Hey DJ, I am no expert either, but the best resource I have found for this type of information is at - www.standupzone.com/

Cheers

Andrew.A

Hi DJ ,

Hey im no expert....

Your technique looks good , iv'e found slightly deeper blade depth will give you more power and consume your energy much faster !
Power also comes from your hips , keep that in mind next session.

sess

HaHa......Yep it's me..

I don't know if that's a complement to me..or an insult to Laird..

We are the same height..That's about it..I can only hope that one day I might he half as good as King Laird.

Here's a still from the vid.....Also..Thanks sess...I have found that when I paddle hard I use much more torso and back to get more power.

DJ

Out of interest what format did you post the original clips to youtune in ? The quality and clarity of the clips are very good.

DJ,
OK, I'm pretty much a beginner so if you think I'm talking out my ass that's fine but looking at your 2 new clips, I get the feel that you paddle's too long. I know a lot of people have posted on this issue and that you have chosen to keep your paddle at the top end of the range for you but when I watch these clips I see how high you have to reach at the start of the stroke and I wonder if you'd get more power with a slightly shorter paddle. Otherwise I can only dream of paddling as nicely as you. I am still zigzagging along to some extent.

I have really appreciated the posts you've made on this forum. Thanks man.

Revvin,

I'm 6'4" and about 90 kilo.

I used a stock plastic windsurfer for almost a year before buying my 11' NSP board.

You could learn on it if you were a kid or very light..but only in flat calm water.

Get in the rough stuff or waves and the fun factor gets less because it's very tippy.

Borrow the NSP and see how you go..but only if you have perfect conditions.

When I bought the NSP (a year ago now) there was nothing else available and they are very cheap $900 is half the price of most SUP boards..but there are too many things going against it for fun SUPing..First it's only 25 1/2" wide..and 27-28" is regarded as a minimum these days..Some say 30" is the perfect number.

But it's not just the width...The bottom shape is all wrong for SUPing..it's got a belly shape bottom that makes it surf from rail to rail well..but also makes it want to roll like log when SUPing.

The rail shape is also wrong..Push on the rail of a SUP board and it seems to get to a point and not want to sink any further..Push on the NSP and the board will just want to flip over.

Also the rocker line is wrong..There's no real flat spot..or sweet spot..The sweet spot is so small..I only have to move an inch or so and I fall in..With SUP boards you can walk around all over the place and not fall in.

Having said all that I think you could learn on an NSP but it's a bit like learning to windsurf on a sinker..hard work and not as much fun as learning on the right board.

Hope this helps.

DJ

Hi DJ,
We have been teaching SUP for a while now and are adopting a few Outrigger techniques to use in SUP.
Firstly, it looks as though you have your left foot slightly forward of your right (maybe its just the camera angle). Its important to be comfortable, but you might find you are getting an uneven workout and using your left side more than your right.
Secondly, if you turn your hips with the paddle you will get more power from your lower body. Its hard to explain in writing, but thikn of your hips and your paddle as being parallel throughout the whole stroke - i.e if your paddle is on the left, then as you bring it through your left hip follows the paddle. This does a few things - it allows you to look over your shoulder so you can see the waves if you are in the surf and it also gets your legs pushing the board away from the paddle so the load isnt completely on your arms.
Thirdly, once you have finished the stroke, it helps to feather the blade back around close to the surface of the water instead of bringing it up and over. Think of drawing a perfect semi circle in the water from the tail of your board to the nose. This will help keep your arms straight and help turn your hips but having the blade on or close to the water will also help if you lose balance and need to put weight on the paddle to rebalance. If the paddle is in the air it wont be able to help. Whenever i am sitting waiting for a wave, i always have the paddle in the water doing something. Its like a walking stick!
And its good to see that you keep your arms straight throught the whole stroke. When folks bend their arms, they are only using the smaller bicep and tricep muscles. When you are straight armed you use the bigger muscles in your shoulders and back.
Its also good to see you are standing up nice and straight. Some people have a tendency to hunch over and stick their ass out. Not only does it look funny, but its not good for your back and you'll be working harder.
again, its hard to teach this stuff without showing you in person, but hope it helps a bit. and at the end of the day everyone has their own technique, so by all means do whatever works best for you!
anytime your in noosa, come around and we'll go for a paddle!

Thanks SUP AUST...Great tips.

Hopefully one day I'll get up there and I'll take you up on your offer..

Are you guys having another SUP event like last year..and if so..when?

DJ