These are all the vids I have created, but only a few are live on the youtube channel. Let me know which ones you’d like to include on the NZSUP facebook page, and let’s make a schedule. So I can ensure that the vids are live on their launch date.
how straight should your bottom arm be when stand up paddleboarding?
How much should you be bending your bottom arm during the power phase of the SUP stroke? It’s very easy to get this wrong, and instantly transfer the workload from the big, capable muscles that you should be using, to much smaller muscles far less suited for the constant workload required for stand up paddleboarding. Note, if you're sprinting, or cranking for maximum power like when you're trying to catch a wave while SUP surfing, then the efficiency goal goes out of the window, and every possible bit of power that can be extracted from the body can and should be used. So you will see top paddlers bending their bottom arms, for this reason. Nevertheless, for sustained paddling, particularly in a more recreational context, for non-elite paddlers, bending that bottom arm should be avoided as much as possible, to avoid bringing those small upper arm muscles into play.
Using a beltpack PFD for stand up paddleboarding? You MUST do this safety check!
If you use a belt pack (bum bag) waist mounted bouyancy aid, then it is vital you learn how to deploy it manually, and how to check that it all works OK. You should do this at least once a season, if not more. It's not just about servicing and maintaining this vital piece of safety equipment that you are trusting your life to, it is also about learning how to use it. A golden rule with any item of safety equipment that requires actions in order to make it work, is that you must practice with it. The first time you ever use it should NOT be in the actual emergency situation. If you've already practiced deploying your bouyancy aid you'll be infinitely better prepared if you do need it 'for real'. Note: You do NOT need to use up your gas canister in order to do these drills. Indeed, that's the great thing about this. If you're completely confident deploying your PFD without using the gas canister then you may not even decide to use it in a genuine emergency situation! And most importantly, if you did try to inflate it using the gas cylinder and for whatever reason it didn't work, you're not going to be stressed at all as you'll know exactly what to do.
Quick guide to board measurements
Length, width, volume, thickness, max weight - what is the actual relevance of these numbers, which ones matter and how do they compare? Here's a quick summary of what it all means.
How to get more of a balance workout on your paddleboard, whatever size it is
Stand up paddleboarding is a fantastic way of improving your balance. But there's a really simple way to greatly increase the intensity of the balance workout your paddleboarding is giving you, whatever board you're on. Check this out next time you're out for a paddle, you'll be amazed how powerful it is!
Could your inflatable paddleboard explode while on the water?
Every inflatable paddleboard will eventually fail when the glue reaches the end of its life - usually quite catastrophically and noisily, as a seam rips open. Could this happen on the water? SUP COACH researched this for the books he has written on paddleboarding safety (check them out at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6FGQ2J7), and it turns out the answer is yes, this can happen - albeit almost invariably in a very specific set of circumstances...
How do you move around on your stand up paddleboard?
Changing stance, or even just making small adjustments with your foot position, can seem incredibly difficult when you're standing up on your paddleboard - how do you move without falling in? In this video we'll take you through some failsafe methods to move around on your board.
What factors determine the lifespan of an inflatable stand up paddleboard?
There are four main factors that determine the life of an inflatable stand up paddleboard. Understanding these factors and taking the appropriate actions to mitigate their effects can greatly increase the life of your inflatable board.
Improve your paddleboarding technique by using your ears
Listening to your SUP paddling tells you a whole lot about how efficient your paddle stroke is, as we explain in this video short.
how straight should your top arm be when you are stand up paddleboarding?
Should your top arm be straight or bent? There’s a lot of conflicting advice about this, because a few years back you’d always see top racers with straight arms. But - as with so many aspects of SUP - what top racers do is absolutely not what recreational paddlers should be doing. And indeed, the pendulum has swung back anyway and now many top paddlers have some bend in their top arm. So what’s right, and what’s not? We’ll try and explain in this video.
What is the correct head position for stand up paddleboarding?
It might seem a very minor aspect of technique but actually, getting your head orientated correctly in line with your body while paddling can make a whole lot of positive difference to your paddling.