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 Watch the high brace, be very careful for your shoulders (more inside) New
- Forum: BoaterTalk
Re: Rolling vs. Shallow water Zeronine New
Date: Jul 25 2008, 16:04 GMT
From: ralf
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I first dislocated my shoulder trying to roll in shallow water. The shoulder has gone on to become a major problem for me (surgery, then focked up again a couple of years after the surgery and am back to a loose shoulder).
Avoid high braces at all costs, particularly in shallow water. It is amazing how quickly a rock can grab your blade and jerk the shoulder out of socket. Trust me. However, it seems that there is a moment of vulnerability or a "high brac-ish" position in every roll. Here's what I do, because I am very conscious of potential shoulder wrecking situations:
1. Roll quickly. Takes practice, but if things don't feel shallow, get up before they get shallow.
2. If you're starting your roll and you take a hit, get back to your tuck and wait a second. After a second or two with no hits, try your roll.
3. Keep a loose grip with your "outside" hand (the one that's farther from your boat). This is the exposed shoulder. If you feel something hit that blade while rolling, let go of the paddle with that hand and/or go limp. Mainly, abort the roll and get your weight off that shoulder as quickly as possible.
4. Know your rapid. Is it really fast and shallow, but with a pool at the end? You may want to stay tucked until you hit that pool if you're not far from it. Is it long and shallow? You can't hold your breath that long. So you've got to try to roll. Is there a bit drop coming up? You can't stay tucked because you are risking a shot that could knock you out. I once flipped about half way through Tom's Brainbuster on Tallulah. I took some shots as I set up to roll. So I decided to ride it out. As most people know, there's a big bounce at the end of that rapid and it hit me pretty hard while I was tucked. It didn't knock me out, but afterwards I realized it could have.
Lastly, don't be afraid to swim. This obviously depends on the rapid and the river and what's downstream. But if you are in some shallow class two shoals following a rapid and you start taking a beating while setting up to roll, it may not be worth the risk to your shoulders. (Trust me). If there's a class 5 drop 20 feet away, it's probably worth the risk. |
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