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Up Your Boat Without A Paddle

If your paddling adventures ever take you up the proverbial creek - the one without the paddle - you'll be happy you took some time to master the hands-only roll. Not only is it an impressive manoeuvre, it is a practical move in a tight situation, when you do lose your paddle in a river.

The late fall and winter seasons offer the ideal time to learn the hands-only roll. When it starts getting too cold to paddle outside, and ice starts forming on the river banks, you can stay limber in your kayak by moving indoors to a swimming pool. A pool is really the best place to learn this move since the warm clear water alleviates much of the anxiety of being upside down in your boat.

There are many ways to perform hands-only roll, but the one I find most reliable in actin is the sculling version. I have broken this technique into its two basic elements: the hip flick and the sculling motion. The successful hands-only roll involves the concurrent blending of these two moves.

The Hip Flick - Begin by practising your hip flick, either off the side of the pool or with a partner. First, tip your boat over and submerse your head completely (look at the bottom of the pool and keep your eyes open to stay oriented). From the upside-down position, flip the boat up, using only your hips and knees and keeping hand pressure to a minimum. Force up with the lower knee and own with the other. Keep your head low and keep your eyes focused on the bottom of the pool. When righting the boat, make sure that the boat comes up first, then your body, and lastly your head. Concentrate on keeping your shoulders square with the boat and using very little pressure on your hands. Your knees and hips should do most of the work.

Sculling - The second step in mastering the hands-only roll involves integrating a sculling motion with your hands with the flip move described above. Cup your hand and practice sculling back and forth. Think of your self as a synchronized swimmer, sculling with both hands in unison. This motion is exactly like treading water, but you hold your arms above your head rather than at the sides of your body.

The Roll - On your own, flip completely over again. Let your body float close to the surface as possible, keeping your shoulders on the same level with the boat, which means you really have to twist at the waist. Cup your hands above your head and slowly scull in a continuous, controlled rhythm. Flick your hips and continue to scull with your hands in unison. Keep sculling while the boat flips upright. The successful performance of a hands-only roll is dependent on maintaining your sculling rhythm and keeping your head down; it should be the last part out of the water. Don't stop sculling until your boat is completely upright.

Success rests on not panicking and losing the sculling rhythm or forcing your head out of the water early. Take advantage of the winter to go indoors and practice this move and to get comfortable hanging upside down underwater. By the start of next paddling season you'll be a hot dog on the river and you'll also be prepared should you ever find yourself up the creek.