Paddling Your Surfboard

Paddling is a key part of surfing. If you can’t paddle, you can’t get to and catch the best waves. Also if you can’t paddle effectively you will get stuck in the breakers, not pleasant trust me.

Firstly positioning on the board. You need to position yourself so you are in the centre of the board, otherwise it will pop out from under you. The weight along the centre also gives you the best balance to glide through the water and past the breakers to the good stuff. Next you want your feet just off the rear of the board, as you get more advanced raise your feet slightly out of the water to reduce your drag and help you paddle with less effort. Keep a position that allows you to have the nose of the board just out of the water but without making the tail drag in the water. Experiment with your position on the board, it varies depending on you height, weight and board size as to the best position for you.

To actually paddle reach forward with your arms, alternatively, cup your hands slightly and pull back. When pulling back you want your hands to be roughly a forearms depth and keep your movements nice and smooth. The smoother your arm movements the smoother the board in the water and the further and faster you travel on a single pull. Also don’t pull back too hard and force yourself, paddling with a good technique will always outstrip brute strength paddling.

Your paddling will improve with experience, as with most parts of surfing there is pretty much no substitute for water time. Some minor points to finish. Make sure your board is properly waxed, a slippery board will prevent you from doing anything useful in the water and the sight of it shooting out from under you will be very amusing to your friends. If you nose digs in then your weight is too far forward on the board and you need to shift back. The reverse is also true, if you feel like you are going nowhere try shifting forward on the board so the tail rises slightly.