paddling tips for a new surfer

[surfrguy91]

i live on the atlantic coast of florida and our waves arent all that great but when things do heat up its hard for me because its so choppy paddling out. any advice?

[IdRatherBeSurfing]

practice! and dont give up

[jennie]

When your paddeling try reaching underneath the board in kind of an s shape stroke from when your hand enters the water, it legnths you stoke so your displacing more water per stroke and is more efficient so you should get out back quicker with less energy...works for me!

[drowningbitbybit]

paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle paddle ......

Its the only answer

[FishKid Wales]

Keep you feet together and make sure you are centerd on your board. The boards nose should only an inch out of the water, arch your back and always look where you want to go.
Look for areas where the waves arnt breaking and aim to paddle out between them.

[drowningbitbybit]

arch your back

You shouldnt arch your back (at least not much) until the board is beginning to move down the face. Arching puts the weight on the tail of the board and stalls it. If you're paddling out, or just starting to paddle for a wave, your head should be down and stretched forward. Heavy things, heads, and your board will follow where you put it.

[FishKid Wales]

DBB whenever i paddle i try to get as far up the board as I can so that the nose is underwater then to counter this i arch my back so the nose is just riding above the surface that way my shoulders are at the maximum distance they can be from the water giving me more leverage (like in physics lessons using spanners).
Afetr each session my back hurts a little but yoga is starting to stop this, am I wrong with my approach to paddeling?

[drowningbitbybit]

am I wrong with my approach to paddeling?

Different strokes for different folks

Only you know if you're in the right spot. But generally, if you're arching your back, you wont get quite such a strong stroke (your arms are above the water rather than in it, and you cant reach as far forward/backward), and the weight will be shifted towards the tail.

Try shifting back ever so slightly - certainly as you paddle for a wave, it works to have your head almost down on the nose of the board (obviously depending on what type of board you have) and to lean back only once the board is beginning to plane to stop it plummetting nose first down the face and under the water.

[FishKid Wales]

Im on a minimal at the moment so my positioning does not have to be 100% perfect as i'm catching a good percentage that im paddeling for but i think i will have to revise my technique, In 2 weeks time (the summer meeting) KS will have finished my fish. At the moment im a bit nervous as im moving from a 7'6" minimal to a 6'2" fish

[drowningbitbybit]

Going a bit off topic here, but Im sure no-one will mind...

The first time you ride your fish, you'll love it

Ive got a 6'6 hybrid (gonna get something much smaller soonish) and the first time I caught a wave on it, I couldnt stop laughing

Catching waves on a fish can be a bit scary at first - as I was saying, you really need to get your head forward and down. It feels like the boards nose is gonna go straight up your nose!
A fish is sensitive so zooms off real quick, but then loses speed real quick, so you need to be in the right position for paddling with your weight nice and far forward. Fun though

[FishKid Wales]

Cant wait to take the beast out for a spin (paddle)
Plus the spray on the deck is awesome!!!

[surfrguy91]

thanx i think i hav a good idea of how i need to start paddlin

[jennie]

Wishkid...are you into yoga? Have you found it helps with your surfing?

I have been doing it for about a year and it hasnt made that much of a difference to my surfing. I have only really got much more into it and "better" at it in the last 4 months...havent been surfing in the last 4 months so im dying to know if it actually makes a difference

[Driftingalong]

Wishkid...are you into yoga? Have you found it helps with your surfing?

I have been doing it for about a year and it hasnt made that much of a difference to my surfing. I have only really got much more into it and "better" at it in the last 4 months...havent been surfing in the last 4 months so im dying to know if it actually makes a difference

It can improve your balance a lot and recovery time between sessions.
It can also increase your flexability to help with paddling and maneuvers.

You may not really notice the effects because of the sutle improvements over time.