Backdeck roll = hard = knot on the head

**crackboy** · 05-23-2007, 04:25 PM

So was at the pool session again last night and thought i would finally try to do some back deck rolls since my normal roll was doing well and thought i should get some more rolls for my arsenal.

wound up semi beating myself up, smacked my head with the back of my boat, and caught my fingers between the paddle and boat too many times to count.

obviously was doing something wrong.

was told to do it like a belly flop, got the flop but no twist.

any tips?

**Conundrum** · 05-23-2007, 04:49 PM

Hard to describe in words. There's a video on the net that does a pretty good job so maybe google will help.

Here's how I do it (assuming you're right handed):

1-Lay back on the stern (you don't have to do it fast) with the back of your right hand in front of your nose to protect your face. The power face of the blade will be facing out and your paddle shaft will be running parallel to the long axis of your boat.

2-You will be tipping over to the left.

3-When you are exactly upside down, start doing an ab crunch/sit up.

4-When your body is about 45 degrees from the stern of your boat, you will start to stroke your paddle away away from your face in a motion that if you were standing upright, you would hit yourself in the knees with the blade.

5-When you start the paddle stroke, you will throw a little hip snap in.

6-You will be coming out of the water at this point. Just like any other roll, your head will be the last thing out of the water. It will exit the water by your right knee.

I don't know how else to describe it without that video. It's a quick roll and you use the momentum of flipping to do a lot of it. Your basic goal is to get the boat moving in a direction to roll up without letting the dead weight of your upper body in the water kill the momentum. Good luck with it. Another resource is a video you can buy from EJ Jackson. It's a video I think any beginner looking to seriously pursue paddling should watch.

**ridinshockgun** · 05-23-2007, 04:53 PM

You really arent doing anything THAT wrong. Simple solution, wear your helmet to the pool. I did this learning the back deck roll. I still hit my head sometimes trying to dry hair roll.

Always remember the "right hand in front to protect your face". My right hand/knuckles have taken a few beatings, including this one on the Ocoee this weekend, I missed the first attempt after slamming my right hand/thumb into a rock and got typewritered in that position through half of the shallow rapid...this is where I finally rolled the sucker. I discovered that creekboats will still back deck roll, but its a hell of a lot slower.

**burnerx** · 05-23-2007, 05:49 PM

http://playak.com/media.php?src=dmlk...NrIERlY2subW92 link to short backdeck roll instructional video. Bonus Chris Spelies(sp?) in speedo

**chrismo720** · 05-23-2007, 07:10 PM

^ thats a sick role, more of a flatwater play move haa

**ridinshockgun** · 05-23-2007, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by chrismo720

^ thats a sick role, more of a flatwater play move haa

Play a lot and it becomes habit, then you use it when you shouldn't

I was in some really manky, shallow shit, did one and when I came up was scared shitless thinking what I just did.

**crackboy** · 05-23-2007, 11:23 PM

thats an awesome video burn. kind of helped it make sense

**Steven S. Dallas** · 05-24-2007, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by ridinshockgun

Play a lot and it becomes habit, then you use it when you shouldn't.

That's the truth. I got way overobsessed with my hand roll when I was 14 or so and would drop my paddle to hit it. How stupid is that?

Answer: very. Very stupid.

**Alek** · 07-10-2007, 08:22 PM

Wow, I have been rolling and kayaking for 20 years, and I have never even heard of that! Very cool, but god forbid you should try that in Clear Creek! Good bye face!

**Powderfin** · 07-11-2007, 06:21 PM

Thanks for posting the video, that really helped me out. Is there a good vid of a hand roll anywhere? I found this on youtube, but I would really like a slo-mo hand roll vid. Cheers.

**crackboy** · 07-12-2007, 10:52 AM

try this site

http://www.exchile.com/KayakSchoolRollIdentifier.htm

thats where that youtube clip came from, i am pretty sure i saw a handroll on there, it might have been in the other rolls video

**gh444** · 07-12-2007, 12:06 PM

I have mixed feeling on the conventional backdeck roll wisdom. I've found myself in situations (creeking) where I hit a backdeck when convention would have told me to tuck. Its actually worked out better. The reason is that if I'm already headed into the setup position I can fling it around with enough quickness and power that my face and head never touch the water. The downside is two fold, if I miss it could be bad and the position that you come of a backdeck roll into isn't exactly optimum for a split second. Anyone else thought about this and what have you come up with?

-aaron