Falling into Whitewater -- Literally -- Part 2

How does one keep from falling into whitewater?

Bracing the paddle against the water to stay upright and rolling back up if the brace fails.  A roll (a.k.a. Eskimo roll) is essentially a brace done after the boat has flipped.

Boat first.  Head last.

What is the secret of rolling and bracing?

Snapping the boat right side up first, before the head comes up.

It sounds simple, but our bodies instinctively try to get our head upright first.  So many things in kayaking seem upside down and backwards, or counterintuitive-- rolling is a classic example. 

Try this:  Start tipping yourself over to the right while sitting on your couch.  How do you get yourself back upright?  If you're like most people, you'll push down with your right leg.  But if you tip to the right in a kayak on water and you make that same corrective movement, what is going to happen? Yep, you'll tilt the boat even farther to the right.  Staying upright in a kayak often requires us to do the opposite of what we instinctively want to do.

So the key to learning how to brace and roll is training your mind that the boat has to be flipped up first and only after the boat is righted can you bring your head and shoulders back over the boat.  The head must learn to love being first-in and last-out of the water.

Watch this video clip and decide which knee pulls the boat upright after I fall to my right. (The hip snap = cranking the knee+thigh UP into a thigh pad to pull that side of the boat UP)

The boat comes up first, from a strong hip snap. We call it a hip snap, but you can think of it as pulling the thigh up. (This is an extremely late high brace or a roll and the right knee is cranking up to upright the boat).

Rolling and bracing are mostly mental skills plus a good hip snap. The paddle plays only a supporting role, so they are skills of finesse not strength.

Watch my right hand stay above water in the next video clip. There is barely any force applied to the paddle. The paddle is a gentle brace. The force of the roll comes from the hip snap.

I've been quite surprised at how learning new kayaking techniques has tested both my mental and physical flexibility-- this journey into whitewater kayaking has been a workout for both the brain and body!

More later, from the Elkader, IA WhiteWater Park--  the Turkey River Gobbler,

helen

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