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C4 How to Stand Up Paddle Surf Part 1
Try Stand-up Paddle Boarding!
C4 Waterman Div. @ Bowls 7/21/07 PART 2 STAND UP...
C4 How to Stand Up Paddle Surf Part 2 (to be released later on in 2008)
Paddle Boarding on the Serpentine
Paddle Boarding on the Thames
Paddle Boarding in the Canary Isles
Stand up paddle boat surfing in Switzerland
We offer a
2 hour "SUP Taster Session" for £40
in which will will show you the basics in SUP boarding in a safe environment.
Blue Chip SUP taster sessions are subject to tides or river conditions, weather and
availability.
Click here to find out when you can have an SUP taster session for yourself and
your friends.
or just call
0208 715 0040
Stand Up Paddle Surfing isn't that hard
to learn as unlike normal surfing you can learn to do it on almost any body of
water. To start with you will find standing up on the board and paddling will be
the trickiest part. If you already surf then the wave riding part should be
pretty familiar, except that you will be riding for longer and more often!
In this section we aim to give a few key pointers. The best thing about sports
such as Stand Up Paddle Surfing is that you can build your own style and
techniques. These pointers are just the basics to which you can add your own
style and flair too. Check out the video at the end of the page too...
Read on and let John Hibbard from Team Starboard guide you through the basics
of SUP.
 Getting going
For your best chance of success choose a calm piece of water with no tidal
current and a day with little or no wind.When you first step on the board and
want to paddle forward make sure your feet are both facing forwards and are next
to each other, about shoulder width apart. This will help you pull efficiently
against the paddle. If this feels really unstable then shift one foot just a
head of the other, but not so much that you are in your surfing stance.
Paddling
Hold the paddle with one hand about half way down the shaft and the other hand
on the T Bar grip at the top of the paddle. With a straight back and slightly
bent knees reach forward and place the first 1/3 of the paddle into the water.
Your aim should be to pull yourself towards the paddle rather than pull the
paddle towards you. As the paddle moves past your body you should pick it out of
the water and rotate the blade and bring the paddle through the air and back to
the starting position. Then, repeat the stroke. If you are moving off course,
swap your hands around and put in a stroke on the other side of the board. (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.)
Pro Tip: Try doing a J stroke to help steer your board without having to
constantly swap sides. Imagine that as the paddle comes down the side of the
board this is the vertical part of the J. As you reach the end of the stroke
twist the paddle and draw the curly part of the J out away from your board. It
takes a bit of practice but worth doing. Keep your head up and looking forward.
If you look at your paddle you'll probably fall into towards it.
Steering
More strokes on one side of the board will make you move in that direction.
Experiment with weighting your feet in order to speed up the turn.
180 degree turn
This is a key manoeuvre as it's how you turn the board around to catch waves.
There are various ways of doing this.
1) Stationary turn
This is the easiest and probably most stable of turns. You need to put in long
forward or backward strokes on one side of the board. This will make the board
turn and you will be in a position to catch a wave. This is though the slowest
turn.
2) Motion turn
If you have some forward paddle speed you can turn the board a lot quicker. You
have to be mobile on your feet though and don't be surprised if you fall in a
few times!
When you are ready to turn take a couple of steps backwards on the board so the
tail sinks. At the same time put in a strong backward paddle stroke on one side.
As the board spins around, put in a strong forward paddle stroke in on the other
side and step swiftly forward to stop the board from spinning. You may find it
useful after this to rest your paddle blade flat on the water to give you some
stability before stroking forward again and dropping into that glassy wave!
Paddling out through the waves
Unless you are lucky enough to surf regularly at a perfect, peeling point break
then you are going to have to confront a broken wave at some point. It's not as
tricky as it sounds and just like a good, clean duck dive it can be a pretty
cool thing to do especially on bigger days when the adrenalin is flowing.
Unbroken wave
The best way to paddle over unbroken waves is to stay in your parallel stance
and give a good solid stroke before you head up the wave. Use your bent knees
and ankles as suspension and flex them to absorb the rise and fall of the wave.
If the wave is really steep then you may want to move your feet into their
surfing stance for more board control. Use your paddle as a brace when you pass
over the back of the wave.
White Water/Broken wave
This is the trickiest type of wave to deal with but you'll be supervised how
quickly you'll master it. As you approach the broken wave keep your paddle speed
up and if possible increase it. just as you get to the wave switch your feet
into your surfing stance and step back down the board by about a foot. Just
before the wave comes in contact with the nose of your board put in a good
powerful paddle stroke on the opposite side to your stance (i.e. if you are
regular footed paddle on your right, if you are goofy, paddle on your left). The
important thing is to make sure the board is heading straight for the wave. As
you put in this paddle stroke lean back to allow the nose of the board to rise
up. As the wave moves under the board lean forward again to counteract the push
of the wave. As the board rises to the top of the wave and over the back use
your paddle in a flat brace position to stabilise you. As soon as you can you
need to put in another paddle stroke to start moving forward again. When stable,
move back into your paddling stance.
Bailing out!
There will come a time that you don't have the confidence to get over or through
a wave and a bail out will be your only option. Bail outs can be dangerous for
other surfers as your board is pretty big and on a long leash (don't forget the
leash!). The best way to bail out is to throw your paddle over the back of the
approaching wave and then if you are well clear of other surfers jump in and
grab the leash as close to the back of the board as possible - this will stop it
flying off and hitting other surfers. If you are close to other surfers then try
and paddle into the wave and take it on the head(!), bend down and grab the rail
and try and ride it out. If you can absorb the initial impact you are less
likely to loose your board. One other option is stand at the back of the board
and try and kick/force it over the foam. Whatever you do make sure you are not
going to hit another surfer. You will probably have the biggest board in the
surf so be aware!
Catching a wave
Once you are out the back you are ready to catch a wave. Don't go for anything
big or too critical for your first waves. You'll find that you are able to get
up and riding on a wave a lot earlier than arm paddling surfers, especially once
you have been doing it for a while and have a good paddling style.
First off, turn your board in the direction of the beach. Put in some long
strokes to build up speed, as the swell approaches draw long powerful strokes
speeding up the stroke as you feel the swell pick you up. All this should be
done with your feet in the forward facing position. This is the most powerful
and efficient paddling technique. As you feel the board pick up speed on the
swell step into your riding stance (one foot in front of the other) and step
back down the board. You will also find that you can use your paddle to help
steer you down the wave as well. You can lean on the paddle in turns to give you
a tighter turn.
Basically you can build up your own style on the wave. Get up on the nose and
ride through some critical sections. Do exactly what you want. Don't forget to
get mobile on the board and use the paddle to help you.
GOOD LUCK AND GET OUT THERE......
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