One the most common difficulties my students have is increasing their success rate rolling in whitewater.  Nothing is more rewarding for a beginner than getting their first combat roll.  And nothing is more frustrating than continuing to swim.  Solidifying your combat roll of gives paddlers an unbelievable level of confidence.   Here’s how to do just that.

I look at the combat roll as a progression of skill it takes to get up right in differing situations.  I like to think about the differing physical conditions that make it harder to roll, easiest to hardiest

• In a warm pool, no gear, practice roll -> the pool roll
• In a pool, flipping on accident
• In a flat section of river, with gear on, for practice
• Practice rolling in moving water
• Flipping in easy whitewater, for practice & on accident
• Flipping in challenging whitewater, on accident -> the combat roll

Add to this the need to create a mental space where you are calm, collected and able to perform the roll as you can under the simple circumstances.  Hitting a rock, even lightly, can be unnerving for an accomplished paddler.

I like to think of it like learning to bicycle – sure, pedaling without training wheels was a great accomplishment.  But you’ve still got some work to do before you’re downhill mountain biking.  Your technical rolling skills and mental game will need significant improvement.

That being said, there are many easy exercises and strategies kayakers can use to improve their roll so they are consistently successful even in challenging situations

1. Go playboating. Spending a couple of hours surfing a hole will almost guarantee you opportunities to practice your roll.  As you generally will be playboating in areas that are safe to flip, its a better way to get some time in upside down.  You’ll also spend a fair amount of time working on bracing, something I consider more important than rolling.
2. Learn new rolls. Learn the back deck roll, dial up your offside, heck learn to hand roll.  All this time spent rolling will improve your hipsnap, give you the knowledge that you can get back up in all sorts of ways and increase your comfort level underwater.
3. Challenge yourself in the pool.  Try to roll 20 times in a row with no break.  Roll with a 5 lb. weight in your PFD.  Roll with your boat 1/4 full of water.  If you’ve mastered the pool, make it difficult.
4. Practice in the river.  Find yourself a nice, deep wavetrain with a pool at the end of it.  Start lower down, where the current is slower.  Have a trusted buddy there to help you with an eskimo rescue if you need one.  You’re going to have to up the ante if you want real, good practice.

Warm Up
20-30 strokes forward at slow pace
20-30 strokes forward at medium pace
20-30 strokes forward at fast pace
20-30 strokes backward at slow pace
20-30 strokes backward at medium pace
20-30 strokes backward at fast pace
Stretch for at least 5-10 minutes

Stroke Technique
15 forward sweeps, left and right
15 reverse sweeps, left and right
5 sweep combinations each direction
15 low braces, left and right
15 high braces , left and right
30-45 seconds low brace sculling, left and right
30-45 seconds high brace sculling, left and right
15 1/8 sweeps – Just the first 4-8 inches of the forward sweep, focusing on turing torso ahead of the stroke, no arms at all, left and right

Edge Control and Paddle Dexterity
Paddle forward in large circle on edge, left and right
Paddle forward in small circle on edge, left and right
Repeat using only inside paddle blade
5-8 duffeks on each side
C-stroke circles, starting large and gradually decreasing radius of the circle
Repeat with feathered c-strokes
Paddle backwards just using reverse sweeps – 30-45 seconds
Cross-bow draws, starting small and gradually increasing radius of the circle
Compound reverse strokes, at least 20 on each side
Feathered sweeps(keeping blade in the water), 15 forwards and backwards on each side

Conditioning
There are several options depending on what type of workout you are looking to receive.
Aerobic- the key is very little rest, keeping your heart rate at 120-130 bpm for as long as you can.  A good intro is 60 minutes of total paddling with 15 minutes forward, 5 backwards, 10 forwards, stretch for 5 minutes and repeat
Some other options:
Pyramids – 1 minutes at 75% of top speed, rest for 10 seconds, 2 minutes at 75%, rest, repeat for 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 minutes.  Take this up to as high as you can.
Leap Frogs – You need 3 paddlers and not more than 5 for this one but it is the best to do in a group.  Line everyone up bow to stern in a straight line.  Begin paddling at an easy pace.  The paddler in the rear will accelerate to the side of the group as fast as they can, sprinting towards head of the line.  When they reach the front of the line, they take the lead and the now last paddler begins their sprint.  All paddlers should sprint at least 2 times, 3 is ideal.
Intervals – One of my favorites.  Paddle at 80% for 5 minutes with 10 seconds rest.  1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th forward, 3rd, 5th backwards.  The backwards groups are brutal the first few times you do them but great for you.  You can ease into it started at 3 minute cycles.

Anaerobic – The key here is tons of rest.  You want to feel fully refreshed at the start of each cycle.  Most paddlers don’t really need to work on aerobic strength unless you are preparing for a competition.
4-3-2-1 – This example is for a 7 minute race on difficult whitewater.  Paddle at 70% for 4 minutes, 80% for 3 minutes, 90% for 2 minutes and 100% for 1 minute.  Rest, warm down and stretch for 15 minutes.  Repeat no more than twice.  You want to feel as if you have plenty of “gas” for the race so that you will not make mistakes due to fatigue and can give your all on the flatwater sections.
Boatercross Training-  Sprint for 1 minutes, all out.  Rest for 3 minutes. Repeat.  As workout continues, increase the length of rest.  As always, food and water right before and during a workout and a solid meal within 45 minutes after.  Your body needs fuel if you are going to work it hard and you cannot have it wanting for anything.