I found "EJ's Rolling and Bracing" to be super-helpful, and the folks we helped learn to roll seemed to pick it up waaaaay faster than they would have if it was just us trying to show them - like as little at 1/2 hour in some cases.

Was a big help for me when I was trying to pick up the off-side roll way back when.

After all these years, it feels good to be learning a new river skill. Driving a different boat will take me to new places...

Thanks for the advice and links!

See you at the pool!

Franz

I'll chime in with another vote for study material and study time outside of the pool. Don't stay away from the pool, just because you haven't studied, but by all means, get yourself some study material. Note: I think YouTube videos pale in comparison to store bought videos.

I learned to roll by studying "The Bombproof Roll and Beyond" by Paul Dutky and the 3 minute section on rolling in the video, "The Kayakers Edge" by Kent Ford.

Dutky's book is short and concise. It begins with outfitting and that is absolutely the way to begin. Poor outfitting can make learning to roll a struggle. I usually tell people to start reading his book from the beginning through the rolling instruction, then stop. Reading further puts too much information in your head. Save it for later.

I like the short section on rolling in "The Kayakers Edge", precisely because it's short and doesn't contain a lot of extra information. It briefly and simply demonstrates and describes several different roll techniques.

I like "The Kayak Roll" by Kent Ford slightly better, but EJ's rolling video and "Grace Under Pressure" are both excellent, though I think all 3 of these videos are a better tool for someone trying to tune up their roll or for instructors vs someone trying to learn their roll for the first time. Too much information. Know what I mean?

The one concept I think is overlooked in rolling is the idea that your body acts like a giant paddle blade. We focus way, way WAY too much on what we're doing with that tiny inadequate sliver of plastic and often completely ignore or misunderstand the force(purchase) our body has on the water. In the Sweep Roll, we tuck our body forward and to one side, then, it acts like a giant paddle as it sweeps back and to the other side. This is a huge part of what rolls the boat. When rolling, the paddle should function as a stabilizer, rather than a thruster, if you see what I mean.

Unfortunately, a paddle is the only tool in our hands and we tend to overuse when learning to roll. It's difficult to overcome. I used to teach everybody to hand roll first. This kinda helps to get the idea out of your head that the paddle is doing all the work.

I also like the videoing yourself thing. Being upside down in our boats is disorienting. Getting to see video of yourself and what you're doing can be very enlightening. I always wanted to rig the club's projector to show video on a big wall in the pool area. You could have a dedicated tech guy to run the camera and projector. Try your roll, then have tech guy play it back for you on the wall and you can watch in the comfort of your boat, then try it again.

Goggles can also help you see more of what's happening and make for quite the sporty look in the pool. :-)

YMMV

Thanks James. Is there anything about the Gus that makes it no good for learning to roll?   I think I might be able to borrow an old Java too...

good on ya for gettin your hands on a gus.... best boat ever made. mine exploded a few years ago. man i miss that thing.