Paddling Tips

Stand up paddle board technique guru Sam Ross demonstrates the reverse paddle turn, a great way of turning your paddle board without moving the feet or effecting the trim of the board. There’s no need to change your hands or paddle on to a different side. It’s quick, efficient and a good way of controlling speed.

From a normal paddling position, bring the paddle out in front of you and the top hand into your hip. Rotate your upper body, shoulders and hips to bring the blade over the nose of the board with the logo facing towards the tail.

Slice the blade into the water and start pushing water towards the nose.

The paddle slap is a paddle board technique that is a form of brace to give extra stability. It is used when moving around the board, in choppy conditions or in the surf. In this video we guide you through the key elements of this SUP technique.

To initiate the slap, smack the logo side of the blade onto the water. Keep the knuckles down and break at the knees to keep the body weight low. The further the blade is from the board the more stability it will provide. Try and lower the handle as well as the blade to help provide width and stability.

Once the basics of how to paddle board have been mastered we can begin to add a little more power to the stroke. In this video SUP technique expert Sam Ross demonstrates how to improve your paddling and increase your speed across the water.

The main thing to remember is that the board moves past the paddle so the most important thing is to place the blade where you reach.

The entry of the paddle is called the ‘catch’ and we need to make sure we bury the blade here. Keep the paddle vertical. The more the top hand is over the bottom hand the straighter the board will go. Lastly, make sure the blade comes out of the water at the feet. Drag will be created if you go past the feet.

The Nose 360 is a great paddle board technique to pull many skills together. In this video we look at this fun flat water SUP technique and how it not only builds the use of the paddle as a brace but also starts to improve board trim. It’s a great skill to help push your paddling and prepare you for different paddle board kit and more challenging environments.

The paddle starts on the leash side and sweeps around the nose of the paddle board. From here, you need to use the same skills as in the step back turn - take lots of strokes on your toe side and put weight on your leash foot to lift the fins out of the water and allow the board to spin around. Once the 360 is complete, return to a normal paddling position by sweeping the paddle around the front of the board once again and moving your leash foot back into a parallel stance.