Sports

Stand up inflatable paddle board ride tips

A few recommendations to correctly use the inflatable stand up paddle board. Don’t store your inflatable SUP in direct sunlight. Just like keeping your board dry, direct sunlight won’t instantly damage your board, but repeatedly storing your equipment in direct sunlight will result in deterioration in the long run and shorten the life of your board. UV radiation is harsh and particularly damaging to PVC when exposed repeatedly day after day. If your board is left in the sun, make sure it’s at times when it’s in use or drying off after a fun day on the water.

In just two hours of paddling most people will take a couple of thousand strokes. Lifting a heavy paddle that many times can quickly tire you out, which is why most experienced paddlers will invest in the lightest paddle they can afford. The material of your paddle will also determine how stiff it is. A stiff paddle is more efficient at transferring the power of your stroke. The blade is the part of the paddle that you dip into the water when you’re taking a stroke. The size, shape and offset of the blade all affect how the paddle performs. There’s no hard and fast rule for determining exactly what size paddle blade you need. Over time, you’ll probably develop a preference for a certain size blade based on the type of paddling you do and other factors, like your body type.

Balance: Paddle boarding relies on you being able to balance – otherwise, you just keep falling off. Balancing on a SUP can help you in many other areas of your life too. As we get older our sense of balance seems to get lower, and balancing on a SUP is a good way to counteract this. You don’t even have to paddle. Simply standing on the board in the water will work your muscles as you adapt to the movement of the water underneath you. A good sense of balance is vital for those in certain jobs, particularly any which involve ladders or heights. It can also help you on slippery days too, or if you trip and go to fall. If you participate in other sports, your added sense of balance could even help your performance in that too.

Inflatable stand up paddle boards are way more fun than other types of water sports as they offer a personalised yet thrilling experience of paddling to adventure lovers. It allows you to have fun on the water and get a full-body workout because moving your SUP paddle board with the paddle requires your whole body to exercise. Moreover, it allows you to operate the inflatable paddle board while standing, which provides you with a different type of walking on the water kind of experience. You can see and take all those shots of the sun which are impossible to capture from the shore.

An extra inflatable stand up paddle board tip: Paddling with your core: I.E. Don’t use your arms. This may sound a little weird at first but paddling is best done by your core. These are the strongest muscles of your body and provide the most effective power for your paddle stroke. Standing up tall and using just your arms to paddle, will be very tiring and you won’t get much power. Watch this video for more on paddle technique: Stand up paddle board basics – Using Your Core.