Yes. A lot of great material is covered in the classroom, and you'll learn a lot by attending or repeating the classroom lessons (and they're FREE!!). However, the classroom material is completely independent of the pool lesson. It doesn't matter which one you attend first.
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The Kayak Roll, Classroom
Location:
REI - Albuquerque
1550 Mercantile Ave NE
Albuquerque, NM, 87107
Start Time:
Thursday, September 17, 2009 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Rolling a kayak is surprisingly simple. It has nothing to do with strength, age or IQ, and more to do with following a few simple laws of physics. The good news is, these simple laws can be broken down, taught, and mastered by anyone.
With the right technique, we don't even need a paddle to roll the kayak, or a spray-skirt. Rolling a fully-loaded touring kayak with days worth of gear is no problem at all. However, you've probably never tried learning something upside down, under water. Professional instruction can increase the fun, decrease learning time, decrease risk for injury and increase chances for success.
In this 2-hour classroom discussion, we'll review two kayak rolling videos: Rolling a Kayak, by Ken Whiting and The Kayak Roll, by Kent Ford. These videos will introduce the student to the two most popular methods of rolling a kayak, and cover many fundamental concepts and myths, while providing a visual representation of how to roll a kayak.
Price:
$0.00 Before Tax 
I took Kelly's Intro to Kayaking class and an individual Roll class. Kelly was great. He is a very gracious teacher, always trying to individualize his teaching to each student. I learned how to roll and hand-roll in one Roll Class session. He is very personable and he was accommodating to my busy schedule. Additionally, his passion for kayaking really shows. I look forward to kayaking with him in the future.
I want you to know how much I benefitted from your white water and roll classes. Kelly your presentations Saturday and Sunday were always clear and packed with vital information. The way you sketch out the hazzards and river features makes them surprisingly easy to remember on the river. On the river you worked hard with each of us and I thought we class members got far more feedback and individual attention than in other kayak classes I have taken. Glenn and Michael also seemed genuinely interested in our progress and were always willing to answer my questions and provide good feedback. All in all the class was both challenging and a lot of fun and I feel it greatly accelerated my development as a white water kayaker.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Intro to Kayak clinic is the foundation for everything I teach. It's a required prerequisite for the 2-day Whitewater Weekend clinics and the 2-day Touring Kayak Weekend clinics. The Kayak Roll is a good next step after the Intro to Kayak clinic, although not a requirement for the Whitewater or Touring Kayak Weekend clinics.
While learning to roll is a good skill, it's not the best place to start. Rolling is a defensive measure. Good boat control, judgement and an accurate assessment of your skills will keep you from rolling most of the time.
You'll learn boat control in the Intro to Kayak and subsequent clinics. Those who complete the Intro to Kayak class have a much higher success rate in the Kayak Roll clinic. A few hours in the boat learning to do smooth and controlled wet exits from a skirted kayak will be money well spent. If you've spent little or no time in a decked kayak, your mind will simply be too distracted by flipping over and getting out to learn the Kayak Roll.
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