's all in the hips.

[kayaker1]

Lots of good advice, all I can add is get your hip flick sorted by holding on to another boats bow and lowering youself over, then back upright, like you were doing the old eskimo rescue. The better the hip flick, the smother the roll.
I managed to lose the ability to roll when I had a very square shaped boat, I had become lazy, relying purly on righting the boat with my paddle. I have had to relearn my hip flick & my roll is now bombproof in all conditions again.
Chris

[Shadow62]

A good way to practice is to start with the help from a friend in another kayak.

Without a paddle capsize, run you hands back and forth along the hull whilst your friend puts the front of his kayak 90degrees to your upside down kayak. Grab the front of his kayak and flick yourself up. This will get you used to hang your hips to flick the kayak back over.

Once you are happy with that progress onto doing it as described above holding the end of the paddle, tap the bottOm of the boat with the outward paddle end so you know where it is positioned. then onto paddles in normal position then usual a float or bouncy aid Instead of paddle then hands only, by this time you will see its in the flIck of the hips and the throwing of the body backwards.

Good luck.

[Wedg1e]

Zaxxon said:

It's all in the hips.

Modern low-volume, unstable boats are best suited to the 'hip-flick'.

Old-fangled '4-metre boats' like what I learned in, and sea kayaks like what I paddles now (yaarrrr) don't respond too well to it, you need the old sweeping-blade techniques to get back up.
Once up, get ready to use the paddle blade in a flat slap on the water to stop you going round again

Best way to get out of a capsized 'yak is to wait till you're completely upside-down then take the boat off as if it were a pair of trousers Don't forget to pop your spraydeck first of course...