Stand-up paddleboarding is a fun and peaceful pastime that allows you to explore the water without having to swim or float. This activity, which is essentially a subset of surfing, is standing on what appears to be a standard surfboard and moving through the water using a paddle that looks like a canoe paddle but is longer.
One of the most popular water sports in the world, it’s been adapted to include additional fun activities, giving rise to derivatives such as SUP Fishing, SUP Yoga, and SUP Racing. If you’re interested in giving it a try, these stand up paddle boarding in UK tips can help you get the most out of your time on the water.
1. Use A Leash
When participating in any type of water sport, one of the most important considerations is safety. Don’t forget to use a leash to keep yourself attached to your board. When you’re fatigued, lost, or a little too far from shore, your board becomes your lifesaver.
2. Choose The Correct Gear
Having the proper equipment, as with any other sport, is critical to your overall enjoyment and safety. Make sure you have the correct SUP gear for your ability level and the environment you’ll be paddling in before you start stand up paddleboarding.
3. Check Wind Direction
A body acts as a sail when you’re standing on your SUP, which means strong gusts will probably steer you and your board in all directions. This makes it much more difficult to paddle and drives yourself to your desired destination, especially if you are a beginner.
4. Learn The Right Paddling Technique
One of the worst mistakes made by paddle boarders is holding the paddle incorrectly. If you’re new to stand up paddleboarding and haven’t received any formal training, your impulse could be to hold it in such a way that the bent part of the blade is facing you, allowing you to “scoop” yourself forward. The blade should be angled forward from the shaft, toward the board’s nose.
When paddling on the right side of your board, your left hand should be on the T-grip and your right hand should be a few feet below on the shaft. Reverse your hand locations when switching sides.
5. Face The Right Direction
Another blunder you’ll want to avoid is surfing with your SUP facing the wrong way. Many beginners make this error because the front end is not always visible to non-paddlers, especially when utilizing an all-around paddle with a huge round nose. The simplest method is to search for the fins and ensure that they are in the back, rather than the front.
6. Keep Your Head Up
It’s hard to keep your head up and stare straight in front of you as a beginner because it’s more natural to glance down, and it can be because you’re afraid of falling into the water. However, when paddle boarding, standing upright is critical since it allows you to gain optimum stability.
Avoid gazing down since this will cause you to lose your equilibrium. By maintaining your upright posture, legs slightly bent, shoulders pulled back and bearing your bodyweight primarily on the balls of your feet, you may keep your head up and preserve proper body posture.
7. Give Yourself Enough Space
For your own and everyone else’s safety, make sure you have plenty of room for movement. After all, the ocean or river/lake, based on where you want to paddle, has plenty of room.
8. Only Ride The Waves You Can Handle
It is highly possible that you will face some strong waves while you’re bodyboarding, surfing, sailing, or stand up paddleboarding. It would not be a good idea to take on big waves when you’re just getting started. Practice on smaller, smoother waves until you have more expertise and a better knowledge of the water’s movement and power.
Stand-up paddleboarding is a very exciting, adaptable, and easy activity to engage in. With the help of these paddleboarding tips, you will be able to improve your paddleboarding skills and it will also allow you to have a fun and safe time on the water!
