How Improve Your Balance On a Paddleboard

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For some people, stand up paddle boarding comes super easily, while for others, it can feel like more of a challenge even after a couple of sessions. If you're part of the latter group, don't worry; there's loads of things you can do to improve your balance on a paddleboard.

In this video, we'll be going over a few tips and tricks to get you feeling comfortable, secure, and confident on your SUP.

Our first tip is to choose the right board. Generally, taller/heavier paddlers, especially those just starting out, benefit from wider SUPs. Most SUP newcomers will feel comfortable on SUPs about 32" wide, but for our larger paddlers, it may be necessary to look in the 33"-35" wide range.

Tip #2 is to ensure that you have the proper foot positioning as you stand up on your board. A common mistake we see among beginners is to have their feet in 'duck stance' with their heels pointing inwards and their toes pointing out towards the rails of their SUP. Instead, you'll feel much more stable if you position your feet sot hat they're parallel to each other, as if you were standing on a set of railroad tracks.

Thirdly, you'll want to ensure that you keep your head up while you're paddling and primarily while you're standing up. This keeps your weight centered over your hips and feet, whereas looking down causes your knees to lock and your butt to lift, shifting your weight forward and causing you to feel unstable. It helps to think of the motion of standing up on your board like you're doing a squat, rather than a stiff legged dead lift.

Our fourth tip is to use your paddle as a third point of contact, both while you're standing up and when you start paddling. If standing from your knees is a challenge, try planting the blade of your paddle squarely in front of you, as if you were spearing your board. Then you can use the paddle as a support to climb your way up to standing position. Once paddling, the paddle continues to act as a third point of contact, as you can use it to brace against to the water and improve your stability.

Lastly, a few general notes that will help improve your balance are to keep your head up, as this will keep your weight centered over your feet, and to keep loose knees to be able to absorb and wake or chop on the water. Most importantly, keep in mind that all things come with practice; don't be discouraged if your first few times SUP'ing aren't picture perfect.

For a more detailed demonstration of each of these tips, stick with us through our video and don't hesitate to reach out in the comments with any questions.

0:00 How to Improve Your Balance on a Paddleboard
0:44 Tip 1 Choosing the Right Board
2:20 Tip 2 Proper Foot Position
3:16 Tip 3 Proper Head Position
3:53 Tip 4 Third Point of Contact
5:09 Conclusion

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