The 2016 100/100 Paddle Challenge

Okay! I’ve accepted the challenge!

Like many of you, over the last two years at various races I’ve posed for photos with the index finger of one hand raised while someone beside me made two zeroes with their index fingers and thumbs. I must confess that at first I had no idea what I was doing, but it seemed to make people happy so it was cool.

This past year I learned a little more about the 100/100 Paddle Challenge and was stoked to endorse it with my fingers and thumbs when asked. I mean, how cool is it that people, many of whom are fairly new to paddling, have set a challenging goal that simply demands they get out on the water and paddle?

This season I’ve decided that if I’m going to be asked to make the 100/100 sign for a photo or two, I might as well actually join the challenge and participate.

They have a really cool challenge within the challenge called the “1%er Challenge”, which basically says for a SUP paddler you have to paddle 500 miles in 100 days. I’m going to run with that, but since I’m Canadian, I’m going to convert it to 805 km in 100 days.

It’s going to be tough and, truthfully, I’m not sure whether I might have bitten off more than I can chew. I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with that distance in normal circumstances, or with any of the other stipulations of the challenge associated with intensity and length of individual paddles. I’ve done it many times before in the regular course of my training. However I’m taking on this challenge in the middle of a Canadian winter, and that adds a massive amount of uncertainty to this undertaking.

Last year, we had one of the coldest winters on record and, in my 52nd year on this planet, for the first time I was introduced to the term “polar vortex”. We had numerous days in Toronto where the mercury hit minus values in Fahrenheit. The entire month of February was well below freezing. And you couldn’t even access Lake Ontario to paddle because of the massive ice banks that had formed along the shore.

So far this winter, a Toronto paddler’s best friend has been El Nino. Pretty much the entire month of December has seen temperatures above normal and while I’ve paddled every day, there’s only been one where I’ve had ice forming on my board or paddle. If I can duplicate the paddling I’ve been able to do in December in January and February, I’m very confident that I can reach my goal. But that might be a little unrealistic, even in a big El Nino year. This is Canada after all. If I do fall behind pace I’ll have some catching up to do in March and April, although the challenge ends on April 9th if I start on January 1st.

Like the other 700 or so paddlers setting personal challenges in the 100/100 Paddle Challenge I’m going to have to take this really seriously. It’s going to take a consistent, day-to-day effort, and I’m going to have to paddle on days when the weather is really crappy and I don’t feel like doing it. It’s going to take commitment, but I like the fact that it allows me a chance to catch up in later months if I do fall behind because of frigid weather in the depths of winter. Yes, this is going to be a three-month plus journey, and my focus is going to have to be as strong at the end as it is when I’m enthused about it at the beginning. I’m actually really excited to have this kind of challenge over the winter, and although I’ve paddled since I was 11 years old and figure I’ve done well over 75,000 km in my lifetime, this will be a unique, brand new experience for me. How cool is it that at 53, I can find an entirely new paddling/training challenge that I haven’t attempted before?

I’m looking forward to being part of group of paddlers, almost 700 strong, each with a similar goal. While our backgrounds and ability may be different, and the distances that we’re attempting to cover may be different as well, our experiences are going to be similar. I’m counting on that. One of the things I’ve realized long ago is that it’s often not the person who is best at something who is most inspiring. Rather it’s often the person who toils away quietly out of the spotlight, who has to overcome large obstacles with little chance for anything other than intrinsic reward, who in every way seems ordinary yet somehow achieves extraordinary things, and who takes on challenges for the purest of reasons. I’m looking forward to sharing my attempt at this challenge with them, and following them in theirs. I’m counting on them to hold me accountable and motivate me. And I’ll take seriously my responsibility to do the same for them. It’s going to be fun to see many of them over the summer and share a sense of satisfaction and camaraderie with people who have achieved their goals. And by the way, whether I’m successful in doing the 800 plus kilometers or not, I’m stoked about how well prepared this will leave me for the Carolina Cup.

Here we go! 805 km in 100 days. I can’t believe how much I love paddling!

Winter Weather Doesn’t Have to Keep You off the Water

If you’re from some place warm and would never need to contemplate paddling in freezing, icy conditions you don’t need to read any further. On the other hand, if you have some morbid curiosity about what it’s like for northern climate paddlers for a good chunk of the year, by all means read on.

Before I start, let me state unequivocally that I hate being cold. Despite being Canadian, I’ve never been a big winter person and would rather hibernate than enjoy the great outdoors for most of December, January and February. I’m a summer guy, and I do summer sports. Maybe it’s because I grew up in southern Ontario, where ski runs are short and lift lines are long that I don’t have much time for skiing or snowboarding. I have to drive at least a couple of hours, stand in lines all day, and freeze in biting cold and wind, just to enjoy a few good runs. It seems so pointless (especially the drive). Were there mountains in my backyard I’m sure I'd feel differently. While I played a lot of pond hockey outdoors as a kid, that’s something you need a bunch of other people to enjoy and I just don’t seem to be available when everyone else is. As such, once the river freezes over I have generally just counted down the days till spring and have limited my outdoor activity to a lot of running.

However since I’ve started stand up paddling that’s changed, and I’ve discovered that there’s no reason to stop paddling just because the river is frozen and the temperature is below freezing. It’s actually possible, with the right gear and some common sense, to paddle safely all winter and enjoy it. In this installment of the Tip of the Week I’ll share a few ideas that can help you extend your paddling season and make winter seem to pass a little more quickly.

It’s only as cold as you think it is

This is perhaps the most important thing to understand about winter paddling.

Most people wouldn’t dream of doing anything on the water when the temperature approaches freezing and water temperatures drop to 5C (40 F) or lower. Throw a wind chill on top of that, where the “feels like” temperature is well below freezing and it seems like an insane idea to go out and do anything on the water. Yet ask yourself, would you go for a run in those conditions? Of course you would.

How is going for a SUP paddle on flat water any different than going for a run? If you’re confident that you’ll stay dry, it’s basically the same thing. All you need is something to keep your feet warm when they get wet and a pair of gloves that still allow you to get a good feel for your paddle and you’re set. You can just wear your running clothes and go enjoy yourself.

If you’re paddling in rough water it’s a little different. If there is any chance you’re going to fall in you’ve got to make some prudent precautionary choices when it comes to your clothing. What you’ll find is that with the right gear you don’t even feel the water when you fall in and that not only is it therefore quite safe to paddle in rougher water (assuming you’re taking all the basic precautions), you can actually be very toasty while you do. Get the idea that it’s insane to paddle when it’s wintry out of your head. It can be warm and comfortable, and might actually be safer than the paddling you do in spring and fall.

So let’s consider the gear you’ll need:

Boots are the one thing you’ll need whether you’re paddling in the flats or on rough water so let’s start here. You’ll wear them every single day that you paddle once the air and water temperatures drop below 10 C (50 F).

If your feet get cold you’ll be miserable and cold feet can totally mess up your balance. You’ll have trouble just standing and walking on dry land with cold feet, let alone moving around on your board and feeling it underneath you. As your feet are going to get wet, even in flat water, you want them protected. The worst thing you can do in cold temperatures is get wet when you’re not wearing clothing designed to still keep you warm after being exposed to water. So what you’re looking for are good quality neoprene booties.

I prefer to use 7mm neoprene boots that are not split toe. Thinner boots probably won’t keep you warm enough in colder conditions and split toed boots separate your big toe from the other four, which means they can’t keep each other company and keep each other warm. I get my boots just big enough to allow me to put a thin pair of wool socks on underneath if needed. Again, that’s not possible in split toed boots. I don’t usually do this unless it gets really cold, but it makes a big difference in maintaining warmth when I do. Another trick that you can try, though I’ve never done it because I hate putting on wet boots, is to pour hot water in your boots before putting them on. You’ll have to experiment a bit to see what works best for you but no doubt about it, you’ll want to get some 7mm booties.

If you’re paddling every day, you’ll probably want to get two pairs of boots so you can rotate them, always ensuring that the boots you put on are dry. You’ll find it’s a lot nicer to slip dry boots on your feet each day. You’ll also find that they end up stinking a lot less.

Most importantly when it comes to boots is to remember to dry them out as soon as possible each day after paddling. This will really minimize the stink, will also help them last longer and will ensure they’re dry when you go to use them next.

A good wetsuit or dry suit is essential for any conditions where you think you might end up in the water. There are pros and cons to each, so let’s take a look at both.

A good dry-lock wetsuit will keep you warm in just about any water if it’s thick enough. The upside of that is that it gives you a huge sense of confidence when you’re paddling in big water. You can paddle completely relaxed and uninhibited and totally go for it, whether you’re downwinding, practicing beach starts or SUP surfing. The downside is that, unless you’re in the water a lot, you’re likely going to overheat. Once that’s happened you’ll find it really difficult to paddle hard.

Lately, I’ve been using a 4/3 Excel dry lock wetsuit when I’m on Lake Ontario in rough water. Air temperatures so far this fall/winter season have been anywhere between -1 C (30 F) and 15 C (59 F), while water temperatures have hovered around 5 C (40 F). I only use it when it’s rough, choppy water or big, chest high or more chop and swell. Most days I actually don’t fall in which might make one ask if I really need to wear the suit, however that’s misleading. First of all, I have such an elevated level of confidence wearing the suit I end up paddling more relaxed and on the edge then I do most of the year, and that’s when I’m most likely to improve. Secondly, when I do fall in I’m really happy I’m wearing it. I barely feel the water, and there’s not even a hint of that uncomfortable trickle of cold water down my back. I certainly don’t experience that dangerous shock that takes your breath away and makes your muscles seize when you fall into icy water without any protection. And this past weekend I actually jumped off my board and swam through a densely packed cluster of ice chunks without even feeling them, which was pretty cool. In addition, these suits make you a little more buoyant so I feel extremely safe while wearing it.

Such a thick wetsuit is a little confining and restricts your movement marginally, but you do get used to it. The big problem is I’m generally overheating after about 8km, especially when the air temperature is a little on the warm side. Without a joke, I get so hot in these suits that if I were a car I’d be on the side of the road with my hood propped up and steam billowing out. I frequently end up jumping off my board and sitting with my arms draped over it, relaxing for as much as 10 minutes to try to cool off before getting back on and paddling again. While I’ve experienced some really pleasant Zen-like moments doing that, I’m waiting for the inevitable 911 call from someone on shore who thinks I’m in trouble.

If you go the wetsuit route, and are planning on paddling everyday, you should really consider having two suits so that you can alternate them. Doing that means you’ll never have to crawl into a damp or soggy wet suit on a cold day, which isn’t much fun.

The other option is a dry suit. I used to use a Kokatat Gore Tex dry suit when I first started paddling SUP. I found that I overheated in that just as much as I currently do in my wetsuit. The idea with a dry suit is that you just put some running clothes underneath the suit and then go paddle. Your under layer provides the insulation and the outer layer keeps you dry when you fall in. In theory you stay completely dry inside. In practice that rarely happened, as I’d usually end up drenched in sweat. There were a few things I didn’t like about this suit.

First off, I found the suit bulky and uncomfortable. The rubber gasket around the neck felt like it was going to strangle me, and the waterproof zipper was extremely hard to zip up and undo. One of the things you’re supposed to do with a dry suit is “burp” it before you go paddling. This involves getting as much of the air out of it as possible so that if you fall in the water inverted, the water pressure won’t push all the air inside the suit into your legs making it difficult to right yourself. This was always a pain. Lastly, when I did fall in with this suit I could feel the cold water really easily through the suit. It certainly wasn’t enough to take my breath away like it would if I were just wearing board shorts, but it never gave me much confidence that I’d last very long if I was forced to stay in the water for a protracted period of time.

There is an entirely new generation of dry suits on the market now however that I can’t wait to try. SUPSKIN markets a range of paddling suits, and Starboard has their All Star suit, which is actually made by SUPSKIN. I’m hearing great things about them in terms of their comfort and weight. They’re apparently really easy to paddle in and the material is much better than what was used on the older suits. I expect to be able to test them out this winter so I’ll report back on them when I do.

The bottom line is this. If you’re wearing the right gear you’re not going to get cold. If anything the opposite will be the problem. You’ll also find that you’ll feel extremely safe. On days when I go winter paddling I consider the most dangerous thing I do is driving to and from the water. Paddling on an icy lake is extremely safe in comparison. Finally, you’ll find that wearing the right gear allows you to paddle on the edge with complete confidence, and I can’t overstate the importance of that when you’re trying to develop new skills.

Like toes, fingers get cold really quickly and are easily frost bitten. Therefore gloves are essential. The problem with gloves is that they interfere with your ability to hold your paddle. So ideally you should have a few pairs, both to ensure you always have dry ones to put on and so that you can paddle with the thinnest pair of gloves that will still keep you warm.

Generally, when it’s over 10 C (50 F) I don’t wear gloves, regardless of what the water temperature is. Between 5 C (40 F) and 10 C, I wear a pair of 2mm neoprene gloves. These still allow me to feel the paddle extremely well. Between 0 C (32 F) and 5 C, I either use the 2mm or a 5mm pair. My choice largely depends on the wind chill. For anything below freezing I’m using the 5mm pair. They make it a little more difficult to feel the paddle, and when I first start using them each season my forearms cramp a bit, but I quickly get used to them and am certainly able to paddle effectively.

Depending on the temperature, you’ll want to wear a hat or a hood. Most of the time when the chop is small, if I do fall in, my head doesn’t get wet so if it’s not too cold a wool toque is fine. When it gets colder and the water is bigger you’ll want to consider some other options.

I have a neoprene toque that I wear most days. It fits me pretty snugly and won’t fall off even if I do a face plant. It’s warm and repels water well so it still keeps my head warm and dry even if it gets soaked.

If it’s really cold (well below freezing) the way to go is a neoprene hood that tucks beneath the neck of your wetsuit or dry suit and leaves only your face exposed. This is my choice of last resort for distance paddling. If I’m surfing in cold weather it’s often my first choice for headwear because I’m in the water a lot more.

You lose a lot of heat through the top of your head, so if it’s cold and staying warm is the priority you’ll definitely need something on your head. I’ve developed an array of choices that I feel are optimal for me in a variety of conditions. You should experiment a little for yourself to see what works best for you at various temperatures.

Safety is priority one. There are no exceptions when it comes to these items:

A leash. No further explanation should be required. If you lose your board you’re screwed. Always wear your leash and check it frequently to make sure it’s in good working order. Don’t leave it outside when you’re not using it. I’ve heard of leashes snapping when they’ve been left out over night in deep sub-zero weather and then are used the next morning.

A PFD. I know people who move to a standard PFD in the winter rather than the inflatable variety. I haven’t done that yet, but I always have my inflatable with me. I tuck a whistle into it as well so that I always have one if I need it.

While we’re talking about safety consider the following:

It’s lonely out there in the winter and there’s nobody around to help you if you get into trouble. You should paddle with other people if you can. If you can’t, double check to make sure you’ve got all the safety gear you’re supposed to have and it’s in good working order. Double check that your suit, whether it is a wetsuit or dry suit, is in good shape and you’re wearing it properly. Double check your paddle, board and fin before you go out so you can be certain you won’t have any equipment failures.

I want to reiterate that you’re all alone on the water in the winter. It’s peaceful and beautiful and you feel like you’re really in tune with nature, but there’s nobody that can help you if you get in trouble like there usually is in the summer. If you’re paddling alone, I strongly suggest carrying a cell phone or radio in a watertight case that you can use in an emergency.

Stay closer to shore than you would in the summer. Without getting caught in the break zone, staying a little closer to shore than you might in the summer means you’ve got less distance to swim if you have to. We all know you should never leave your board, but if something happens and your board gets away, the less time you’re in the water the better. Similarly, it means you’ll have less distance to paddle prone if you happen to lose your paddle.

The bigger the body of water you’re paddling on, the more careful you need to be. While it’s true we can drown in a puddle or the bathtub, the likelihood of experiencing a catastrophic situation increases as the size of the body of water increases. At this time of year, if I fall in on the river, even without appropriate gear I can stand up in most places almost immediately. It’s comparatively safe. Lake Ontario is an entire order of magnitude more dangerous. It’s a 300km long by 60km wide body of water. Crazy shit happens on the Great Lakes. Huge lake freighters have sunk in storms on them. They demand more respect.

Maybe it’s just that I’m not as familiar with it, but I’ve got even more respect for the ocean. It is to Lake Ontario like the lake is to the tiny river I paddle on. The waves are bigger and more powerful, there are tides and currents and all sorts of things that you don’t have to contend with on the lake. With the level of ocean knowledge I have, I wouldn’t consider paddling alone on the ocean in the winter. If I had to go alone I’d stay in the harbor or something. But that’s just me.

Leave a “flight plan”. Tell someone who is staying on shore all the pertinent details about the paddle you’re planning including where you’re going, who you’re going with, when you’re leaving and when you expect to return. I’d even suggest arranging to call them as soon as you’re off the water. If they don’t hear from you when they should, they can start the process of starting the search. That could save your life.

Know when to stay on land. Even though I’m convinced that paddling SAFELY on Lake Ontario in the winter might actually be safer than paddling at any other time of year, I tend to respect conditions even more than usual in the winter.

Whether it’s temperature, wind, or the size of the waves, I’m more likely to take a look at the conditions and decide that “today’s not the day” in the winter than I am in the summer. Part of it has to do with the fact that it’s so lonely out there in the winter and part of it has to do with the harsher winter conditions and fewer hours of daylight.

Basically, if conditions are too harsh to paddle effectively then what’s the point of going out? Paddling is supposed to be enjoyable and training sessions useful for developing fitness and skills. It’s not supposed to be about some misguided effort to conquer nature. I strongly believe that as soon as it becomes that, disaster looms nearby. Anyone arrogant enough to think they can conquer nature is asking for trouble. So make your decision about whether it’s worth going out carefully. I strongly suggest erring on the side of caution. You can always paddle tomorrow if you decide not to paddle today. But if you make an unwise decision, there’s always a chance that there will be no tomorrow.

Make sure you’ve got a place to get out of the water. It seems basic, but if you don’t think you’ll be able to get off the water safely, don’t go out.

On the Great Lakes we often get massive ice shelves and cliffs forming along the shore in the winter. The beaches literally disappear under up to 10 feet of ice. It makes it hard to get on the water, but even harder to get out, especially if it is a rough day and the waves are crashing into the ice. From my perspective, once these ice shelves form it’s pretty much the end of paddling on all but the flattest days until they break up and disappear.

Watch out for icebergs. Seriously. No joke. Once there are ice buildups along the shore and the river is frozen there are always small, random ice chunks floating around on the lake. They break off from the ice pack in the harbor or the ice shelves along the beaches, and then just float around out in the lake. They’re extremely hard to see as they’re basically the color of the water, and most of each chunk is beneath the surface. They’re heavy and they can be quite sharp. If you’re downwinding and you’re catching nice rides, you’ll come to a pretty sudden stop if you hit one and it could cause real damage to your board. Sailors call these mini bergs “Growlers”. Keep an eye open for them.

If you’re paddling on flat water and aren’t dressed to fall in, be careful moving around on your board when the temperature nears freezing. A couple of years ago I was paddling on the river in early January while training for the Orange Bowl in Miami. It was just below freezing and there was ice building up on my paddle and the front of my board. I’d just finished a length of the river and it was time to turn around. Imagine my surprise when I stepped back to do a pivot turn and slid right off the back of my board into the water because there was ice all over the deck pad. That was a cold end to that workout as I wasn’t dressed to fall in.

The lesson here is that if there is ice forming on your board in front of you, it’s forming behind you as well. Anywhere that water splashes on your board is going to ice up. Generally it doesn’t freeze under your feet because they move enough to keep ice from forming around them. But you’ll be in for a slippery surprise if you step onto a spot on your board where you haven’t been standing for a while.

Consider where you’re going to change into your paddling gear

I have no problem changing outside down to about 3 C (37 F) as long as I’m out of the wind. If it’s colder than that I make sure I change at home and drive to paddling in my paddling gear. While there’s nothing unsafe about changing outside in the cold, it’s just not pleasant, and if you do it takes that much longer to warm up once you’re on the water.

When you get off the water, unless it is outrageously cold, you should be warm enough to be able to change quickly outside. You won’t want to drive home in your paddling gear or your car will end up a total mess.

I use a large plastic tub to keep all my winter paddling gear in. Everything I could possibly need is there including all clothing, extra fins and leashes, a small repair and tool kit, tape, a towel, etc. I’m ready for anything. When I come off the water, I use the lid to pile all my wet stuff on, and that keeps the trunk of my car clean and dry.

Each of us needs to establish our own level of comfort with cold weather paddling. I firmly believe it you’re wearing the proper gear and taking common sense precautions there is less to worry about in terms of safety than there is during the rest of the year.

Today’s suits keep you so warm you’ve got a large margin of error before you’ll start to go hypothermic if you fall in. It’s beautiful being on the water at this time of year, and it’s an opportunity to accumulate a lot of extra distance on the water that helps build a sound base for the coming season. It’s not for everybody, but if you love paddling and really miss it during the winter, you’ll be surprised how fun and productive winter paddling can be.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Improve Your Own Paddling by Helping Others Improve Theirs

Standup paddling is an awesome sport for a lot of reasons, but one of the coolest things about it is the very real camaraderie that exists between racers of all ages and abilities. People are generous with their time, expertise and experience, and equipment.

When I first started SUP I knew lots about paddling but nothing about doing it standing up. I knew something about the ocean from paddling outrigger, but had never surfed and found it a real challenge to do on a board what I could do sitting down in a one-man outrigger. I was confident enough to not be afraid of trying to figure stuff out for myself, but smart enough to know that there were a lot of people with more knowledge than me who would be very useful in helping me learn some SUP skills.

The amazing thing is I never really had to ask for help. I’m sure most newcomers to SUP can relate to this this – I was blown away by the willingness of people to share their knowledge freely and eagerly. As a consequence I learned a lot faster than if I’d been left entirely to myself.

I remember my first ocean experience was in Wrightsville Beach. I’d met Chris Hill at the Cold Stroke Classic, a flat-water race held annually in Wrightsville each January. When I came back to Wrightsville Beach in March for a visit, Chris paddled with me every day. He helped me with some strategies for board control in the flats and I was able to help him with some theory on basic paddling from the perspective of sprint canoe while we paddled pretty much stroke-for-stroke together. It was fun and I felt like at least I had something to offer him while I was getting so much from the help he was offering me. When we hit the ocean it was another matter entirely.

My first time in the ocean was a 9-mile downwinder with Chris and his son Brian. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. There was a strong wind from the southeast, and waves in the 3 to 4 foot range. Pretty small time when I think about it now, but at the time it was more than I could handle. Chris patiently helped me get out through the break and get started downwind. I fell a lot. I probably only managed at most a couple of minutes between swims and didn’t catch anything that remotely resembled a ride. When I finished I was banged up and bruised both physically and psychologically. Chris took the time to debrief the experience with me, encourage me and give me lots of advice that I could take with me for next time. I carried his lessons with me that entire summer as I chased waves on Lake Ontario and got more and more competent in rough water.

Chris was just one of many who took the time to help me out, and as my skill level has progressed there have always been paddlers with more experience than me who have been there to offer me sound advice.

I’d like to think that all the paddlers that have helped me have got something out of it for themselves for their effort. It’s always been my experience in sprint canoe that when I’ve talked about paddling with someone else it’s elevated my understanding of what I’m doing in my own canoe. I can remember discussing technique, training and race strategy with the guys I used to race against. It was pretty cool because it was an open, collegial environment as opposed to a secretive one. I’d learn from what my rivals had to say for sure, but I also learned when I tried to explain to them in some kind of meaningful way what I felt when I was paddling, or tried to do in my own stroke. Later, when I started coaching, I realized that the understanding of the stroke that’s required to coach effectively helps enhance your own paddling. The more ways I found to explain in detail what it feels like when you’re connected to the water or when the boat accelerates off the back of the stroke, the more in tune I would be with my own stroke.

It’s not much different today, now that I’m paddling SUP and blogging about technique and doing clinics. The more I think about ways to explain parts of the stroke, the more I become aware of my own paddling and not just what I’m doing, but also what I’m feeling, at each point in my stroke. I’ve had days this fall while working on my blog, where I’ve been paddling with what feels like really excellent connection. The speeds on my GPS are fast, and the flow and rhythm of my stroke feels magical. I know I’m paddling really well. What’s cool is that because I’ve been talking about technique so much and working hard to find ways to describe it, it’s like I have a super-heightened awareness of every element of my stroke. I can feel all the minute changes in my stroke if I change my focus, work on isolating the impact of one muscle group over another, or change, by even the smallest amount, the load on my blade.

I contend that everybody can benefit in this fashion when they take the time to help another paddler out. If, in the process of trying to explain or demonstrate something to someone, it makes you look more closely at what you do yourself, then it is a very positive thing. It might help you identify a weakness in your stroke that you didn’t realize existed. On the other hand, it might just help you consolidate something in your stroke that you already do well.

You don’t have to be helping a high level racer to get this benefit. Teaching a beginner how to steer without changing sides, for example, is pretty basic. Yet revisiting your own steering and board control techniques in the process offers real value to you. Every single time I do this, without fail, I feel like I control my own board better afterwards.

If you’re reading these blog posts it’s probably because you’ve caught the SUP bug and can’t get enough. If you’re like me, you don’t have to think too hard to identify those people who helped you get to this point, who had an impact on you, helped you develop your skills, or in some way helped the sport capture your imagination. You wouldn’t be the paddler you are without them. There are lots of paddlers that are new to the sport that you can have a similar impact on by sharing your knowledge and experience. In a way we all have an obligation to help these paddlers out, as in some way we’re returning the favor that was shown to us. But it’s more than that. We can be confident knowing that we’re never wasting our time helping out someone new to the sport, or someone who isn’t quite as experienced as we are. By helping them we’re helping the sport grow, but we’re also helping ourselves. We’re enhancing our own understanding of what we do to make the board move through the water and that, guaranteed, will make us better paddlers.

So this week’s Tip of the Week is to take the time to help another paddler. Don’t just recite things you’ve heard other people say about technique, training or racing.  Make it personal.  Share what you’ve discovered, what you feel when you step on your board and pull your stroke, or some of your experiences and learning moments. You’ll have a big impact on the person you’re helping, but you’ll also be helping yourself.

“Big Picture” Approach to Technique Part 4 – Staying Relaxed and Maximizing Board Run

Over the last three posts we’ve looked at a number of things you can do to make your board move faster. I’ve shared some tips for establishing connection and pulling your board past your paddle, maintaining positive blade angle, using big muscles preferentially over smaller muscles and using your body weight to your advantage. What I’d like to share here are tips for paddling relaxed and maximizing the run of your board between strokes.

There are a number of reasons you want to be relaxed when you paddle but keeping it simple we can consider two main reasons:

1. The more relaxed you can be while paddling “hard” the faster your maximum speed will be and, 
2. If you can paddle relaxed you’ll be able to maintain a higher percentage of your maximum speed for a longer period of time.

I guess you could also add that paddling relaxed is a lot more enjoyable.

It’s important that you’re familiar and somewhat competent with what’s been discussed in the last three posts before you really concern yourself with what’s going to be presented here, so if you haven’t read them and played around with some of the suggestions then you’d be well served to backtrack now and spend some time experimenting. That said, the whole thing is a little chicken and egg. The more relaxed you can be when you play with those drills the more you’ll get out of them.

When you do feel like you can connect well, pull yourself by your paddle, maintain positive blade angle and use big muscles and body weight it’s time to really focus on the efficiency of each stroke by being as relaxed as possible, paddling fluidly and maximizing the run of the board between strokes.

There is no simple drill you can do to teach yourself how to be relaxed while paddling. Instead you need to paddle fluidly and rhythmically, without focusing on any particular element of technique. Here are some tips that help:

• Clear your head. When you’re doing technical drills and trying to modify or consolidate movement patterns on your board, you tend to be thinking a lot. Your brain and central nervous system are working really hard (actually much harder than your cardiovascular system, for example). If you want to really relax on your board you’re going to have to clear your head. Don’t worry about any of the things related to technique that you normally work so hard on. Trust that all the technique work you’ve done is going to “stick” and you’ll actually paddle well if you just go on autopilot and focus on nothing more than a relaxed, flowing stroke and how your board is responding underneath you.
  
  You’ll also want to clear your head of all the issues and stresses that weigh on you in your day-to-day life, as they will prevent you from being truly relaxed as well. Recognize that your time on the water is an opportunity to find sanctuary from all of life’s stresses. Take advantage of it.



• Mentally prepare for how you want to feel on your board. I cannot overstate the importance of mental preparation for your paddling. This touches upon the whole area of mental training, which in itself could be the topic for a series of blog posts, but I can summarize it here: find some time before you get on the water to visualize and imagine not only what you are going to do when you’re paddling, but also what you want it to feel like.
  
  I used to do this while riding my bike to the canoe club for training. I’d go over in my head what I wanted to work on in my training session, the things I had to do to paddle effectively, and imagined what it would feel like. I got so good at feeling like I was in the boat when I wasn’t, that I could lie down, close my eyes, imagine myself in my boat and actually feel some type of activation in my paddling muscles. They weren’t contracting like they would be when I was paddling, but I had a heightened awareness of them. I’m convinced that that, coupled with my conscious knowledge of what I wanted those muscles to do in the boat, helped me consolidate movement patterns that would be the foundation of my technique. I was actually reinforcing good paddling technique without even taking a stroke.
  
  My experience has been that if I organize my thoughts about how I want to feel on the board before I actually step on it, I feel amazing from the moment I take my first stroke. Conversely, if I’m busy, in a rush or stressed out and don’t take a few minutes to mentally prepare, I get on my board and struggle to find my stroke. Inevitably I get my act together, but I’ve wasted time and I’m never quite sure if the stroke I eventually find is as good as it would be if I got on the water more mentally prepared.
  
  This mental preparation should be something you bring to the water whether you’re working on individual components of your technique or trying to put it all together with a relaxed, flowing stroke. I can guarantee if your mental preparation is focused on a relaxed, rhythmical, flowing stroke it will help you achieve that when you actually get on the board.



• Make sure you are properly warmed up. If there is any stiffness or tension in your muscles it’s going to affect your ability to move easily and rhythmically on your board. You’ll find that you’ll struggle to move fluidly and may even find your balance or overall comfort on the board is off. The easy way around this is to complete a short, effective dry-land warm-up before getting on the water. We’re all different and some of us require longer warm-ups than others. You’ll have to experiment a bit to find what works best for you. You’ll definitely know it when you find what works as you’ll feel relaxed more quickly when you start paddling.
  
  Once you’re a little more experienced and you’ve established a warm-up routine that works, be prepared to modify it a bit day-to-day as you get better and better at recognizing your physical state, level of muscle tension and readiness to paddle relaxed. But remember, a proper warm-up is going to have a big impact on your readiness to paddle freely and fluidly on your board.



• Relax your grip and paddle with “open” hands. An easy place to start focusing on relaxing when you begin paddling is your grip on the paddle itself. If you’re squeezing the paddle too tightly it will negatively affect your ability to feel the water. This in turn can have the effect of making the rest of your muscles tighten as they struggle to find connection. The key to relaxed paddling is to make sure that your grip on the paddle is loose and relaxed.
  
  To facilitate this I like to paddle with “open” hands when I’m warming up. My top hand is entirely open with the handle of the paddle sitting in my palm and held in place by the fleshy heel of my hand at the base of my thumb. I don’t need to wrap my hand around the paddle when I am exerting top hand pressure during the stroke, all I have to do is exert pressure down the paddle shaft and the paddle is held in position in my hand. At the exit and during the recovery I can keep my hand open and my thumb, which is positioned loosely under the handle, is enough to help lift the paddle from the water and maintain my hand’s contact with the handle. This works very well with both a T-grip and palm-grip handle.
  
  While my bottom hand isn’t as open as my top hand, the grip is extremely loose. During the pull it is really only the last two segments of each finger that are wrapped around the paddle shaft. My thumb is barely in contact with the paddle. In the recovery it’s the opposite, with my fingers barely on the paddle and my thumb in loose contact with it, pushing it forward.
  
  Obviously when you’re paddling harder or in rough water, you’re going to need a stronger grip on the paddle so it doesn’t accidently fly out of your hands. That said, it should still be a relaxed grip with no tension in your hands or forearms.



• Once you’ve paddled for a few minutes with open hands and are confident you feel relaxed, focus on the rhythm of loading and unloading body weight onto your paddle. For me, the most important part of a flowing stroke is the rhythmical application and subsequent unloading of body weight on and off the paddle. It’s like I get lost in the rhythm of loading and unloading. I end up feeling even more relaxed, but end up going faster. I also feel like I get more in tune with my board.
  
  
• Coordinate your breathing with your stroke. Just like focusing on loading and unloading helps you establish a flow and rhythm to your stroke, so too does focusing on your breathing. I find that exhaling when I’m pulling and inhaling in the air is the rhythm that feels best, and in fact you really only have to think about the exhaling as the inhaling seems to happen by itself. If you forcefully exhale every pull, you’ll quickly establish a rhythm of breathing that will help you consolidate a rhythm to your paddling.



• Focus on the nose wave of your board. Nothing gives me a better idea of how my board is moving than the information I get from the nose of my board. As I catch, start to load my blade, and accelerate my board, I see my nose wave change. It appears to move further back from the front of the board. It starts to make the sound of a small breaking wave. And it changes from the color of the water I’m paddling in to white, just like the crest of a breaking wave.
  
  When I focus on the nose wave I find that it helps me avoid thinking excessively about other, distracting things. It’s almost hypnotic, and I become more relaxed. At the same time, my nose wave gives me valuable feedback about how my board is responding to the effort I’m putting in. I like to leave my GPS on shore for a workout sometimes and just focus on the nose wave instead of my speed. Then, next workout, I put my GPS back on my board and look at both the nose and the GPS. It’s helped me get an idea of what various speeds feel like and, in terms of the nose wave, what they look like.
  
  I’ve actually learned to expand this to listening to my board as well. Not only the noise of the nose wave, but also the sound of the release helps give me information about how the board is riding and how effectively I’m paddling. Just like watching the nose wave, listening to the board helps me focus on the flow of my stroke, move with my board, and relax.
  
  This feedback that you get from your board is going to be a little different from board to board depending on its shape. If you switch from board to board depending on conditions, it’ll take a little longer to recognize and understand precisely what the feedback you’re getting from your board is telling you, but the principle is unchanged and is independent of the board you are on.
  
  
• Move with your board. Once you’re relaxed and have focused on loading and unloading, and when you are in tune with your board from watching the nose wave and listening to it, try to recognize the relationship between the movements of your board and your body. If your stroke is flowing and relaxed, you’ll be able to recognize a definite rhythm between what you feel in your stroke and what you see and hear from your board. Become familiar with this. As you do, this pattern becomes part of you and who you are when you’re paddling. You’ll be able to notice how subtle differences in load change what you see and feel, and use that information to enhance your stroke. You’ll also be able to more readily detect when something is off with your stroke and correct it before it becomes a bigger issue.
  
  
• While maintaining a flowing stroke, focus on relaxing various muscle groups. I like to start with legs first. I think of my feet for a while and try to relax any tension I can find in them while I am locked into my flowing, rhythmical motion. Then I’ll move up my legs and think of my calves, thighs, and hips, and then on to my abs, back and shoulders. It’s all about the flow of the stroke, and two areas that can inhibit that flow, make you feel tense, unstable and unconnected, and make your paddling less effective are your legs and your shoulders.
  
  If your legs are tight, then you won’t be able to load and unload the paddle effectively and you won’t be able to engage your hips as well. Furthermore, there is nothing that is going to make you feel unstable more than tight legs. This is especially true in rough water but also in the flats. If your legs are relaxed your connection to the board will be good, you’ll move your board through the water well and feel stable on top of it. It will provide an enormous boost to your ability to effectively load and unload your paddle.
  
  If your shoulders are tight it seems to affect your entire upper body and your ability to feel the water with your blade. I like to tell canoe and kayak paddlers to keep their shoulders low and their necks “long”. This visual seems to help them avoid paddling with tight shoulders, which seem to creep up around the level of their ears as they paddle.
  
  The net result of focusing on relaxing various muscle groups when you’re paddling is that it teaches you to identify the muscles you need at any given moment of your stroke and separate them from the ones you don’t. This is extremely important. The best paddlers in the world are able to completely separate muscles they need to propel their board/boat from those they don’t. Moreover, they only contract those muscles the precise amount and at the exact moment in time they need to in order to make their board move maximal distance each stroke.
  
  The more you can become adept at this separation of paddling from non-paddling muscles the better able you’ll be to maintain speed over time. You’ll also notice that this ability has a huge impact on how well you’ll be able to sprint. One of the biggest characteristics of sprint athletes in any sport is their remarkable ability to maximally recruit muscles they need while totally relaxing ones they don’t.
  
  
• Let your board wobble underneath you without affecting your paddling movement. Let’s be clear about it. It’s best if your board doesn’t wobble underneath you. A boat or a board that moves evenly through the water is going to be faster, as wobble can increase wetted surface and interfere with forward movement. While that might be attainable in the perfectly flat water you do your drills and technical paddling on, as you adapt your paddling to rougher, choppier water it isn’t as realistic to think you can totally eliminate any sort of wobble. Certainly you want to try to minimize any movement that isn’t in the forward direction, but not at the expense of good paddling.
  
  Rather than use your legs to try to totally control the side to side roll of your board that might be caused by rough, choppy water, I’d suggest it is better to just accept that there will be some rolling movement of your board and just let it move underneath you.
  
  I still remember the epiphany I had in C1 when I realized that I was a lot faster if I just focused on maintaining a fluid, loaded stroke with consistent, rhythmical hip movement and let the boat wobble freely underneath me in rough, disorganized water. Experience has shown me it is the same on a SUP board.
  
  If you try too hard to hold your board level by tensing your legs (or any other part of your body) you’ll actually end up going slower and a couple of undesirable things start to happen. One is that you get tight, and that tightness prevents you from paddling with the relaxed, rhythmical, fully loaded stroke that makes you fast. Another is that you end up losing your balance a lot more as your body tends to wobble or roll with your board. We’ve all experienced the frustration of trying to paddle effectively when we feel unstable. Well, if you’re tight because you’re trying to keep your board level and control your balance in choppy water, you’re actually making the situation worse.
  
  The key is to just focus on loading and unloading your paddle and moving your body with the same relaxed rhythm that you do in the flats, letting the board roll however it wants underneath you while you stay level on top of it. For me, a life long flat-water paddler, relaxing in the flats comes naturally. In the ocean, I’ve found that all I think about is trying to maintain that relaxed, consistent rhythm that I have in the flats. I work really hard at that to the exclusion of just about everything else related to technique. I find that has allowed me to achieve a level of competence in the ocean that permits to me work maximally, go reasonably fast, and read and make use of what the water is offering reasonably well, despite not having an ocean background.
  
  
• Relax everything in the recovery. At this point it should go without saying that since you’re not doing anything to actively propel your board forward in the recovery, EVERYTHING should be relaxed. Again, this is easier to achieve in flat water so start there and practice totally relaxing in the air work. If you’ve really emphasized the rhythm of loading and unloading in the stroke you should be in the process of relaxing when your blade is exiting the water. Focus on keeping relaxed from your feet up through your entire body as you move forward to the next catch.
  
  You should be able to find a fraction of a second to feel like you’re “standing up straight”, which will help you rest and relax some of the postural muscles you use while on your board. While you won’t actually have time to stand up straight like you would on land, every little bit that you can do to find relief for these muscles will help over a long paddle so focus on finding that feeling.
  
  The air work can feel like the least stable part of the stroke because your blade is not in the water supporting you. On the other hand if you’ve pulled a good stroke and executed your exit well, your board should be moving it’s fastest off the exit and that extra speed should give you a little more stability for the first part of the air work. None the less, the more you can feel comfortable on your board without the blade in the water, the more relaxed you’ll be able to become in your recovery. To that end, I strongly suggest taking time to occasionally play balance games on your board. Learn to walk and jump around on it. If you’ve ever seen Danny Ching playing around on his board after a race you’ll know what I mean. He has clearly spent lots of time doing this. Small wonder he is able to move so cat-like on his board and is so relaxed throughout his stroke.


You’ll find that this approach will allow for maximal board run between strokes by minimizing things you inadvertently do to mess it up. We know it’s the blade-in-the-water part of the stroke that creates your board’s speed. While a really solid push off the water with the paddle at the exit can provide you with one last bit of acceleration that will allow you to carry more speed into the recovery, it is what you do in the recovery itself that determines how well you maintain that speed. No matter what you do, you’re obviously going to slow down. But if you stay relaxed and move like a cat on your board, without inducing any big disturbances to how it’s moving, you’ll be able to maintain your speed optimally as you prepare for the next catch.

Putting it all together

Over the last four posts I’ve offered a lot of suggestions that you can try to enhance various parts of your stroke. By no means is the list of things you can do exclusive to what I’ve shared. Other paddlers and coaches will have their own tips to share. However, it’s important to remember that there are certain things we need to do in paddling technique that really aren’t debatable. Things like securing your paddle and pulling yourself by it are essential to paddling effectively and paddling fast. How we determine to best do those essential things is a puzzle that we each have to solve for ourselves. It takes some experimentation and trail and error but there are a number of drills you can do and tricks you can incorporate that can help. Hopefully, what I’ve shared over this series of posts will provide you at least a few tools that you can use to solve that puzzle effectively, help you improve your performance if you race, and help make your paddling more enjoyable.