Paddling 101

Stand-up paddleboarding is how most of us start. Flat bay water, a wide board and about ten minutes is genuinely all it takes to feel steady.

1. 1Look at the horizon, not your feetBalanceYour board goes where your eyes go. Staring down at your toes drops your chin, rounds your back and makes every wobble worse. Pick a point ahead — a buoy, a bridge, the end of the bay — and let your hips do the balancing.Tap to mark as learned
2. 2Feet hip-width, centred on the handleStanceStand parallel to the rails with the carry handle between your feet, knees soft like you're on a bus. Too far forward and the nose ploughs, too far back and you spin in circles.Tap to mark as learned
3. 3Start on your knees, every timeGetting upPaddle a few strokes kneeling to feel the board move, then stand one foot at a time while the board has momentum. A moving board is far more stable than a parked one.Tap to mark as learned
4. 4Paddle with your core, not your armsStrokeTop hand stacked over the bottom, arms fairly straight, and rotate from the torso. If your shoulders are burning after twenty minutes, you're arm-paddling — hinge at the hips and let the big muscles work.Tap to mark as learned
5. 5The blade angles away from youTechniqueIt looks backwards and it is the single most common beginner mistake. The bend in the shaft should tilt forward, away from your body, so the blade stays vertical through the power phase.Tap to mark as learned
6. 6Fall flat and away from the boardSafetyWhen you go in — and you will, it's part of it — push yourself sideways into the water rather than down onto the board. Then climb back on from the middle, belly first, like getting out of a pool.Tap to mark as learned
7. 7Your leash is your life jacket's best friendSafetyThe board floats better than you do. Wear the leash on flat water so a gust can't take your board fifty yards downwind while you're swimming after it.Tap to mark as learned
8. 8Paddle into the wind firstConditionsHead out against the breeze while you're fresh so the ride home is the easy half. If it picks up mid-session, drop to your knees — you'll cut your wind profile in half instantly.Tap to mark as learned
9. 9One sweep beats ten little correctionsSteeringTo turn, reach the paddle out toward the nose and sweep a wide arc back to the tail on the opposite side of where you want to go. Stepping your back foot toward the tail turns it even faster.Tap to mark as learned
10. 10Dress for the water, not the parking lotComfortSan Diego bay water sits in the low 60s a good chunk of the year. Leggings and a rash guard beat a swimsuit for sun and chafe, and nobody has ever regretted a hat with a strap.Tap to mark as learned