Time to start working those arms.

Before reading this article, you should have read the first article on choosing a board, and have a sturdy old larger board ready to go.

If your board is too small, it will sink below the surface a bit, and create drag in the tail end, meaning it will take more effort when paddling.

What ever size your board is you should get a feel for it before jumping right in the surf.

While it’s certainly not necessary, practicing in a river or bay first will allow you to get your position on your board more comfortably. This way you will be more confident on your board, and not have to shift around so much when heading out.

Once your ready to paddle in small surf, start in calmer water to get the feel for it, walk out a bit, and then lay on your board so your chest is just above central, and your weight is in the middle, once you feel stable, lean forward to level out the board.

The further back you lay on the board the more resistance you will encounter, you don’t won’t the nose to far up in the air, as the tail will drag in the water more.

Once you get to choppy water and whitewash, keep your chest raised off the board as much as possible, it will help the nose of the board rise over the little stuff. If that nose goes under you will loose momentum, and possible even get pushed backwards.

You should be using deep strokes, and have your hands cupped to get the most speed out of your board. By creating more resistance with your paddling and using more energy on each stroke you will move much faster.

While you might use more energy on your strokes, you will get out faster, and have to deal with less sets of waves, so in reality you will use less energy overall.

You feel comfortable and your paddling well, now you need to get through the larger waves, so watch out for the next installment, rolling your board over and duckdiving.

Tags: Surfing

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