Hey there. Just wanted to share a few thoughts regarding rolling. I have been working with a friend for a few weeks trying to get him to break some bad habits that he has picked up. We know that the head is our worst enemy in this regard in (2) ways. Firstly the head is like a big wet bowling ball that we pulled up out of the water has an interesting way of causing the opposite knee to pull up, ruining your roll. Looking at my own progress it took awhile for it to sink as its really ok for the head to exit the water last....really it is. Remember the basics : First comes the boat, then comes the body and finally the head. Following this formula you can't go wrong.
Ok, now the second point to make about the head.....it's a got an over analytical brain. The moment that you start beating yourself up and start thinking too much about what's happening in your roll you are doomed. Rolling is muscle memory and part of that is establishing a good foundation. Like the above notion of boat, body and head, a critical point is the setup. Getting back to my friend, in watching his roll, I quickly noticed that his hands were barely making it out of the water and when they did, it was usually just his passive hand (back).........so what happens in this case? Answer: he dives his paddle (descending blade angle) trying to muscle his way through a roll and fails.
So always willing to help a brother out, I offered a few simple suggestions that I picked up from a certain "ZEN" instructor and friend. One....have fun! Rolling is serious stuff but that does not mean that you can't enjoy it. Second, make sure that you remember the basics (setup, hand position, body position underwater, following paddle blade with your eyes and finally finishing)......all of these parts together aid in your ability to successfully "right" yourself and work wonders in breaking bad habits............there is no such thing as perfection so don't trash yourself when you blow a roll.
Happy to say that by the end of our hour session, my friend had improved and what I was saying made sense..... What are your thoughts on this subject?????
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