TheGoodDr said...CAUTION said..
Mark (and others)
this is one of the most important steps to sup wave riding. can take a while to get right, and every board is diffrerent.
Biggest thing i found when learnign and also seeing others learn now is the feel you need to paddle so much to get onto a wave. you shouldnt.
You need to learn to swing into a wave, and do it with not many strokes.
things to learn - when on flat water or waiting for sets, practice paddling in circles. do it on both sides, see how least amount of strokes to get board around. try weighting rear foot to get her round more. try changing front foot somewhat toward middle of board more into surf stance. then try putting ur back foot back a foot to get that board round quick. this not only teaches you how to get the board round but is also great for balance.
in reality id say 2-5 strokes max to get board around and only if you are either too far out or a fat wave should you need more to get onto a wave and going.
points to consider when paddling:
what feels comfy for paddling around. for me, front foot paralel with stringer bout 2/3 between stringer and rail, heel just in front of handle, rear foot about 45 degrees, toes just behind handle. when paddling onto wave i either stick with this or start to move my front foot further toward stringer and depending on fatness of wave sometimes further forward, sometimes if i need to get round quick or take steeper drop rear foot back a bit and getting closer to stringer. only small increments of movement while paddling getting board around. then when onto wave (not too early, common mistate) front foot back to back foot and back foot back, how far depends on wave and how extreme you wanna ride. you wanna turn hard n smack lips get back, you wanna cruise or make a section forward a foot. bigger boards will need rear foot to move about rail to rail and forward and back.
after paddling like this on short boards even if i jump on a big tug boat i cant go back to paralel stance, it just feels awkward to the body.
bend knees, bend upper body from the hips. paddling should come from the legs. hamstrings, glutes, quads. learn to engage them, not just standing tall and using upper body. you will tire and or tear urself and look like a goonie. lower yourself and get ur COG down.
paddle vert. work on it. its harder with wider boards, but reach. millions of vids on the net.
short strokes, reach forward, never go past toes. short strokes, save ur rails and ur body and energy.
i woudlnt say im a brilliant paddler, but i find writing this out helps me remember things i think about when i am paddling, and have done so via reading and watching others. hopefully this helps.
so supthecreek showed some good skills of backside paddlign, yep awesoem man but i would say for learnign to get onto waves, prob best to work on going in paddlign on ur toe side. you will feel more comfortable and stable going around that way. i still feel goonie going round on my heel side after 3 years. but hey try it, like i said practice paddling in circles both sides. i recon it is the most crucial to learn.
enjoy. hope it helps.
big props to Eric from Paddlewoo - some great info on his blog. hopefully he doesnt fade out and keeps up the good work.
Well explained Caution......I agree with what you've said. I think you have nailed it.
+1
Great thread.
Had 2 boards out today, 8'8" traditional shape, and 8'0" "rectangle".
After reading all the advice here and checking out paddlewoo, I tried many small changes to my stance. I'm a lump so even a small change makes a big difference.
I found the "semi surf stance" that caution talks about here, that erik has photos of on paddlewoo, made a big difference to fore aft stability and turning on to a wave on the traditional shape.
Bit harder to tell on ye ole minion (not helped by a bellowing onshore) but I'll keep on playing with it.
After reading through these replies again tonight, I'll have more to work on tomorrow......
