Hi ppl

Does any know the best way to hand roll? Are there any videos out there for the technique of handing rolling. Any help would be great.

Thanks Alot

Jay

Well for a start a good paddler never lets go of his paddle unless there are complications, which usually is on white water and in which case you'd most likely wet exit.

The hand roll is more of a pool session roll or a playboaters roll.

It's basically, getting your hands on top of the surface of the water in a 'window' shape and pushing down. That'll do some of the work, the torso will have to do the rest, a nice little hip flick and you should be just about up, throw your arm across the deck if you're unsure and lean back, that usually helps.

It's all about confidence and taking your time. When you do it you'll be wondering what was so hard about it.

Good luck,

Ash.

Get yourself EJs Rolling and Bracing!

While I would agree that holding on to your paddle it is not just a gimmick. If you happen to break your paddle then having a hand roll is great. I have broken a paddle and hand rolled to hand paddle and avoid a hole. I don't think I would have been able to avoid the hole if I was in the water.

it's best to learn in a nice warm pool. But, if you still have some water where you are then you're lucky and should keep at it there.

Best to just describe how I learned and know that others will chime in with their own techniques:

I was in a pool. Started by doing a few rolls with my paddle. Then I placed the paddle on the side of the pool, rolled over and just went through the exact same motions. It worked about half way. So I paddled, underwater, to the side of the pool and used the side to roll myself back up. Ah ha! Let me try this again. I did a bunch of \"half\" rolls in which I flipped over holding onto the side of the pool, then \"rolled\" back up. I did this several times, then went out toward the middle and tried a hand roll with nothing supporting me. Many many of those attempts failed, and I needed to paddle back to the side (while still upside down) and use the pool's edge to roll. But, eventually I got it.

At a summer camp, where I was lifeguard, I witenessed a couple of Austrian kids learn how to hand roll in an interesting fashion. Since their English was poor (and my German is non-existent) we had a difficult time communicating. I demonstrated the hand roll a few times, and they tried to copy it without success. But, they were determined. When I had lifeguard duty, I looked over to the boating section and saw these boys in kayaks, in about 10inces of water; hand rolling off the bottom of the lake. I watched them progress from using lots of arm muscles, to eventually getting a proper hip snap, and moving into increasingly deeper water. It took them about three days but both of these guys moved out into deep water and were able to do a hand roll.

I have since taught, using a similarly progressive principle in which I (as instructor) am standing next to the student and allow them to use my hands as support for their hand roll. The idea is to progessivly move my hands (their support) deeper and deeper into the water, so they are relying on it less and less, and using the hip snap more and more. (and I\"m right there if they need help)

Let me know if this helps, or if you have any more questions (since I didn't want to get more long winded than this on just one post)

Thanks for the advice. Ill have a go and let you know thanks again

Jay

I would also recomend E J's rolling DVD. It has a good section on hand rolling.

The way i learned to hand roll was using a random piece of foam i found in my garage. Use this to get the motion right and give you a bit of extra surface area. Then you can just cut the foam and make it smaller and smaller until you're just rolling with your hands.
Flip-flops also work! They give your hands more surface area. I taught a guy to hand roll in less than an hour using flip-flops!

Using a ping-pong paddle is also a good way to get some assistance at first in your roll.

it's also fun to try some swimming gloves in the beginning:

www.nextag.com/swimming-gloves/search-html

ask at the pool - usually the pool instructors or classes will have foam
'kick boards' or similar that can work well as an intermediate step.
Also the gloves that Jeroen suggests - most competitive swim clubs have them - so perhaps they would lend them to you at the pool for a session...

Ashley wrote:

Well for a start a good paddler never lets go of his paddle unless there are complications, which usually is on white water and in which case you'd most likely wet exit.

*ouch* such a narrowmindness! The hand roll is pretty important when you play canoe polo.. Poloplayers rather let go of the paddle than the ball

Besides, having a solid hand roll means your hip technique is good which makes you rely less (or even not al all) on your paddle. On an old video (it's called \"Escape to New Zealand\") there's a scene with Schorsschi Schauff rolling with his paddle vertical. That must have been a handroll (or even a no-hand roll) because the water is flowing fast (it's a least a class V he's paddling there). The reason he rolled that way is pretty obvious: it was a lot easier and faster (and in this case safer) to roll without using his paddle then to set up and roll with it.

If you can't hand roll you can't do this.

So, even if you don't let go of your paddle it pays to have a solid no-paddle roll.

Just my 2 cents,

Michiel

the name hand roll can be misleading. The hands provide very little assistance your hip snap and head position are the most important issues. Most people initiate a hand roll using the hands. i f you flick your hips first ( and your hip flick is strong) then you should be most of the way up. your hands can then be used to finish off the roll.

Hand rolling is a good skill to develop your hip snap and get you comfortable under water. It's a good backup if you loose your padle. Being comfortable throwing away your padle is a bad thing in wight water. Sevral poloers have ben bitten by that reflex. At least there were no major injerys up till now.

oz wrote:

the name hand roll can be misleading. The hands provide very little assistance your hip snap and head position are the most important issues. Most people initiate a hand roll using the hands. i f you flick your hips first ( and your hip flick is strong) then you should be most of the way up. your hands can then be used to finish off the roll.

I agree. Only I prefer to say that the hands first of all help you to position the upper body properly and keep it there during the hip snap. That is why there is usually some hands movement prior the hip flick, with it and after - finishing off.

Just want ed to add how I learned myself. Im sure there are many different ways but I used my paddle. I would capsize and put my paddle just out to where it wouldn’t interfere with rolling but would be able to doggie paddle or stroke a few times to grab it if I didn’t want to wet exit. I used a double pump with my hand, not use both in one stroke but two following one after another. I roll most of the time from the left so my right hand would follow my left. Get me? My left would start all movements and hip snap would snap when my left hand would be finishing its stroke with my right beginning it stroke. This would have me 90% of the way up and my right would still be the top of water surface.

when starting to learn this I used the blade of the paddle. Paddle would be floating next to me and I would place my right hand on the blade.

It would go something like this when I would think of the movements when learning.
capsize, position paddle, right hand on blade, setup kiss deck, hand reach and swing, near end of left hand swing hip snap, right hand brace or help with the rest of the way. And of course you may and will have the times where you will smashing or right hand down looking like theres something wrong with you “to none paddlers” trying to get that last 2” of getting up sitting flat.

And no you should lose you paddle but I think we all know of a few times when you get flipped you didn’t see it coming and a hand comes off. Or the water RIPPES it out, don’t like them times.

I have had that happen and a hand roll got me out of some sticky spots.
Most of the times it doesn’t work for me is when you are with your favorite group of paddlers and have a new face or two and your buddies telling some paddling talles about hand rolling and you decide to show off and you cant do it!

Thanks for the help ppl

Not overly useful, but i have seen an instructor go up to a beginner kayaker in a pool, say 'im going to teach you to hand roll', push them over and watch them roll up on pure instinct.
When learning methodically, try the float idea and really learn to rely on your hipflick. Doing hundreds of flicks off the side of a pool may seem boring and quite pointless, but will really help you make it natural. Try to make it all one fluid movement, instead of frantic splashing....funny as watching that can be!
Dolly

Yep just use all the above advice, remember to take your head out of the water last. Lean back and hip flick hard.
I lost my handroll a while ago and an instructor from Newzealand tought me a really nifty tecnique, if your going over on your left and coming up on the right, bite your buoyancy aid strap on the right and keep hold of it with your teeth untill you resurface.
Simply it just keeps your head under which, with leaning back and a good hipflick, are the key elements to it.

Hope that helps, even if i am repeating things other people have said...

Good luck!

seems hand roll was pretty usefull th this guy:

Ashley wrote:

Well for a start a good paddler never lets go of his paddle unless there are complications, which usually is on white water and in which case you'd most likely wet exit.

When I ran a waterfall this summer, I turned around after the drop to play in a pourover. I went to roll and my Waterstick paddle broke. So there I am, unsidedown thinking to myself, \"you gotta be kidding me.\" I reached down with my hands to catch the deep water to flush myself out of the hole. Then when I felt the turbulance subside I hand-rolled and then used my hands to catch an eddy before the next set of rapids. The hardest thing was getting over the Eddy-Line without the paddles, but luckily I had enough downstream momentum to get in there.

I could have swam I guess but having a good hand roll can do two important things; it helps keep you dry but most importantly, a hand roll gives you alot more confidence in your abilities as a boater.

Cheers,
Whitewaterules

That dude kept his cool pretty well. Nice. Another safety feature to creek boats that people forget. Easy to roll...

since my hand roll suck and I've been paddling long enough to have some serious bad habits, I've been working on the hand roll the last two pool sessions.

I like the idea of using a kick board, but I quickly found out how to use it like a paddle and it actualy provides more resistance than any paddle (bigger surface area)

I found some hand paddle things that swimmers use, but they have holes in the middle so they are not as powerful as the hand paddles that whitewater guys make. They ended up being good things for practicing my off side.

Basically, any object that is NOT your paddle will help you start to hand roll. You can even grab your paddle, with one hand, right in the middle of the shaft and use that for help. If you run through rolling with many different objects you'll start to realize that your roll is more in your body motion than anything your hands or paddle will do.

hey guys i found, in my opinion the best hand roll technique. i had tried briefly learning with a float but then someone showed me a cool technique without a float .after 3 failed attempts at the technique i got it the fourth time and did around 20 handrolls both sides after that not missing one.im not paddling long so i think that shows its a good techbique. basically if your going to roll up on your right side, put your left hand on top of your right hand ( both hands facing down) your head on your right arm, and ly on the back of the kayak.as you hip flick both hands seperate at the same time, the left arm going over and the right arm giving a bit of support.all done without a float or paddle. if i can do it surely anyone else can. and also the head comes up last and fingers are together, and setup is out to the side to get most power.
good luck and let me know how you get on:)

just like to emphasize on thing that seems to be getting overlooked. After you initiate the hand roll and hip snap, it is helpful tolean back once you feel yourself star to come out of the water. this brings your center of gravity down a lot lower and the hip snap can finish easier. Also, yes its been said already, but handrolls really are useful in the river, iv elost my paddle at lest three or four times and a hand roll saved me from a few long swims. Please dont disregard this roll as a playboating gimicck.

Kicks wrote:

remember to take your head out of the water last. Lean back and hip flick hard.

I didn't overlook it...

another good way is to learn with hand paddles, which is supre- easy, then take one away, then take both away. Your local pool most likely has hand paddles for swimmers, and you can just use them for the night.

oops, my bad

I tried this technique on Sunday. It works rather well. I like it! Pretty easy to teach too.

I also jumped into a creek boat, and yes, they are much easier to hand roll than the playboats. I found the Gangster especially easy.


playakplayak wrote:

hey guys i found, in my opinion the best hand roll technique. i had tried briefly learning with a float but then someone showed me a cool technique without a float .after 3 failed attempts at the technique i got it the fourth time and did around 20 handrolls both sides after that not missing one.im not paddling long so i think that shows its a good techbique. basically if your going to roll up on your right side, put your left hand on top of your right hand ( both hands facing down) your head on your right arm, and ly on the back of the kayak.as you hip flick both hands seperate at the same time, the left arm going over and the right arm giving a bit of support.all done without a float or paddle. if i can do it surely anyone else can. and also the head comes up last and fingers are together, and setup is out to the side to get most power.
good luck and let me know how you get on:)

I have ben working on my hand roll in the pool. It's good to learn to develope a killer hip snap. I have used my hands on one blade of my padle. I have used a padle float ( it a sea kajaking thing) and slid my hand in where the padle would go. I also have a set of swimers padles. A budy decided it would be a fun game to bounce me around and then flip me over un expected and let me roll up. I think he was bored but I could roll up no problems with the swimmers padles.