Learning to Kayak Roll from a Beginner's Perspective

My LiquidLogic Freeride 57 at the ONAT pool at the University of Akron. Credit: Matt Fredmonsky

I fess up. From a kayaking perspective, I'm a beginner. Okay, maybe I'm an "advanced" beginner now. I've been paddling regularly for three years and have a few different boats. So I've got a few river miles under my sprayskirt. But I don't pretend to be an expert.

This summer the roiling whitewater started calling my name, and I quickly learned that if I wanted to start chasing the River God I'd have to advance my skills and get in a boat classified for more than what my Dagger Axis 10.5 -- a solid crossover kayak -- could handle.

After much window shopping, I picked up a real whitewater boat: a LiquidLogic Freeride 57 from Wild Earth Outfitters in downtown Kent, Ohio.  I decided it was time to get serious about learning to roll after taking a swim on my second, brief outing in the new ride doing some mild surfing at a park-and-play wave in Munroe Falls, Ohio.

Enter the Keelhaulers. The Keelhaulers are a canoe and kayak club in northeast Ohio that organizes open pool sessions at various aquatic centers during the winter months. The club's many skilled paddlers can offer great tips and feedback to beginners learning and practicing some basic kayaking maneuvers, such as the sweep stroke, high brace and the roll.

I visited two open pool sessions so far this winter and received some great, free instructional tips on rolling but couldn't find success in righting my boat. On my third session, and my fifth time in my new Freeride, I finally found success in the ONAT pool at the University of Akron.

You can watch all the instructional roll videos and read all the technique articles you want on rolling, but nothing beats actually getting in the water, tipping yourself upside down and trying to turn right side up.

As a beginner, I won't pretend to offer expert-level advice, and I'll stay away from specific techniques. But here are a few tips I can share about learning to roll your boat.

1. Be flexible. I was convinced I needed to learn a sweep roll, and I failed miserably for several hours at a few pool sessions. Finally, a new acquaintance suggested I try the C-to-C roll, and I got it on my first attempt (if you count rolling with such power that I rolled right over and back under before righting myself on the second try with a little less force).
2. Learn in the pool. For most of us, it's winter and that means water temperatures slightly above the freezing mark.The pool is a safe, warm and calm place to try new maneuvers.
3. Join a paddling group. I haven't formally joined, but the Keelhaulers are a great group of boaters who advocate for paddlers locally and arrange a multitude of pool sessions to keep us sharp in the winter and facilitate instruction for new boaters.
4. Don't get discouraged. It's easy for a few failures at a pool session to chip away at your passion for the water. Keep at it. You'll get that sought-after skill, whether rolling or boofing, with practice.
5. Keep your head down! This applies mostly if you're learning to roll.

Happy paddling!