ACTIVE | SUPer Water Sports – A Beginner’s Guide to Paddle Boarding

Guest Post


If you’re keen to spend increasingly time outdoors this year or fancy trying something new, how well-nigh giving stand-up paddle boarding, known as SUP a try? Read on for our beginners guide to SUP…

Beginners guide to SUP

As increasingly of us squint towards bettering our physical and mental wellbeing, we are branching out and attempting new sports. In fact, approximately 11.8 million people participated in voyage activities once or increasingly in 2021, showing an increase of interest by scrutinizingly double from the previous year.

So why not get when onto the water by trying your hand at paddle boarding?

Here, we will explore what you need, from safety measures and equipment nomination to balancing tips.

Equipment

Your board

When choosing your paddle boarding equipment, you need to find the right workbench first. Choose a wider, longer, thicker workbench as your beginner paddle board. The greater the space on the board, the easier your stance will be while learning to transition from kneeling to standing. This will requite you the weightier endangerment of maintaining your wastefulness as you learn to navigate the waters.

As you modernize your wastefulness and technique, you can start up-and-coming to shorter and thinner boards. This will test your cadre strength and should be considered when you delve remoter into the sport.

Choosing a leash

A troika can be a good safety measure for beginners. As you are likely to fall off the workbench often, learning to wastefulness and self-correct, you don’t want your workbench to skid too far away. You might consider variegated leashes, including a waist, ankle, or bicep leash.

Ben Cook, from SUP specialists Wave, says: “Keeping unscratched while paddle boarding is key for all our customers, whether you are an experienced paddle boarder or someone trying the sport for the first time. When ownership a leash, you should consider the water you will be dealing with. Most learners should practice on unappetizing water until they are experienced unbearable to handle their board.

“An toddle mitten troika is perfect here for beginners as it offers the weightier endangerment to learn without losing your workbench each time you fall off! If you are starting to wits increasingly turbulent waters, you might want to consider transitioning to a waist leash, which can be the quickest release in specimen of danger.”

Beginners guide to SUP

Safety

Practice

As with any sport, practice makes perfect. According to the Royal National Lifeguard Institution, you should consider getting training lessons on land surpassing hitting the water. This can teach you the correct techniques when mounting, dismounting and moving your board, as well as the weightier safety precautions for when you are out on the water.

Falling

No matter your wits level, you are going to fall into the water at some point. This is expressly so for beginners learning to maintain their wastefulness on the board. While you are still learning to paddle board, you will want to learn to fall and remount your workbench safely. Ensure you are in unscratched water, preferably waist or chest deep, to prevent injury – if you are nervous well-nigh remounting, stay tropical to the shore.

When falling, make sure you fall yonder from your board. This can be either falling straight when off the tail of the workbench or to the side. Remember, paddle boarding is a water sport, so embracing the water is natural. The weightier way to fall is flat. You should be wearing a flotation device of some sort to help with the fall.

Water choice

The weightier way to remain unscratched is to alimony to a level you’re well-appointed with until you have remoter training. You don’t want to be learning to paddle workbench for the first time in warlike water. Instead, find unappetizing water lakes or other wifely waters to practice your techniques. Attempting a big wave could lead to injury.

Beginners guide to SUP

Movement and balance

Starting position and transitioning

When you are starting to go out onto the water, you will want to be kneeling in the middle of the board. At this point, pushing yonder from shore, your paddle should be in front of you, perpendicular to your board. Once you are confident that you are balanced, you can start rowing slowly, successive between sides.

When you are at a well-appointed loftiness from the shore and finger steady unbearable to stand up, do so one foot at a time. Make sure your feet are pointing forward, shoulder width apart, and your knees slightly wilting to help you maintain your balance.

Maintaining balance

Now that you are up on your board, you will want to alimony your balance. If your stance is correct, you should be fairly well-turned already, but once you start paddling, it can wilt harder to maintain stability. For the weightier endangerment of staying on your board, remember to paddle with your core. Your centre should be tight. Keeping an eye on the horizon will moreover help maintain this, as looking lanugo at your workbench and where you are paddling could throw you off centre.

Look without your valuables!

Don’t forget to make sure your valuables are safe. Keeping your phone tropical by is well-nigh increasingly than just making sure you can get that nuts-and-bolts selfie: it could save lives if you or flipside water user gets into difficulties. Use a waterproof phone case – make sure it’s got a safety strap or lanyard – to alimony the phone tropical at hand but moreover out of harm’s way.

According to a study by Holiday Cottages, Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) was the water sport most Brits wanted to try in 2021, with over 40% o people in all age categories wanting to requite it a try. And why not? It is an incredible workout that gives you the eyeful and tranquillity of stuff out on the unshut water.

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