Paddling On Your Board

Paddling, if you do not know already, is the bit that you do when you are in the water but are not standing up and riding a wave (duh!) - it is pretty much all the other bits!.

• if you cannot paddle well enough to get out beyond the breaking waves to the line-up then will never get a decent ride on a wave.
• if you are slower at paddling than everyone else then you will never get a wave when you do finally make it out back to surf with other surfers.
• The longer it takes you to paddle out the more likely you are to be caught by breaking waves - this will tire you more.

Paddling Position On The Surfboard

Paddling a surfboard is done pretty much the same way on both a shortboard or a longboard. With a longboard you can employ a slightly different variation to the paddle but for the moment we will ignore that. First we will look at the position you need to be in on the surfboard, and this is probably best done with a picture -

Position of the surfer while paddling.

You will soon get a feel for what the correct positioning on the surfboard is like. To start with you will find that the incorrect positining will lead to your board popping out from under you. This will happen frequently when you first start so it's a good idea to practice where you will not knock anyone out!

• Your body weight needs to be positioned along the centre of the board.
• Have your feet raised slightly off the end of the board.
• Your body needs to be far enough back to keep the nose of the board about a couple of inches out of the water, but not too far back to create too much drag.

It takes a little time to find the most comfortable position, and will depend on both your height, weight and length of your surfboard. A longer, wider board makes this lesson much easier. Take a look at the the ideal surfboard for beginners. Give yourself a decent start and pick a day when the water is not too choppy.

Paddling The Surfboard

Paddling the board does takes a bit of balance. To begin with you will probably find it easier if you have your legs slightly apart when paddling, giving you a little bit of extra balance. Reach out with one arm at a time, stroking your way through the water. You do not have to dig your arms too deep.

Keep the movement of your arms nice and smooth, pulling the board through the water. Simple eh!. As we have already said - make sure that the nose of your surfboard is not dipping under the water at any point. On a nice flat day you should be able to practice without the interruption of waves. (It may look a little strange for anyone observing on the beach though!).

Here are a couple of common problems you may encounter:

Digging the nose of the board in:
If you are too far forward on the board you will find the nose of the board keeps dipping underwater making it hard to paddle. You will alsol find yourself always tipping forward and possibly the board pinging out backwards. Try shifting your weigh backwards a little to raise the level of the nose above the water.

The Torpedo:
Your board keeps shooting out in front of you like a torpedo (much to all your friends amusement!). People on the beach are getting nervous and have called the police. There are two possible causes. Firstly it could be that you are way to far back on the board or are leaning back excessively. Secondly it could be that your board needs a decent coat of wax. A poorly waxed board can be as slippery as an eel.

The Dead Weight:
Paddling your board feels like trying to paddle a waterbed. You are probably sitting too far back on the board and the bottom of the board is creating a lot of drag. Move forward a little to correct this probem. Remember, the nose of your board should only be a couple of inches out of the water.

Paddling is something that you can practice all the time you surf. You will see other surfers sitting in the line up on their boards waiting for the next wave to come, but it is a good idea to initially spend some time getting your paddling balance.
Next Up - Sitting On Your Board