PADDLE WITH FORCE
Paddle like you mean it; use all your
might. You will never get waves if you
paddle half-heartedly.
HEAD DOWN
Once you’ve checked behind to see
how close the wave is to you, look
forward and get your head down. You
can get so low that your chin touches
your board.
FINGERS TOGETHER
Many people still paddle with their
fingers open which isn’t effective!
You need to paddle with your hands
cupped together, to help drive the water
away from you and allow you to push
forward.
SPEED IT UP
When the wave gets closer to you,
speed up your paddles! You’ll want
to be paddling as fast as the wave is
travelling.
DON’T GIVE UP
As a general rule, when you feel like
you’ve done enough paddles, do more!
If you’re missing waves, it’s probably
because you haven’t paddled enough.
LONG STROKES
Power through your paddles with long
deep strokes to start with – you need to
get the momentum going with a steady
paddling motion.
DON’T DOUBLE PADDLE
Use one hand at a time, and avoid
the urge to paddle with both hands
and arms at the same time. It’s not
productive and won’t help you get the
wave quicker. Paddle like you would
swim front crawl, one arm at a time.
Paddle like Hannah, with speed and confidence, to get out back quickly.