At some point in their paddling career, many kayakers find themselves in the position of teacher… faced with showing a friend (hopefully not significant other) how to roll. While this “buddy school of instruction” is less ideal than a trained and experienced instructor, it is sometimes necessary. Whether you are a neophyte instructor helping a friend, or an instructor seeking reminders, the following checklist should help you build a working teaching progression.
At some point in their paddling career, many kayakers find themselves in the position of teacher… faced with showing a friend (hopefully not significant other) how to roll. While this “buddy school of instruction” is less ideal than a trained and experienced instructor, it is sometimes necessary. Whether you are a neophyte instructor helping a friend, or an instructor seeking reminders, the following checklist should help you build a working teaching progression.
Roll Instruction Progression
First teach and review a wet exit prerequisite until the student is comfortable. Start with a distinct five step process:
Tuck, Tap three times (to slow the rush)
hands to cockpit at thighs, slide hands forward along rim to sprayskirt rip cord
Pull the rip cord forward and up
slide hands to along hips, push off boat
Stay tucked, push further back out of boat, let PDF find the surface
Bow rescue progression with distinct phases:
Tuck, tap 3 times
slide hands to bow and stern *
upon contact, bring bow in front pull head onto bow. Keep one shoulder in the water, pause and get a breath.
knee lift rights boat, only then lift head
Whitewater and coastal safety skills must be taught for safety, but also so the student develops comfort in their boat. A bow rescue is a handy way to avoid a swim, but it should only be used in pools and other hazard free learning situations so a student becomes comfortable with doing a wet exit when appropriate.
*A rescuing kayaker speeding in to offer a bow could do major damage if their impact hit directly on the hand or wrist. To help safeguard against this potential injury many teach to either have thumbs pointing out, or to have the arms a few inches from the boat to allow for a glancing blow rather than direct pinch. Rescuers should aim to slide from the bow into contact with the hand.
The knee Lift
Next, a student has to understand more about how rotating the boat upright is done by the knees. An efficient roll uses one knee at a time. Explain to the student:
1. If the student raises his head, it results in pulling on the wrong knee, which brings the boat back upside down
2. Point out which knee rights the boat. In order to do that, the student has to leave their head down.
3. Teach their entire body the motion… have them pinch their ear to the shoulder during the motion
4. Have them feel how the muscles stretch to the surface along one side of the ribcage, then contract in conjunction with the knee lift.
5. Show how only one knee can be activated in order to properly rotate the boat up. If a student is loose or in the boat, this can be a critical step. Explain outfitting again, and show how to pressure their feet. Teach difference between heel push (which lowers the knee from the deck) and toe push (which pressures the deck). This is especially important for bulkheads and foam foot bracing.
6. The next step of boat rotation practice is centering over the boat by sitting up slowly while keeping the head down. To exaggerate this centering have the hands slide across the lap area. Sitting up too quickly develops bad habits.
To teach how the boat rotations work, the instructor stands just less than waist deep to teach the boat rotations. When you help, you’ll find it best to stand behind your student. You can hold their lifejacket with one hand, and use your other hand to adjust or prompt their motions. For instance, with boat rotations, have your student pinch your hand between ear and shoulder. Alternatively, you can tap which knee they should be activating, and which side of their torso should contract.
It is not preferable, but a student can also learn the same motion on the side of a pool or a dock. If they must practice this way, have them imagine that their fingertips are resting on eggs that will break if they push too hard. Also, they should keep one shoulder or their face in the water, to avoid lifting torso and head. Be precise, because only perfect practice makes perfect.
These skills are demonstrated and explained in “The Kayak Roll”, available now in DVD and VHS.