In a series of blog posts I will attempt to propose a path that people can progress along to achieve their first Greenland Style Roll. I hesitate to suggest that the first roll will be the Standard Greenland Roll (start tucked forward finished lying back). For some people there are more suitable first rolls. The Butterfly or Angel roll will be discussed as an alternative for some people. For some unfortunate souls neither may be appropriate. This series will focus on teaching a layback roll. A subsequent series will be necessary to address forward finishing rolls.
Please provide feedback on the posts, so I can improve the content. I will turn the posts into a guidebook like Rolling With Sticks once we are happy with them.
Remember learning to roll should be fun, take it slowly, relax and appreciate that you are teaching your body to perform things that are unnatural to most of us.
Footnote
The term “layback” seems to have first been recognized as a rock-climbing term to describe ascending a crack while pulling on one side of the crack with your hands and pushing on the other side with your feet. The term is also used to describe a figure skating move. I think it is time we got it recognized as a term to describe the style of kayak rolls where the paddler ends up lying back on the aft deck of the kayak to complete the roll. Just my opinion… maybe I should submit it to Websters for consideration.
