So you’re ready to venture outback and catch some unbroken waves, but how do you get there? You watch others paddle out making it look easy, while you’re stuck in the impact zone feeling defeated.
Or do you see surfers make two simple strokes and they’ve caught the perfect wave while you are exhausted from sprinting and left behind?
"But surely you just make big strokes with your arms?!" I hear you say - not quite. There is a lot of technique that goes into paddling!
Firstly, it’s all about your position on the board. You need to be balanced and centred. Pretend there is a line down the middle of your board, and make sure you’re on it. Try not to be too far forward so the nose drops into the water, but not too far back that it's lifted and all your weight is dragging behind. If you’re on a larger board, get those toes on the tail to help as a guide for where you need to be.
Once you’re set up, squeeze your legs together and slightly lift your feet to engage your core. The more secure you are, the more balance you’ll have paddling over the waves to get out back. If your legs are limp and falling off the sides of the board, you will be unbalanced and this will also create drag.
Now for the arms. Let’s start with the hands; keep your fingers together and slightly cup the hands to create scoops. Then make long freestyle strokes with the arms. Keep the elbows bent and high, in the aim to pull the arms back then push the water back behind you. To help with this keep your head up and back nicely arched for maximum movement range in the shoulders and arms.
Putting all this together you will help you feel strong and confident as you paddle, and catch some epic waves!
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