How To Paddle A Sup Correctly: 10 Incredible Tips
Knowing how to paddle a SUP correctly can greatly enhance your fun in this water sport. However, paddling is something that you keep working on until you become perfect. And then you continue practicing some more.
In the past, we looked at various things such as how to get back on a paddle board after falling, advanced SUP technique, what to wear and many others.
Now, we want to look at how to paddle SUP and shoot through the water like an arrow. We will show you how to hold SUP paddle correctly, and other important details.
Keep reading!
Tips for How to Paddle a SUP Correctly
It takes some practice to know what is the correct way to use a SUP paddle. Yet, the paddle is the propeller, so the sooner you know how to use it correctly, the more speed you can build. Just follow the tips below to improve how you paddle.
1. Know how to hold a SUP paddle correctly
This is where everything starts. If you hold the paddleboard paddle incorrectly, you will not be able to propel yourself on the water.
If your paddle has a logo, you should hold the paddle in such a way that the logo faces towards the nose of the board. You should tilt the paddle slightly towards you.
The benefit of adopting a good SUP paddle blade angle is that the water slides past it easily. Therefore, it becomes easier to make your strokes unlike when you hold the paddle straight and it tends to block the water.
2. Get the right paddle size
Getting the paddle size correct is very important. It is simple anyway since you just have to extend your arm above your head and then bend it a little.
That is the correct length of the paddle that you should get. Luckily, many SUP paddles are adjustable so you just have to adjust it to the correct length.
3. Start your stroke correctly
This is another important factor. When you make your stroke, ensure the paddle is several inches away from the board. You can then start pulling it towards you and the board.
4. Hold the paddle at right angle to the water
The angle where the paddle and the water meet should be about 90 degrees. You should never hold a paddle diagonally to the water because then, it makes pulling your stroke harder. Keeping the paddle in a diagonal position also makes you use more energy to propel the board.
5. Handle and Shaft positions
This is yet another of the ways for how to hold a SUP paddle correctly. The correct way to hold a SUP paddle to drive your SUP is by the handle and the shaft. You must always have one hand on the handle and the next one on the shaft.
6. Keep your eyes far
Keep your eyes on the horizon. Do not look at the water below your feet or right in front of you. The rising and falling of the paddle can distract you and you don’t want that to happen.
7. Know how to make turns
Knowing the right SUP paddle handle direction is all good. It can help you get the board to speed. However, if you do not know how to turn the board, you still have some learning to do.
Making a 90-degree turn is simple. Just bring the paddle down, closer to the water and keep the blade angled away from you. You can then push the paddle outwards and the board will turn 90 degrees.
8 Keep the right body posture
When you start gaining some skill, you will find that your body can block your speed as it blocks rather than cuts through the air. After all, the body is not streamlined for cutting through air.
However, to help your board move along fast, you should adopt a slightly stooped posture of about 45 degrees to the board. However, keep your body straight only bending the knees slightly.
9. Use the core rather than the arms alone
If you use the arms alone, you will burn out faster than when you use the stronger core. To use the core, you have to engage your torso whenever you can.
One of the ways is to power your strokes by twisting your torso. Also, plant your feet strongly on the board and bend your knees slightly.
10. Practice more often
To know the correct SUP paddle blade angle, the right SUP paddle direction and so on, you have to stand up paddle more often. While learning to SUP is the same as learning how to ride the bicycle. You never really forget how to ride but practice makes you better. If you live near a lake, a lagoon, a river or any other water body, use your SUP board and paddle more often.
Conclusion
Knowing how to paddle a SUP correctly also includes knowing how to paddle board straight. Thankfully, you can learn the basics of paddling a SUP correctly in a few hours. With these few tips, you should be riding a pro after a few weeks on your board.
If you are looking for a good SUP paddle, you might want to try the two-piece BPS adjustable stand up paddleboard paddle on amazon.com.
