When you are new to the sport, the problem of stand up paddle board shaky legs is quite common.
And so is feeling exhausted after paddle boarding.
With time, you build on your skill and experience. All these little problems start going away.
Back to the topic of the day, legs shaking while paddle boarding might affect a few things. For instance, it will affect how you maintain balance on a paddle board.
It can also affect how long you can stand on the paddle board. You will fall into the water a lot during the first days. Having shaky legs can affect how easily you can get back on the SUP board.
Why do my legs shake when paddle boarding?
There are many causes of this. By the way, even if you take core exercises frequently to strengthen your muscles, you could still experience shaky legs.
Some people overcome this fast and others take their sweet time as the muscles get used to the new sport.
Here are the main reasons why your legs shake when paddle boarding:
1. The buoyancy of the water makes you feel unstable
The first one is the buoyancy of the water, which makes you feel unstable. The weightless feeling is not something that you get accustomed to on the first few days of learning how to paddle board.
2. You are anxious
The second cause of shaking legs on a paddle board is anxiety. You are a beginner on the board, so you hardly know what you are doing.
As soon as you breathe in and out deeply a few times, you should be able to calm yourself and things might improve a bit.
Don’t think about it too much. Mostly, concentrate on having fun on the water. Relax, enjoy. It is not as if you are learning how to stand up paddle board so that you can take a test.
3. You have weak knees
In another post, we saw how you can go paddle boarding with weak knees. And indeed, it is possible. However, having weak knees need not be a health condition. Perhaps you have not been working out enough.
4. You did not choose a befitting paddle board
The best board for beginners can be solid or inflatable. However, what matters most is the size. These boards should be wider, about 34 inches wide, such as the best Isle Surf SUP boards we reviewed earlier.
Wide boards give you more standing space. They also hold better in the water without threatening to tip you over.
Racing SUP boards are narrower and longer. The reason for doing this is to increase agility and make the SUP board as lightweight as possible.
5. The water is too rough
Paddle boarding on flat water is recommended for beginners. However, if you get out onto the water without catching the weather forecast, you could find yourself in a rough ocean and that could wreck your confidence.
If you are a beginner, avoid paddle boarding in the river. If you do not want to start learning how to SUP in the ocean, find a lagoon because such have calmer waters.
Even when you are learning how to SUP in a lagoon, wear your life jacket. It is going to make you feel more confident.
You could always try the ocean later when you have gained some skill.
6. Check the inflation
Nothing can kill your confidence on the water faster than an under inflated SUP board. Not only will it make you wobbly, but it is also going to cave in right at the point where you are stepping on it.
Check the user manual that came with your inflatable stand up paddle board to know how much PSI it takes.
There are 4 inch or 6 inch paddle boards and both require different PSI levels. If your iSUP is not holding the pressure well, perhaps it has a puncture. Luckily, we have a full write up covering how to patch up an inflatable board.
If you have a solid paddle board such as the Easy Eddy board, you do not have to worry because this one maintains its shape for its entire lifespan.
7. Not standing correctly on the board
You should adopt a certain stance on the board. The knees have to be tipped slightly forward. This stance allows you to hold the SUP paddle correctly. It also enables you to maintain balance on the board.
You cannot learn this skill on the first day. It comes with time. Keep working on it and you will be better.
8. Where to stand on stand up paddle board
This just means standing in the right position on the SUP board. Check the tail of the board. If it is tipping to the water, that means you are a bit far back. You need to move towards the middle some more.
If the nose of the board is tipping into the water, it means you are standing too forward. Move slightly back. If you ride the board in the incorrect position, it is not going to give you the best experience.
9. You are badly out of shape
If you are out of shape, you are going to have many beginner issues and shaking legs on the paddle board is just one of them.
This does not mean that all fitness freaks do not experience shaking legs when they are using their SUP. They can!
However, if you are out of shape, you are most likely going to experience this than a person who is fit enough.
Before you take up stand up paddle boarding, consider doing some balance exercises. Take a short wood board, place it on a pivot point and then attempt to stand balanced on it, without tipping to either side.
The seesawing action gives you a pretty good feel of how the board feels like on the buoyant water.
If you are working out in the gym, do incorporate leg days, at least once a week. You want to build the muscle strength of your legs.
Conclusion: Stand up paddle board shaky legs
Don’t give up on your stand up paddle boarding experience if you feel to anxious, shaky and apprehensive on the first day.
If your legs feel shaky when you are on the board, don’t worry. If this kills your confidence, take the day off. You can always get back to learning some more the following day.
Give yourself a break. Relax as much as you can. Most people experience wobbly legs because of lack of confidence.