C-to-C Roll - Background

Background

The kayak roll was used by the Eskimos of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Most likely the roll practiced was something like the classic extended paddle roll or "Potawatomi Roll". Both of these rolls are done while hanging onto the end of the paddle blade which gives more leverage to roll. In addition, the Eskimos used a "Lay Back" style of roll. This means that when they finished the sweeping motion of the paddle out to the side of the kayak, they were leaning back as far as possible to lower their center of gravity. Lowering the center of gravity made it easier to roll.

When whitewater kayaking came on the scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, those paddlers that could roll continued using much the same types of rolls as the original eskimos. Even now there are paddlers that will go to the extended roll, or the "Farmer Roll" as it is known in Europe, if their regular roll fails them. The most common roll practiced up to 1976 was the sweep roll.

Once kayaking evolved into running more white water and paddling shallower and steeper rivers, the back deck roll became less practiced because it could lead to great exposure of the face and injury. The whitewater roll evolved into an execution of using efficient body mechanics while still keeping the paddler protected.