Sooner or later most people want to learn to roll. It's a great skill to learn especially as avoiding that swim in a cold river helps keep you warm and allows you to paddle for longer.

Young paddlers in particular see the roll as the must have skill, but remember the ability to get yourself out of trouble is no substitute for developing good boat control and the skills needed to avoid getting into trouble in the first place.

The pool is a great place to learn to rolll and it's important to focus on the basics - rushing the learning process will only result in a weak roll that will probably fail just at the moment you need it. Conversely if you practise as much as Emma, you too may be able to pull off the roll at the top of the Grade IV Mill Falls on the Tryweryn.

Each coach has their own preferred roll and it's important to find the coach that suits your learning style. One of the benefits of a great club like North Avon is that we have so many volunteer coaches to help you. My preferred approach is to concentrate in developing a really strong hip flick before moving onto a 'C-to-C' version of the screw roll. Here are a couple of videos I found on youtube that explain what I mean.