How do you not freak when trying to do a roll/t-rescue?

Chuchoter

I'm new enough to kayaking, I started at the beginning of the summer and I've been doing it once or twice a week since. I'm trying to get to grips with t-rescues and rolls and every time I get under the water I just go ahh! and pop out of the kayak:rolleyes:. I don't know what it is because I'm not afraid of the water!. T-rescue its not so bad, but I don't seem to have the strength to pull myself around and then I just get stuck. How do I build up enough strength to pull up the kayak/not freak out?

KenHy

two different issues there!

On the strength, for a t-rescue or a roll it is not really about strength. It's mainly technique. The places where people tend to go wrong are

1. Bad or no hip flick - Practice your hip flick, I find people learn this quicker if they actualy concentrate on pulling their knee into their chest insted of what they do with their hip
   
2. Bringing the head out too early - linked to the other issue, most people just want a breath and bring their head out straight away which pretty much prevents a roll or t-rescue. Try and get confident in the water, remember that most people can very easily stay 30 seconds underwater as long as they don't panic.

The second issue is water confidence. As I said, you can probably spend a surprisingly long amount of time holding your breath. Next time you get out, practice falling over, and not attempting a rescue for 5-10 seconds. Than at that point calmly attempt your roll/t-rescue.

Of course another issue could be your equipment, if you are using a cheap nylon deck in a boat that is too big for you, it may just be the case you are actualy falling out and there is not much you can do about it!

Make sure that your hips are in contact with the hip pads on either side of the seat, your thighs are sitting in the thigh rests and your feat are in contact with the footblock. This should be a what you might consider slightly uncomfortable (but in no way causing pain or significant discomfort!)

Hope that helps!

irishlostboy

+1 to kenhy's advice.

add; seek good instruction. poor or non-existant instruction will not help your kayaking efforts a good coach will advise on technique equipment and head-space.
re; staying in your boat. what keeps me in my boat when it all seems to be going wrong is thinking of how much more wrong it will all be if i bail.

waterdogadventu

Get yourself a snorkel mask. with a nose piece. A lot of people don't like the sensation of water up their nose, it throws them off a lot. With the mask you'll be a bit more comfy underwater and able to concentrate on what you need to do.
Try doing it backwards too! grab the front of another persons boat and arange yourselves in a T shape, with you as the top of the T, then slowly lower yourself under water bit by bit. Get happy with pushing yourself back up from different points, rather than starting from being upside down.

Dont push yourself too much either. Try it a few times, if its not working for you, go and practice something else for a bit and come back to it.

And have fun with it!

Bryan

otwb

+ 1 to the above,

Get yourself comfortable in/under the water then repeat to yourself .......

1) Keep my head down!!!!!
2) Hip flick!!!!!

Hip flick will only work if you are tight in the kayak though so check your equipment. I also swear by Smilies nose plugs ))

ozt9vdujny3srf

if you are going to go buying something to stop water going up your nose(which i don't think is really necessary) then buy a nose clip, at least then you can use it for playboating to prevent sinus trouble (because of all the capsizing).

waterdogadventu

if you are going to guy buying something to stop water going up your nose(which i don't think is really necessary) then buy a nose clip, at least then you can use it for playboating to prevent sinus trouble (because of all the capsizing).

WOW a nose clip? Really?
DUH..

The snorkel mask is for PRACTISING your T-rescue/roll.

(which i don't think is really necessary)

Then It'll come as a surprise to you to find out ,that for a lot of people, getting water up their nose is a big problem when trying to learn these skills.

ozt9vdujny3srf

waterdogadventu wrote: »

WOW a nose clip? Really?
DUH..

Do you think getting sarcastic on a thread where someone is looking for advice and posters are trying to help is big or clever?

The snorkel mask is for PRACTISING your T-rescue/roll.

I never said anything about using the snorkel mask outside practice, in fact my very point was that you would be buying something that is only useful for the brief period of time it takes to learn your roll.

Then It'll come as a surprise to you to find out ,that for a lot of people, getting water up their nose is a big problem when trying to learn these skills.

Hence the nose plug, which is also useful down the road for play boating. Using nose plugs in order to keep calm isn't a great habit though, you don't want to rely on them. People generally use nose plugs to prevent sinus trouble when they are playboating, not because they panic when water goes up their nose. It's never great when you see people pull up to rapids while river running and sticking on the nose plug, it seems like admitting defeat already to me.

Anyway OP never said anything about being irritated by water going up his nose, so why make it an issue now?

waterdogadventu

Do you think getting sarcastic on a thread where someone is looking for advice and posters are trying to help is big or clever?

Do you have the cliché comeback handbook there beside you? Big or clever? Really??

I don't know if o.p has a problem with water up their nose or not ,but, regardless if they do or not a snorkel mask would help them settle under water and get their bearings.

Rolling and T-rescues are not all about strength, they are about body position and technique .Being able to see what you doing, and not having water rush up your nose (whether your in love with the sensation or not) is a good idea when your practising these skills

I'll concede that a nose plug and some swim goggles would do the same job,but not as well,and in my experience a cheap old snorkel mask bought in a pound shop works wonders.

O.p did'nt say they were playboating either...

Truley

waterdogadventu wrote: »

Do you have the cliché comeback handbook there beside you? Big or clever? Really??

I don't know if o.p has a problem with water up their nose or not ,but, regardless if they do or not a snorkel mask would help them settle under water and get their bearings.

Rolling and T-rescues are not all about strength, they are about body position and technique .Being able to see what you doing, and not having water rush up your nose (whether your in love with the sensation or not) is a good idea when your practising these skills

I'll concede that a nose plug and some swim goggles would do the same job,but not as well,and in my experience a cheap old snorkel mask bought in a pound shop works wonders.

O.p did'nt say they were playboating either...

Why are you being so provocative? Truckle made a valid point. Wearing a snorkle may overcome some of the problems but in the long run the simple fact is when paddling you are going to have to get used to holding your head underwater and keeping cool about it. I wouldn't like to see people investing in (even more) expensive kit and put too much faith on it to help them, only to be disappointed when it doesn't. I have known people to over rely on nose clips when river running and completely freak when they forget to bring it or if it falls out while paddling. It's not an essential piece of kit for most people. No need to get nasty just because someone has a different opinion to you.

waterdogadventu

Ok, I'm not trying to be provocative.

To be clear. We were talking about practising here.
Of course wearing a mask down a river would be silly and your right, you have to get used to getting the head wet and keeping cool about it.
I was just talking about practising A: Technique and B: Body positioning

Then when thats all happy in your head you probably won't freak out as much when you capsize for real..

I wouldn't like to see people investing in (even more) expensive kit and put too much faith on it to help them, only to be disappointed when it doesn't.

Firstly,you guys must be talking about those armani masks with the diamonds, not the cheap pound shop/lidl jobs I'm thinking of.

Secondly, it WILL help with these skills/techniques.

thetonynator

Try get in with a group doing a pool session sometimes, i think there were details of them on another thread here a while back. Practising rolls and t-rescues in a pool is much easier than in a river, and gets you used to the idea of going under the water. also, it is much nicer to stay under the boat for a few seconds and get your bearings in clear, heated water than a cold dirty river!

More importantly!, you wont look too out of place wearing goggles!!!

emptyshed

I second the pool suggestion, warm clear water, with someone who can guide you through the process.

It will drastically help with confidence and dis-orientation, plus if your near the handrail you can just pull yourself upright when thingsgo wrong.

I did one night in the pool and had the screw roll sorted and a few decent hand rolls...after months of tryingon the river.

Steve.N

emptyshed wrote: »

I second the pool suggestion, warm clear water, with someone who can guide you through the process.

It will drastically help with confidence and dis-orientation, plus if your near the handrail you can just pull yourself upright when thingsgo wrong.

I did one night in the pool and had the screw roll sorted and a few decent hand rolls...after months of tryingon the river.

Good advice above!! Just make sure that you get a decent instructor - I did a few pool sessions with my club and got nowhere, but done a two hour session with a dedicated instructor and had it nailed.
Learning in a nice warm pool is definately the way to go.
Oh, I just used swimming goggles and my nose clips - I found with the constant rolling in the pool my eyes started to sting, the goggles defo helped - then again maybe I'm just being a big girl :rolleyes:

MugMugs

If your doing a pool and get the paddle roll give the hand roll a lash too to make use of the nice warm water.

Always handy to have

Trevor E

It might seem silly but I always get the people I am teaching the T rescue to count to 10 in there heads but I tell them to scream the numbers out in there head so that all other thoughts are blocked out. So really scream 1...2...3 in your head all the way to 10 before getting out or if doing the T rescue count to 5 before doing anything. Most people get the T rescue on there 2nd or 3rd time with this method.