A roll has nothing to do with strength. It's a hip flick, a head that stays down, and a lot of repetition. The key is technique, and patience. This is the progression we teach. Each step gets you about 20% closer.
The short version
Lift your head early and it becomes dead weight on the wrong side, pulling the boat back over.
Freeze your upper body. The hip flick rolls the boat; the paddle just supports it.
Don't get frustrated: most people need between one and six sessions.
Track your roll
Tick off each drill once you've mastered it. The float stays full for the hip flick; you only let air out on the sweep drill.
Why your head comes up last
Your kayak rolls around its centre, low in the boat. Keep your weight low and close to that centre and the boat comes up easily. In the water your body and head are supported. Lift your head out early and it becomes dead weight on the wrong side, pulling your centre of gravity away from the centre and the boat back over. That's why it's hip flick, head down, head last.
Warm pool in winter, calm water in summer.
Coached Pool Time runs weeknights through the winter in Hamilton: a warm pool, 85 minutes, at most four paddlers with two coaches in the water. In summer, the Rolling Clinic is 90 minutes at 3:1 in Guelph or Lion's Head, in a Valley or Rockpool kayak fitted for rolling.
Related: A 20-minute practice circuit · Paddling in current
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