Ivan’s Board Buying Advice

If you can’t tell, I’m a huge Ivan van Vuuren fan. If there’s anyone in the world I wish I could ride like, it’s probably him. And, of course, Laird H. Anyway, he recently gave some smart advice about what to look for in a first board.

Ivan says: Stand up paddle boarding is the fastest growing water sport in the world. Celebrities like Cindy Crawford, Pierce Brosnan and Matthew Mcconaughey are doing it. Top sportsmen from around the world are doing it too. 8x surfing champion Kelly Slater, 7x Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong, along with many top kiteboarders and windsurfers around the world are doing it too. It is without a doubt one of the best forms of cross training as it works the core, legs and upper body all at the same time- plus it’s tons of fun.
When starting, there are so many different configurations as far as fins, boards, paddles, deck pads and leashes are concerned that it can get confusing real quick. So let’s take a quick look at some options that will get you out on the water with the most amount of fun.

Great Beginner’s Take-off Vid!

Check out this YouTube video if you are a beginner and trying to figure out how take-offs are accomplished. The guy here does it with a parallel stance but then quickly hops to surfer stance. It’s very instructive to see it actually done. To make it EZ for you, here’s where the good stuff is: 12 seconds in, 2min40sec, 3min20sec and 3min45sec. Hit the Play button, then hit the Pause button, then read around this site while the video loads, then use the video scroll bar to navigate to the right time. Cool. Also, at 3min, there’s a nice little pole-plant cutback. Sweet!

D.I.Y. Paddle Edging

I think it’s pretty important to put edging on your paddle, to protect both the board and the paddle itself. You can buy automotive door-edge molding ("push on, self-adhering! protects & beautifies!") at a story like Autozone. The stuff is cheap and it works pretty well. Only problem is that over time it starts to come loose and flops around. That’s why I now use 3M mastic tape.

You can find it in the electrical department at Home Depot and the like. (And sometimes it’s hard to find, so keep on searching and don’t take no for an answer.) As Stoneaxe recently said over on the Starboard forum: "A 1 inch x 10 ft roll is about $7. I’ve had one application last about 2 months of heavy use. Peels off clean when you want to replace it. One roll will give you 2 maybe 3 applications." For a good idea of how to install the stuff, surf on over to Ke Nalu’s paddle protector article.

Tip of the Day: Drop-Knee Turn

I don’t know where I picked up this tidbit but it’s a good one:

Drop knee is a backhand only turn. When ready to turn, lift your back foot and move it further back then lower your body and look over your shoulder at where you want to turn towards. Do it in one smooth motion and the board will arc very smothly. The key is positioning you feet right and rotating your body, otherwise you will carry on going straight and fall off.

What’s a Good SUP to Start on?

A guy at the local surfshop, when asked that question, replied, “It depends.” How unhelpful is that? A whole bunch of unhelpful, is what. So: the question stands. What’s a good starter SUP?

It used to be the Jimmy Lewis 11′ was the answer, but that’s changed some. I like the Starboards, as do a few of the guys at www.seabreeze.com.au. Check out what a poster on that site recently said:

I totally agree with you blokes in regards to learning SUP. But the thing I really like about Starboard is that the boards are all 30″ wide. Both the 11′2 and 9′8 would be sweet to learn on ….

How to Cross Step, by the Indo Guy

This is probably the best and most useful introduction to cross stepping that I’ve come across. It’s written by Hunter Joslin, who makes the Indo balance board. ( See: indoboard.com) Read it once, read it twice, then go out and practice.

Do it on a 2×4 or a 4×4, as well as on your SUP. Here’s how it goes, as written by Hunter J.:

The true essence of longboard surfing is discovered through mastering the style and flow of cross stepping. No one has ever said “Wow! Did you see that nice shuffle to the nose?” “Cross stepping defines the difference between ugly and beautiful…” says Joel Tudor when asked about the state of the art of longboarding. Joel goes further in pointing out the real difference between shortboards and longboards is that we can walk on our boards.

Parallel Stance or Surfer Stance?

When you take off on a wave, do you start off in parallel stance or the regular surfer stance?

I usually start parallel and if the wave seems like it’s going to be too steep, I switch (or jump or flail) into surfer stance.

When this question was posed on Stand Up Zone, here’s how the dialogue unfolded:

Read the Q&A!

Stand Up Paddle Surfing Cutback

I’m always looking around for the best in how-to info and this is indeed one of the best, from www.paddlesurf.net. It tells the story of the cutback in a way that makes sense and seems doable.

Not that I can do it. But if ever I’m able, it’ll be because of these instructions. Bueno! It starts thusly:

At a request from Anonymous: “hey ho: could you offer up a little how-to tutorial on your pole-plant snap pivot? when i try it, i always end up flat on my ass in the water, but when i’ve seen it done correctly, it looks great. but … i just can’t figure it out. care to weigh in?”
Alright Anonymous, I’ll do my best.

Cross Stepping to the Nose

This isn’t a SUP video per se but if you’re interested in cross stepping to the nose, this is a good one to study. These guys know how to do it. Very cool.

Ivan Van Vuuren Rocks!

This is one of the first SUP videos that really rocked my socks. Ivan has so much style, it’s unbelievable. Dig the crazy drop-knee stuff. My god, how does he do it? And he makes it look so easy. Study this one long and hard. I still watch it every few weeks or so, and I’m always picking up new things to try out.

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