5 Tips for SUP Beginners
The beginning.
It’s a scary place, but it pretty much always leads to more exciting things… when it comes to SUP that is.
Starting out with stand-up paddle boarding there are probably a million questions going through your mind, so let’s try to calm those nerves with 5 Tips for SUP beginners, based on the thousands of female paddlers we have paddled with and taught at She SUPs in the last three years!
You’re going to get wet - when starting out, your chances of getting wet are higher, and that’s ok! Dress with this in mind and then you’ll be prepared when that inevitable dip, splash or splosh occurs. However this doesn’t necessarily mean bikini or swimwear. Many may feel more comfortable wearing active wear such as leggings/shorts and a long sleeve rashvest/ t-shirt - so just make sure you’re comfortable and willing to go for a brief swim in whatever you choose.
Balance comes to those who breeeeathe - the simplest tip to support your balance? Breathe. The shakes, the wobbles and ultimately the falls normally come from your body being tense and therefore focusing on your breathing helps calm your body, calm your muscles, and help you find the meditative rhythm of each stroke.
The sooner you fall off the better! - As adults, we often find ourselves freaking out about falling. It’s natural right? We’re taught as we grow-up to avoid falling at all costs as our brain quickly realises it’s not fun and we can hurt ourselves. However falling into deep water from a SUP is actually a very safe way to fall and shouldn’t be feared. In fact, we should be pushing ourselves to fall!
I run hundreds of lessons where my paddlers have ended the session saying “YES! Fantastic! I didn’t fall!” and celebrate not falling. This is awesome and huge congrats to those who reach this personal goal, however I often find myself paddling again with these ladies a month or two later, and they have a huge fear of falling because they’re a confident paddler but STILL haven’t fallen before so don’t know what to expect!
Therefore, I highly recommend utilising your first SUP lesson, where you have the support of a qualified professional, you’re probably dressed for a swim, and will be in a sheltered environment to experience your first fall, so you can learn how to climb back on and you’ve got that first fall ‘over and done with’. Phew! That’s better!
4. Practice makes confidence! - You’ve had one lesson? Great! But I guarantee your next paddle will feel COMPLETELY different. Perhaps you’ll be on a different board, perhaps the conditions will be different, or perhaps you simply won’t be ‘feeling it’ and that’s OK! The best way to gain confidence in stand-up paddle boarding is practice, practice, practice. Embrace different conditions, different boards (this is a key one!), and be curious with the sport. The more you explore, the more knowledge you will gain and ultimately the more confident you will feel.
5. Respect Mother Nature - Paddle boarding is a unique sport (like surfing) where your experience is not only going to be determined by your skill level and experience, but by the hundreds of other variables that are outside of your control… often referred to as Mother Nature! Whenever and wherever you paddle, it’s really important to respect Mother Nature, respect that the wind, the waves, the tides, the currents are often going to be more powerful than you, and while you may really want to paddle one day, sometimes a sunny day simply isn’t a SUP day, and that’s OK. Treat Mother Nature (and yourself) with kindness and always check the wind forecast before you SUP (you can find out how to, HERE), ideally as a beginner you want to be paddling in conditions UNDER 10 knots for it to be a super calm and relaxing environment for you to practice and learn.
If you’re a SUP beginner, I hope these tips have given you some food for thought and perhaps given you a bit of insight into what to expect when it comes to stand-up paddle boarding. A SUP Confidence Lesson with She SUPs or beginner SUP lesson at any qualified SUP school is always the best way to start your SUP journey so I highly recommend looking into this if you’re just starting out! And of course, if you have any further questions, please check out our earlier blogs or send us an email hello@shesups.com.au and we’d be happy to help!
Happy paddling!
Vikki - Founder of She SUPs x
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