How to Refine Your Roll for Whitewater Kayaking

09:35 and after: Good point about the paddle not needing to be perfectly on the surface for a sweep roll to still be successful. I'm also glad you left in the subsequent less-than-perfect roll where you had to save it by sculling. Very realistic situation! Thanks for being genuine!

Working to twist instead of tucking may be a difference maker.

Great video! Very helpfull 🙏thanks

I have only had 5 kayaking classes in Ecuador, Spanish is not my first language. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to learn the roll. I have decided that the roll is important, but it will come eventually as long as I practice proper techniques with qualified instructors. A non kayaker would look at your rolls and think, a roll is simple.

Thank you for spending so much time discussing the mental aspect of the roll. I grew up swimming in the ocean getting pounded by waves-I’m a really poor body surfer that had a lot of fun anyway. I also swim laps. I’m very comfortable in water. But there was something that happened after several roll sessions where fear entered in. I would start and panic would set in and would affect my lung capacity. I would tense up which made it hard to roll up - or not to. I took some time off trying to figure out where the fear came from. The best I could figure was more a feeling of if I can’t get this in a pool it will be so hard on the river. I gave myself permission to fail. I like swimming afterall. What’s the big deal? (Besides emptying the boat😂). When I went back I was still a little anxious and then my instructor and I realized about the same time I was thinking too much. Shut off the mind. Relax and do. Too many directions was closing my mind. Now I think set up punch and go - look. Punch my right hand up which starts the sweep, go with the momentum, look down so the head is last. Punch and go. 😂 The consistency started coming back. Fear is part of why I kayak. Facing fear is something I avoided but now I understand a healthy dose and confronting it, embracing it, and moving on is an amazing thing. My kayaking friends helped me embrace this and understand that we are all facing some degree of fear when we kayak and we are paddling for healing. So cool! Your videos are so often about that mind set and zen mindfulness. Thank you!

Thank you Anna, great step by step break down’😎

You focus on the sweep and associated hip movement and extension from the boat is right on. Excellent resource. this will be a go to video for myself and anyone else I know looking to work on and refine their roll. Thank you so much Anna.

Very good video and information I practice all year for me when the water is cold ear plugs helps so much, looking forward to seeing the next video

Mentally I just focus on being upright but pretty good at waiting and feeling the water upside down! I'm going to try the relaxing of the opposite hip bit next time I get a chance as I'm a terrible head lifter even if I normally roll successfully.

Thank you

Hello Anna, Thank you for the video and sharing problems with the roll. I've also a dominat right side. This season I had problems on my left side. I guess that I've too much tension in my opposite hip. My head comes up first, than I (nearly) fail. What do you do to consciously relaease the opposite hip? Is there a trick? Sorry I didn't get it from the video. Warm greetings from Munich! 🥨 René

Much appreciated wisdom. I've done maybe 20 rolls and am looking to get it bulletproof. Still only rolled in the pool and calm sea so not yet tried in white water. I found visualising the roll every night when I go to bed has helped hugely.

Love the videos - the yoga in particular, Anna. I fought with the roll for a couple days and went with a private instructor. His big focus was not that I necessary left there with a roll (we both would have been happier though), but that I left with 3 main reference positions so that I practiced proper physical mechanics. Like most, even though I'm very comfortable in the water, putting it together in the head and committing to what seemed unnatural was the battle. Now my mindset is pretty simple - DO. If I think about rolling I revert back to positions, but then it's disjointed and I either make my old mistake of punching my left hand and diving the paddle, or I end up with a sweep to c - a weird hybrid of the two. It also leads to me wasting air-time trying to get in a perfect starting position. Having faith in my sculling brace now feels more important to me, and I look at rolling much like flipping in the first place - it's a part of kayaking, it's gonna happen, and what goes down must go up...just DO, don't think. ;-)

This is awesome! I started whitewater kayaking about a year ago. I had a lot of trouble learning to roll, I think partly because my first boat was difficult for me to learn with as it seems to demand very good technique to get it upright. I’ve developed a solid flat water roll but I’m moving water I still find I’m sometimes having problems. Now I’m working on refining my technique by deliberately capsizing in waves and current, and it’s weird because the water in those situations, when I’m bobbing around upside down, causes me to be unsure about my setup as I can’t quite tell where the surface of the water is, so I’ve been putting a lot of attention on keeping calm and getting my paddle to where I think it needs to be, which has helped. But there seemed to be something else that needed work, and I couldn’t figure it out. Now, after watching your video, I think it might have more to do with some subtle problem with my hipsnap, and when you mentioned releasing tension in your opposite hip, that hit home for me because I think I’m trying to force my boat upright by throwing my opposite hip (the one on the side I setup my paddle on) up and over rather then focusing on bringing my hipsnap hip down and under… I think that is causing tension in my opposite hip so now I’m going to focus on relaxing it when I roll. Due to your explanation in this video I believe that I will soon have a much more solid and reliable roll and therefore feel more confident and have more fun kayaking! Thank you 🙏

Thank you for the vidéo, best explanation i ever found. I have a question, what is the model of you dagger kayak?

Great video! Mindset has some much to do with it.

Baby Safe!

Fantastic video. Since most flips are unplanned, is there a good way to figure out paddle orientation - since there was no initial setup and now you are under water? Thanks!

You only showed 360 full Eskimo rolls. But what about actual combat rolls where you get flipped and have to roll up on the same side?

Anna Namasté Can you adresse visualisation Especially création of à visualisation from ones own POV gleaned from observing others or vidéo Gracias Bill