How To Paddle Into A Headwind

This weekend’s ‘Fast Track to 5km’ group experienced first hand that while the forecast may look bright and cheery, the wind can turn very quickly! Therefore it’s important to ensure you know how to paddle into a headwind so that you can safely get yourself to a more sheltered location or back to shore.

The team at Starboard SUP have created this awesome graphic featuring 4 top tips on how to paddle into a headwind, so in this blog, I’m going to build on these four steps so that you have all the knowledge you need for paddling into a headwind.

Image from Starboard SUP.

Step 1. In the words of Flo Rida… ‘get low, low, low, low…’

Firstly, we need to decrease the wind resistance as much as possible as while we are standing upright our bodies are basically acting like a big sail! So either bend your knees to bring yourself closer to the board, or better yet, paddle on your knees. If you’re fairly new to paddleboarding you may also find that an added benefit to paddling on your knees is you will have more power behind your stroke. This is because being on your knees you will naturally use your whole body weight to push your blade into the water and not rely purely on the strength in your arms and shoulders.

Oh, and if you don’t get the Flo Rida reference… see here ;)

Step 2. Move slightly forward towards the nose of your board

When we paddle normally we always stand in the centre point of the board, which is normally marked by the carry handle. However, when paddling into a headwind we can shuffle forward slightly to get the nose of our board down into the water, again decreasing wind resistance. How far forward will depend on the style and size of your board, however, I recommend not going further than the edge of your deckpad as you may find yourself toppling forward into the water!

Step 3. Increase your stroke rate

If you have joined one of my SUP sessions or been taught by another ASI qualified SUP Instructor it’s likely that you’ve been told about the length of your stroke. Many recreational paddlers end up with a super long stroke, often finishing with their paddle blade behind them at the back of the board. However, as soon as your paddle goes passed your heel this is wasted energy and is actually doing nothing to move your board forward. Add wind into the equation and you soon realise the importance of a shorter stroke. A shorter stroke is giving you maximum power with minimum effort, avoiding any wasted energy so that you can sustain these short strokes until you’re out of the headwind and in a more sheltered location or back to shore.

Step 4. Feather your blade

Feathering is something that many people struggle to get their head around at first however once you find the rhythm it becomes second nature. Feathering involves twisting your wrist inwards on the ‘recovery’ stage of your stroke (the moment your blade comes out of the water at your feet and back to the nose of your board), so that it “slices” through the air, minimising wind resistance. See the photo below and notice how the face of the blade is twisted outwards so that the blade slices through the air. Also, note how the paddler is bringing this paddle up alongside the rail (edge) of his board during this ‘recovery’ stage of the stroke. All of these details are to reduce wind resistance saving your body vital energy to get you through that tricky headwind and back to more sheltered waters!

Image from Mens Journal.

So there you have it, four simple steps on how to paddle into a headwind. Of course, where possible we want to minimise the risk of having to paddle into an unexpected headwind so don’t forget to always check the forecast before you paddle (click here to check out my blog post on how to read wind forecasts) and where possible if there is a bit of wind, start your paddle route by paddling into the wind. Then (in theory) you will have the wind behind you on your way back, when you’re likely to be more tired and have less energy.

Safe paddling!

Vikki x
Founder of She SUPs