No matter how excellent they are in their sport, a wise athlete knows there is always room for improvement. Improving your paddleboarding skills, from your posture to your paddle stroke, can play a role in how well you propel yourself through the water. Understand and learn the techniques in this article to fine-tune your skills from a beginner level to well beyond intermediate!
Work on Your Posture
While you’re out on the water, your posture plays a significant role in how good your skills are in paddleboarding. How you position your feet, knees, hips, arms, and shoulders can either help improve your skills or make it much more difficult to accomplish. To give yourself the most power during this sport, keep your hips square and facing forward on the board with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart. Keep your knees slightly bent, and your back straight with your arms strong and shoulders rolled back. Double-check your posture as you paddle to ensure you’re doing everything right.
Improve Your Stance
If you do not balance on the board correctly, you will take many dips into the water. Two things to keep in mind are the position of your feet on either side of the board and where on the board you’re standing. Upon getting on your gear, place your feet evenly and parallel to each other to evenly distribute your weight. Additionally, stand near the middle of the board to give yourself optimum stability and to keep the equipment from sinking or dragging into the water.
Maximize Your Paddle Stroke
Another component that will improve your paddleboarding skills is maximizing your stroke. Using the best techniques for paddling will allow you to travel further distances faster and effortlessly. Engage your core muscles as much as possible when stroking through the water and keep your paddle perpendicular to the water for the optimum amount of force that propels you.
What To Do Once Your Skills Improve
As a beginner who improves their skills, you might be using equipment better suited to someone with fewer skills than you. Enhancing your abilities and outgrowing your gear could be a sign that you need to replace your paddleboard. Your gear should grow with your skills instead of hindering them. So, as you continue to gain invaluable skills and techniques, consider upgrading your equipment to further your paddleboarding journey.
Conclusion
Do not expect to magically become a professional paddleboarder overnight — that takes time and effort. However, if you take the time and have the patience to work on your techniques, you will see results in no time. Use this guide to ensure you have the fundamental skills so you can build on top of them.
