Learning and Teaching Rolling

Learning to roll your kayak is like learning a new dance: you need to do the right step at the right time, then practice until your movements become rhythmic.

Tuck forward toward the front deck. Set your blade with the 'power face' up.

Learning to Roll

Rolling is the ultimate self-rescue technique for kayakers. There is no real mystery to learning how to roll; it is simply a matter of making the right movement at the right time. As the saying goes, ‘a kayak roll is easy to do, but hard to learn.’

I’ve been teaching rolling for the past 12 years, but I can remember back to the time when I was first learning to roll. During a layover day on a kayak tour in Georgian Bay, Ontario, the lead guide, Gary Morgan, offered to teach me rolling. I didn’t get it at the time, but continued to try on my own afterward. I found a quiet spot on the lake at my brother’s cottage to practice. Seeing me from the shore, a sunbather called out to me. I paddled over, and he said, “Want me to show you how to roll?” Before I could respond, he had commandeered my kayak and began flipping over and rolling. He said, “See, it’s all in the hip flick.” Well, that didn’t help me much, because I already had heard that from Gary.

Capsize toward your paddle.

Later, I participated in a rolling course at the pool here in Victoria, and, although I improved, I was still wasn’t quite rolling. I did, however, understand the technique and knew what I needed to work on. Shortly after, I snuck away to Thetis Lake and began practising in a secluded corner of the lake. Low and behold, another kayaker saw me and scooted over. “Want me to show you how to roll?” he said. Before I could respond, over he flipped and up he came. “See,” he said, “It’s all in the hip flick.” He did a couple more, then took off. Well, again, that didn’t help me much because I had already heard this. What I needed was some time to practice—uninterrupted!

Push your paddle toward the surface, maintaining your tuck.

Shortly after, a friend and I were discussing rolling while poring over Derek Hutchinson’s Guide to Eskimo Rolling. With newfound determination, we headed off to Thetis Lake again for more practice, where we encountered another ‘helpful’ kayaker who wanted to show us how to roll. We watched and listened politely, then continued our practice, and voila, we both got it—Mark first, then me. What I learned from the experience is that there is no secret to rolling—it’s more than ‘just a hip flick’—it’s the correct technique, good timing, and proper practice!

Sweep out while keeping your working blade near the surface.

There are other misconceptions about rolling. Physical strength is not the key to rolling. If you try to use your strength to lift yourself out of the water, you’ll simply sink back down because the support you use to lift yourself up is liquid. As well, novice kayakers are sometimes given the false impression that they should learn to roll as a first step toward kayaking. However, if you are a novice kayaker, you may have difficulty learning to roll because you don’t have the prerequisite building blocks yet. I recommend you be able to perform basic kayaking strokes and rescue techniques before trying to learn to roll. You should also spend time becoming comfortable in your kayak and competent holding and using your kayak paddle.

Hip flick (yep).

Rolling is counterintuitive: when you are upside down, your intuition tells you to bring your head up out of the water first so that you can take a breath. However, proper technique requires you to first turn your kayak upright (using your lower body—yes, the hip flick!) and bring your head out of the water last. In the photo sequence, you’ll see the steps for rolling. In the final photos, you’ll see my head comes out of the water last.

Recover with your head coming out of the water last. Maintain support using your paddle.

Teaching Rolling

Because learning to roll requires prerequisite building blocks, this skill is best introduced in intermediate-level courses and clinics. I teach rolling in Sea Kayaking Level 2 Skills courses, Sea Kayaking Level 3 Skills courses, Rolling clinics, and Personal Coaching sessions. I have found rolling more challenging to teach than other skills because students consider rolling a ‘make or break’ skill; i.e., students often feel discouraged if they haven’t successfully rolled during a program. Comparatively, when I teach other skills, such as the draw stroke, many students are satisfied by only moderate success in their performance of the stroke (“My boat’s going sideways . . . I’m good with that’). I try to encourage rolling students by letting them know if their technique is good, and suggest further time and practice.

Learning to roll with the aid of a paddle float in the pool.

People often need different amounts of time to learn to roll. So, when I teach rolling, I give students ways to continue to practice on their own, such as using a paddle float as an aid to keeping their blade near the water’s surface. Alternately, students can repeat a clinic if they prefer to practice further in a class setting, or they can arrange personal coaching.

I train up-and-coming instructors how to teach rolling in our Sea Kayaking Level 2 Instructor course. During this training, I explain that there are many different kinds of rolls. Therefore, if a student is having difficulty learning one kind of roll, a competent instructor should able to suggest an alternate roll to allow the student better opportunity for success.

So, whether you’re learning to roll or learning to teach rolling, allow the time needed to practice this important skill. Learning to roll is a journey, not a destination, so have fun with it!

Ocean River Adventures rents Crystal Pool to teach Rolling clinics and other programs on select Saturday nights in the spring and fall. On these nights, we also offer space in the pool for kayakers to practice on their own. This is a great opportunity for you to learn in a heated pool. For information on our upcoming Rolling clinics, Instructor courses, Personal Coaching, Pool Space (for Independent Practice), and other programs, please visit www.oceanriveradventures.com.

Gary Doran
Head Instructor/Guide and Programmer, Ocean River Sports
Paddle Canada Instructor Trainer
SKGABC Guide Trainer