Sunday, January 28, 2007

Workng on Rolls

Working on rolls again at the pool .. I will eventually get the Butterfly roll down, I came so close today so many times, just never got it all the way up. After a time I needed something else to do so I went down to the other end of the pool to see if I could spot someone else on thier rolls. I believe teaching another person to roll, takes as much effort, and skill as learning the roll itself. I spent a lot of time last summer helping others to get thier roll going, with limited success. I often wonder if I am doing more harm than good ... maybe I was just patient enough to spot them until they figured it out. At any rate, working towards an instructor certificate is certainly a worthy goal. On top of the things I'd like to acomplish in the next couple of years, that would be one of them.

7 comments:

Alex said...

Keep working on the butterfly roll and you'll get it soon enough. I was gonna come to the pool session but I had to pick up a friend from the airport this morning. I did make it to the whitewater pool session in the evening so I still managed to get my head wet. Grab me next time we're in the pool and I'd be happy to help you out with the butterfly roll.

Ron said...

Hey thanks Alex, I'll catch you at the pool next Sunday

ddf said...
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ddf said...

here's a helpful hint. try the butterfly roll with an unfeathered euro-paddle--that way you get the maximum resistance against the water (make sure you keep the blades parallel with the surface.) once you get the feel for it, try using a lighter touch or slowing it down until it's smooth and easy (and it will be, i promise.) from there a gp (and who knows a handroll?) will be a piece of cake.

Ron said...

I'm told the key to some of the other rolls .. like the narsaq, or even the hand roll, is the butterfly. Hey, I appreciate the tips.

Alex said...

I'd have to disagree with ddf's suggestion. A GP has MUCH more buoyancy than an unfeathered euro paddle and therefore is much easier to butterfly roll with. Along with that, the problem with doing this roll with a Euro paddle is that typically your hand will not be perfectly centered and you end up diving one blade and utilizing only a portion of the lifting capability. Stick with the GP, and then try it with a Euro.

ddf said...

you do make a good point, alex. i guess my euros are all foam cored and that definitely makes them extra buoyant. i did also spec an unfeathered paddle which is more forgiving of hand placement.

also: my gp is a very thin betsie bay which is one of the least buoyant gps i've used.