Our tips for learning stand up paddle boarding

Learning stand-up paddleboarding is not rocket science, all beginners go through it. If you follow these tips, paddleboarding will be a breeze!

For the first launch, choose a calm body of water with an easy launch. A departure from the beach will be easier to get on your paddle. Once you’ve found your balance, you can try your hand from a pontoon or slipway.

Which SUP to start with?

To learn stand-up paddleboarding, it is better to choose a wide paddle board with a round nose. This will give you maximum stability during your sessions. Thinner boards with pointed noses are more suited to speed and performance.

1 – Adjust your paddle properly

In order to be comfortable and have the best possible performance, it is important to adjust the size of your paddle paddle. To do this, all you have to do is open the adjustment system and then position your paddle vertically in front of you. Extend your arm upwards and adjust the height of the paddle so that the handle is level with your wrist (about 15 cm above your head). Finally, simply close the adjustment system.

2 – Start on your knees

In shallow water, start by kneeling on your paddle board to familiarize yourself with balance. Place your paddle on your board perpendicular to your knees until you get down on your knees. When you’re on your knees, take it in your hands to help with your balance. Once you feel comfortable, you can start paddling. In this way, gesture and balance will gradually integrate themselves.

3 – Don’t be afraid to fall

Don’t worry about falling, it’s okay to fall into the water. What’s more, with an inflatable paddle there’s very little chance of injury.

To avoid hurting yourself by falling, when you feel an imbalance, avoid plunging forward or backward. The best thing to do is to let yourself fall into the water on the sides of the paddle while holding your paddle forward so as not to fall on it.

This may seem like a simple question, but when you’re learning to paddle for the first time, it’s not something you’re born with.

1 – Hand positioning

Place one hand on the handle at the top of the paddle and the other near the middle of the paddle, as shown. When paddling on the other side, simply reverse the position of your hands.

Be careful to hold the paddle in the right direction so that you can move forward. To do this, the “hollow” side of your paddle blade must be pointing in your direction, i.e. towards the back of the board.

2 – Forward

To get your board forward, you need to paddle 2 or 3 strokes on one side, then 2 or 3 on the other. Fetch the water far to the front of your paddle and bring it back to your feet by pulling with your lowest hand. To advance properly, you need to extend the entire blade into the water.

3 – Rotate

To turn on a paddle, you have to draw an arc with your paddle on the opposite side to the one you want to go to. Repeat the maneuver until you are moving in the desired direction.

To quickly turn or turn around while stand-up paddleboard, step back onto the board, and do the same motion with the paddle while pressing down on the back of the board. In this way, the rear of the paddle will sink slightly and act as a pivot point for rapid turning.

Check out our full article to learn how to turn in stand up paddle boarding.