How to Stand Up Paddle Surf

The Best of the Best How-to-SUP Stuff from Around the Globe — Just Add Water & Go!

Get That Foot Back on the Rail!

 Here’s another snippet from Blane’s terrific back-foot-placement post on the Zone.  This is great stuff!

Check out Tom Carroll here driving down the line…  Heels on the rail.    This is where you want your feet for driving your board across any backside section that has any kind of steepness to it or your trying to gain speed or control speed…    

Basic Foot Placements for Performance Surfing by "Feel"

Foot Placement on a SUP

… is different than on a surfboard.  You’ve really got to get your book foot out on the rail, especially if you want to carve.  There’s a series of posts about this right now over on the Zone.  Today, Blane Chambers chimed in with a monster post about how he does it, with lots of great pix like the one below.  Go check it out!

Ikaika again tucked up tight.    All his weight is being distributed from the extreme inside rail…    Like I said, you can steer nicely from here.   Maybe not a big snap turn but a slight forward foot adjustment back to center will allow that when needed…

Basic Foot Placements for Performance Surfing by "Feel"

Reasons for Compression Part 3

More how-to from the great compression thread over on the Zone, this time by Weasels wake.  Great stuff.  And important, too.  Read, learn, do!

Compression followed by extension~
Stay compressed down the line or entering you first bottom turn, then extend (straighten out the whole body) as you go thru the apex of the turn (at the bottom of the wave), do it hard and you will squirt out of the bottom turn with increased speed. The harder you extend out of the compression, the harder you are stepping on the gas pedel.
Water doesn’t compress, so you can use it as a spring, as you compress against it.
Compression, extension, compression , extension, not only are you ripping your waves, you are giving you thighs a great workout.
Short board stuff, applied to the sweeping.
Gotta love it.  Wink

Are You Compressing Enough?

Tip of the Day: Drop-Knee Turn

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

captured_Image.pngDrop 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.

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.

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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.

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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. image

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.

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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.