SUP - Stand Up Paddling

Learning how to Stand Up Paddle is not that difficult. For beginners it is best to choose a calm body of water with no tidal current and a day with little or no wind. Once you have stepped on the board, your feet need to be next to each other, about shoulder width apart, and they should both be facing forwards. You can shift one foot just ahead of the other to achieve a bit more balance.

Paddle position
Place one hand about half way down the shaft and the other hand on the T Bar grip at the top of the paddle. When paddling on your left hand side your right hand should be on the T Bar grip. When you are paddling on your right hand side your left hand should be on the T Bar. Keep your back straight and slightly bent your knees, then reach forward and place the first third of the paddle into the water. Rather than pulling the paddle towards you, you should try to pull yourself towards the paddle. Pick the paddle out of the water as it moves past your body, then rotate the blade and bring the paddle through the air and back to the starting position. Then simply repeat the stroke. In case you are moving off course, put in a stroke on the other side of the board.

The J stroke
Instead of having to constantly swap sides, you can try doing a J stroke to help steer your board forward. Let the paddle come down the side of the board as usual, but when you reach the end of the stroke twist the paddle and draw the curly part of the J out away from your board. You will probably find that it takes a bit of practice, but it is well worth doing. Remember to keep your head up and looking forward, because if you look at your paddle you will probably fall into the water towards it.

Source: star-board-sup.com


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