Exercises to Strengthen Your Kayak Rolling Technique

An effective kayak roll is a useful tool to have in your paddling arsenal. Being able to right yourself without leaving the cockpit of your boat can cut back on the time you spend “swimming” and also put you right back into position to keep paddling where you left off. Developing strength and flexibility in the right muscles combined with practice the maneuver will help improve your rolling technique.

  1. Technique

    • Whether you’re working a C-to-C roll or a sweep roll, the key elements remain the same. Once you're inverted underwater your roll starts by rotating the upper body from the hips and extending your torso out over the opposite side of the boat from your dominant hand. Both arms align the paddle alongside the boat as close to the surface of the water as possible with the dominant hand toward the front of the boat. Once in position, your dominant hand moves the paddle out to 90 degrees to catch the water with a slap or a sweep. This catch of the water with the paddle and a simultaneous hip snap is what rights the boat.

    Core Strength

    • Core strength is the rock-solid foundation of any type of kayaking. Hip rotation is the engine in your forward stroke and allows for shifts in direction in both flat water and whitewater kayaks. The strength of your core also dictates how effective your roll will be. Exercises that strengthen your entire core -- as opposed to just your abdominals -- will help give you an edge in rolling faster, stronger and more efficiently. Balance ball crunches, Russian twists and balance ball oblique crunches focus on the core muscles while developing your strength on an unstable surface. Hanging leg lifts and hanging oblique lifts force you to use your core muscles in a motion similar to the hip snap required in a kayak roll, and also challenge your core strength with instability. Cable wood chops and cable rotations also hone in on the core muscles while imitating motions used in your kayak and during your roll.

    Flexibility

    • In order to initiate either an effective slap of your paddle against the water or a sweep of your paddle strong enough to right yourself, your torso needs to be able to bend out over the edge of your boat. If your upper body isn’t flexible enough to rotate from the hips and lean your torso out beyond the cockpit of the kayak, you will end up sacrificing precious amounts of torque and leverage. Work on stretches that target the rib cage and the large latissimus dorsi muscles on either side of your back. Keep your shoulders supple with rotator cuff exercises and arm circles, and don’t forget to stretch the muscles of your neck. Your head should be the last thing that comes up out of the water but the neck handles a great deal of the torque from the water as you perform the roll.

    Water World

    • Get yourself in your boat and out on the water to practice your rolls as much as possible. Nothing on dry land will quite prepare you for the topsy-turvy perspective of being upside down underwater. Break down your roll into stages and practice each stage repeatedly. You can practice your bracing, sweep stroke and hip snap right-side up as well. Practice your hip snap by working in shallow water where you’re able to plant your paddle vertically. Lean out of the cockpit until you’re on the edge of the boat supported by the paddle, then flick your hips to right the boat again. Practicing your bracing regularly with a good slap of your paddle against the water will not only keep you upright, but translate into muscle memory.