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Kinnguffik Paarlallugu Nerfallaallugu – “coming up on the other side, on one’s back”
The classic Greenland roll (technically a high brace roll) teaches us the essence of all layback rolls.
A: Set up with the paddle parallel with the boat on the left side, extended towards the front, right hand furthest forward. (When learning extend the paddle as far as possible using your left hand very near the tip this will give you the most righting moment from the sweep) Hold the paddle with two hands palm down holding the blade across the palm. Lean forward with forehead towards the left knee and outwards rotating your body slightly left. Roll in towards the left.
B: Allow the boat to fully rotate until the paddle breaks the surface, at this point your shoulders should be rotated slightly so your chest is almost parallel to the boat.At this point three separate body motions need to occur; the first is to slowly lean back arching your back (dive your head away from the air! It won’t feel natural you will want instinctively to do the opposite) this will start to bring the boat flat.
C: Then start an outwards sweep of the paddle keeping the left hand touching the left side of your chest sweep the right hand out in a graceful arc. Rotate your core clockwise towards the back of the boat keeping your eyes focused on the end of the paddle, and just for good measure engage the right knee with the masik or thigh brace/deck to provide additional righting moment for the boat.
D: Do not heave down on the paddle during this roll, the sweep of the paddle across the surface will provide tremendous lift throughout the movement allowing you to gently right the boat and slide onto the back deck. The last part of your body to get onto the back deck should be your head. When you finish your paddle should be at right angles to the boat resting across your chest.
Two common mistakes that you may find yourself making are desperately trying to get your head out of the water first, to combat this concentrate on watching the end of the paddle and thinking “boat first head last” as you roll. The second common mistake is to heave down on the paddle as soon as it surfaces rather than sweeping it out to the side, this is a natural response, your brain if it’s like everyone else panics and tells you again to desperately try and get to the surface, the best answer to this is to learn what your hang time is underwater, work to extend it and then force yourself to say “Don’t Panic”, or “Relax” when you are underwater, take a pause and only when relaxed start the roll.
Remember a good layback roll is vital to many of the more complex rolls so keep practicing on your form until you nail it with grace every time and you don’t feel lucky when you come up! Work on head position, knee/thigh pressure, and getting yourself really low on the back deck at the end.
For style points finish the roll by returning to the start position hunched forward.
And just for good measure let out a whoop for joy the first time you get it to work, I did, it felt great!
Safety note: When rolling it is important to think about protecting your shoulder, keeping your elbows close to your side can prevent you from placing your shoulder in harms way. To make sure this happens ensure your right hand grip is only a chest width away from your left hand. This will cause both of your hands to remain tucked in close to your body and protect your shoulder.
