The NKB (Dutch Kayak Organisation) organised this weekend a workshop with 4 sessions in which Freya Hofmeister gave instruction in "The new way of rolling": the relaxed way.
That sounded good to me as well as to 7 other clubmembers of KVU: So 8 of us subscribed together. KVU must be an enthousiastic club, for with the 8 of us, we claimed 25% of the whole workshop.
Anyhow, Freya started to explain and demonstrate what we were going to do and learn: It seemed all extremely easy and relaxed.
After explaining the two basic rolls, the forward- and backwardroll, she started making fun by showing more and more exotic rolls which are all variations on these basics.
It was noticeble she like the exotic rolls most, as every time she did a new one, I noticed a smile instead of the serious look in the beginning.
At the end her famous headstand in the kayak completed the introduction.
The secret of this relaxed way of rolling is in:
- using the floating capability of your body and paddle
- staying relaxed
- a kayak in which you have a perfect contact with the body and in which it is possible to lay on the aftdeck.
Remarkable is the fact that the whole procedure in fact is learning these rolls backwards: starting with the rolling-up on the aftdeck. Actually you shouldn´t call this a roll for it looks more like flip-on/flip-off the aftdeck with your body.
It´s going to far to describe here what we learned, but it can be said that about half an hour, with one-to-one-instruction, was enough to learn and understand this way of rolling for most of us.
When you would like to learn more, I advise you to attend a workshop yourself.
As I didn´t bring a camera with me, I can't show pictures of myself yet. So I borrowed a few pictures from other participants'-sites. Surely I can get some pictures with myself, which I will publish later.
Finally: I experienced it as very refreshing to learn rolling this way and I think Freya is rigth in her view that rolling should be very relaxed; always.
Thanks a lot Freya. 