10 Tips for Stand up Paddle Boarding

If you are wanting to start paddle boarding, or are wanting to improve your paddle boarding skills, I have some tips for you. Paddle boarding can be hard for beginners and just generally anyone, so these are 10 tips for stand up paddle boarding.

1. Always wear your Leash

When paddle boarding, falling is almost inevitable, no matter your level of expertise. I would recommend to paddle boarders of all skill levels to wear their leash at all times. Paddle boards are expensive and easy to lose, so to make sure no casualties occur, you should always wear the leash attached to your board.

It also makes paddle boarding less stressful when your wearing a leash, because you then no that losing your board is not a possibility.

2. Wear a Life Jacket

When paddle boarding in the middle of a lake it can be hard to swim back to shore when you fall. Wearing a life jacket may not look cool but it can make life threatening situations easier to navigate. A life jacket is essential when paddle boarding and can help you feel safer and be safer.

3. Keep your Paddle in the Water

I have found that keeping your paddle at a long length and in the water most of the time keeps your balance more centered. When starting out I would recommend keeping your paddle in the water whenever you can so that you are more stable. Holding you paddle sideways or having you paddle just above the water can make falling more possible. This is one of the 10 tips for stand up paddle boarding that I would recommend to beginners!

4. Stand with your Feet Parallel

When standing on a stand up paddleboard, you should aim to stand with your feet parallel to each other on the board. This helps your weight get distributed evenly throughout the board which helps your balance greatly.

5.Focus your gaze on the Horizon

When paddle boarding, I recommend you stare ahead into the horizon. Staring at your feet can make falling easier. It makes falling forward a greater possibility which can cause injuries because of the contact you would make with the board. The views are probably better to look at anyway!

(I would much rather look at these mountains)

7. Fall Sidways

If you feel yourself falling on your paddle board, try to make it so that you fall sideways into the water and not backwards or forwards on to the board. Falling onto the board is far more painful then the water. If you have a life jacket and your leash on falling into the water is ultimately always the better choice.

8. Keep Centered on the Board

When paddle boarding, always aim to stand up in the center of the board. There are usually guide lines to help but if there isn’t try to find the center of your board before you get on. This makes balancing easier, and ensures that maneuvering the board is easier because the board is equally heavy on both the front and back.

9. Keep your Phone Protected

When paddle boarding, I would recommend getting a water proof phone case. It is so easy to drop items, especially your phone, when your paddle boarding. You can get one off amazon and I personally think getting one is worth the investment. There have been many times when I have almost dropped my phone in the water because I would just stuff it in a plastic bag.

10, Paddle Board in the Right Conditions

My last stand up paddle boarding tip is to paddle board in the right conditions. I would recommend going on a day where the lake is calm and the weather is warm. Cold paddle boarding is awful and paddle boarding against the wind is even worse. I highly recommend this tip to beginners that have a hard time balancing with waves. My jasper pictures from my recent jasper post showcased the crazy waves when I was paddle boarding! Those waves were very hard to manage.

Conclusion

I hope 10 tips for stand up paddle boarding can help your boarding journey! Make sure to stay safe and enjoy future adventures paddle boarding.

-xoxo Cadence