Paddlers can be quite passionate about their own way of rolling, so don’t let different explanations confuse you. Quality rolls have a lot in common. Rolling is a weird, counterintuitive motion, so don’t worry if it takes a while to learn. The practice will help your balance!
There are actually two primary variations of rolling, with subtle differences. In one style of rolling, the C to C, you position your body and paddle perpendicular to the overturned boat before any righting action begins. In the other style of rolling, the sweep, the boat rotation occurs as the paddle sweeps to perpendicular.
Use the roll closest to what you first learned. Don’t worry about which to do. Many paddlers learn one roll and gradually evolve to the other. There are other roll variations that work well and are strongly promoted by various instructors.
C to C
In the C to C, you position your body and paddle perpendicular to the boat before any righting action begins.
>arguably faster to articulate, easier to break into components.
>arguably requires more flexibility
>poor form rolls don’t work, look sloppy, leave paddler exposed
C to C Variation: the Front Deck Roll (not shown)
Finishing forward for protection and to keep profile low
Great roll, not as pure a body movement, and arguably a little harder to learn
Note: a few of these rolling images may take up to a minute to load, in order to bring you high quality instruction.
Sweep
In the “sweep”, the boat rotation occurs as the paddle sweeps to perpendicular.
arguably what most people evolve to
>arguably faster
>arguably better for less flexible
>poor form rolls don’t work look sloppy leave padder exposed
>arguably better for wide, planing hull boats
Sweep Variation, the Back deck roll (not shown)
Arguably low profile helps (don’t have to raise body very high)
Some boats have a point of stability if you lean back in them
Requires a sit-up to complete
Arguably exposes your face and arms
Arguably = expect lots of varied opinions on these issues
TIP: You should be super comfortable with the wet exit, and smooth with the knee lift before you tackle rolling with a paddle!
Choose a roll: Sweep or C to C