Improve your skills in a sweep

Fall 2008

Skillset

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

By Alex Matthews

NOTHING will help move your paddling skills to the next level like a dependable roll. Not only is a strong roll the ultimate self-rescue technique (what else gets a paddler back upright faster?), it will also greatly boost your confidence to try new strokes, or paddle in more challenging conditions like surf or current.

Although the ability to roll certainly isn’t a prerequisite to enjoy kayaking, a dependable roll will transform your paddling experience. And just to dispel a few myths – a successful roll depends on good technique, not on power or great athleticism, so any reasonably fit paddler with the desire, and dedication to practice, can learn to roll.

The Sweep Roll

There are many different ways to roll. The sweep roll is one of the most popular because it is fast, effective and relatively easy to learn.

To set up for the sweep roll (while upsidedown), lean well forward from the waist so that your chest is on your fore deck, and your paddle is held parallel to the boat.

From this setup position, once upside down, sweep the power face of your forward blade out to the side, arcing toward the stern, with your back arm acting as the pivot point.

To keep your blade from sinking as you sweep, maintain a sculling, or “climbing” angle on the blade. Cocking your wrist forward will provide the desired angle to your blade so that its leading edge is slightly higher than the trailing edge, creating lift. Stretch your body out to the side as you sweep, following your blade with your head.

As you sweep your forward blade out to 90 degrees, use the support from the paddle to keep your body floating close to the water’s surface, and “hip snap” your kayak upright, keeping your head in the water. Hip snap by driving your lower knee skyward.

The hip snap, also known as the “hip flick,” is the single most important step in a reliable roll, and refers to the action of rotating your hips to right your kayak. By staying flexible at your hips, you can use your knee to actively roll your hips and your kayak back upright, while your body and head remain in the water.

The final essential step to completing a roll is keeping your head down throughout, allowing your hip snap to roll the kayak almost completely upright before the rest of your body follows. Once you’ve hip snapped your boat upright, swing your body back over top of your kayak. Think in terms of a supple movement drawing each vertebra back upright starting at the base of your spine and flowing all the way up to your neck, with your head coming up last. Finishing lying backward is a common approach, and is the most reliable for beginners as it keeps your center of gravity as low as possible, and thus yields the greatest success rate.