Tips for beginners

Tips for beginners at supping

Supping is the fastest growing water sport in the world. This of course means that even in the UK we see more and more people standing on a SUP board. It is well contagious and everyone wants to finally make an attempt standing on a sup board. It's true that it looks easy when you see an experienced supper on a board. In reality, it is rather quite difficult. Therefore it is wise to start paddling while sitting on your SUP board, so you can first work on finding your balance on a SUP board.

First pick the right SUP board

Before you can start supping you of course need a sup board. You can purchase a sup board, but you could also just rent one first to try it and see if you like it. If you want to purchase a sup board right away, it is wise to think for yourself what you would like to do on the SUP board mostly. There are multiple forms of supping. For instance you could go supping in an adventurous, recreational or for example competitive way. Besides that you can opt for sup yoga or fishing from a sup board. Everything is possible. Supping is a complete body workout, however, it is important that you pick the right sup board. Of course this has to do with the quality above all, but besides that it is very important that you pick a sup board that is suitable for you and that matches the activity you want to pursue. Beginners often have a lot of questions regarding supping. Of course we are here to answer these questions. Below you will find an overview of the most frequently asked questions by beginner and the answers to those questions.

Most asked questions:

1. How hard is it to maintain balance on a sup board?

2. What is the easiest way to learn how to comfortably stand on a SUP board?

3. Which size sup board do I need?

4. What do I need to start supping?

5. How do I transport the sup board?

6. How do I use the SUP paddle?

1. How hard is it to maintain balance on a sup board?

It's not easy to stand stable on a sup board when you get on it for the first time. However you will get the feeling quite fast. After a few tries it will be considerably easier to stay on a SUP board. A tip is to start on flat and calm water. When you start at the sea, you have to deal with restless water full of waves. This makes it much more difficult to find your balance and to get used to standing on a SUP board.

2. What is the easiest way to learn how to comfortably stand on a sup board?

The easiest way is to first start on quiet waters, like for instance a recreational lake. First you should go down on your knees and paddle around a bit. It is wise to start with a SUP board designed for beginners. This is thicker and wider, which gives a higher stability. On your knees you can get used to correcting to keep your balance. For this practice, try to pick a day with little wind and practice in a quiet place, so you will not be easily distraced. You put the sup board on the water and crawl on it on your hands and knees. Move to the middle and sit straight up on your knees. Lean a bit backward and you have the right position to get started. Learn the basic techniques for speeding up, slowing down and turning. Have you gotten the hang of it and do you know how to maintain your balance? Then you can get up. Do this with one leg at a time. Put a foot on the sup board and make sure your knee stays on par with your shoulder. Now you can slowly get yourself in a standing position. Once you are standing up, take some time to find your balance. Try to stand on the SUP board for five minutes without using a paddle. This could disrupt your balance. Then you can try these paddle techniques in a standing position. Do you not feel comfortable with it? Get back to sitting on your knees and keep practicing your balance and the technique a bit more. Keep practicing until you also feel comfortable in a standing position.

3. Which size sup board do I need?

For beginners it is best to start with an inflatable sup board, which is more stable than regular sup boards. However, are you a bit more advanced and would you like a ‘professional’ model? Then you have to make a choice based on 3 different factors. First off you have to consider the type of water you want to go SUP board on. For calm waters you choose a longer and slimmer board and for restless water, or seawater, you pick a shorter and wider model. Curious about our purchase tips? Then click the link.

Next you have to check which SUP board best matches your weight. The heavier you are, the longer a board needs to be for comfortable supping. For stability it is also wise to look at the thickness of the SUP board. Finally you need to look at the comfort level of a SUP board. If you are rather small, your arms are shorter. It is not wise to pick a model that is so wide that you can not carry it under your arm. 

4. What do I need to start supping?

You need four things to start supping. Most importantly you of course need a sup board. Besides that you also need a paddle. Important to know when choosing a SUP paddle is that the material used is determining the weight of the paddle. An aluminum paddle is heavier than a carbon one. You could also pick materials like carbon fibre or plastic. Check what most suits you and get the right length. If you put the paddle straight up on the sup board, the tip should be about eye height. Also you need a cord or leash that keeps the SUP board attached to you. When you fall off of your SUP board, it could float away from you in the time it takes you to resurface. The sup board could dart away while falling, which could cause you to lose it. This is especially annoying when you got startled after falling into deeper water. You'll want to clamp on to your sup board right away. Finally you need a life jacket. If you're a great swimmer and only SUP in quiet and closed off waters, you might not think it is necessary. However, a life vest could still come in very handy. When you reach a higher speed and fall down, you can get desoriented under water. Your life jacket will make sure you resurface.

5. How do I transport the sup board?

Our sup boards can be transported in any regular car. You could even carry it on your bicycle if you would like to. With a hardshell board you always have to take a different kind of transportation into mind. You need an imperial on the roof or on the back of your car, so you can bring your SUP along safely. It is important to protect your board while you're on the way, for example against scattering pebbels. If you would always like to transport your sup board easily, it is of course a better option to pick an inflatable sup board. It might be appealing to just drag the sup board behind you when heading to the water or when going back out. This is not recommended. You could seriously damage the board, in case of an inflatable board you could cause a leak.

6. How do I use the SUP paddle?

A lot of beginners do not know how to hold the sup board paddle and how to steer with it, which makes supping rather difficult. It is important to hold the sup paddle with one hand on the top and one hand around the axis. Do not go paddling with both hands on the axis of the paddle. Keep your hands about one shoulder length apart. This will give you most control over your sup paddle. Dip the blade of the paddle completely under water while paddling. If you cannot do this without bending over, you will need a longer sup paddle. Make long strokes in the water to speed up.