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.... A tucking fast is you`re best defense against injury in shallow water. Your face is against the boat with the back of your helmet and life jacket taking the brunt of the abuse.
I also like a sweep roll because it starts bringing you up out of the water from the setup position. By the time your paddle is out to the side, you`re up.
Bracing off the bottom is a good way to break a paddle(they ain`t cheap), and it`s slower than a sweep roll.
Sometimes it`s easier to come up on one side of your boat than it is the other, especially if you`re sideways in the current.
If you miss your on side roll, your paddle is already in position to do an offside roll. It`s actually quicker to do an offside roll than it is to struggle against the current to get your paddle back to the on side. A lot of times you will come right up even if your offside isn`t that good. And if you miss your offside then your paddle is in position to do another onside roll faster. It`s actually faster to do three rolls: on side, off side, on side, than it is to do two onside rolls.
Sculling is a good technique to work on that also helps. Lean over to one side supporting yourself by sculling the paddle front to back, changing the paddle angle to have it plane up on the stroke. If you don`t quite come up on your roll a lot of times you can scull yourself up the rest of the way.
And if your in really shallow water and taking a beating, jamb you paddle on the bottom to come up. Paddles are cheaper than teeth!
Most of the time rocks are just a distraction and shouldn`t really keep you from rolling. Actually they`re an extra incentive.
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Tuck fast, roll fast! New 
BoaterTalk 
