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.
which way round does your paddle go?
Which way round should your stand up paddleboard paddle be facing? There's only one right answer to this, as we explain in this video.
How do you stay hydrated while stand-up paddleboarding?
If you're paddling for any length of time in hot weather you're losing water, so you need a hydration strategy. There are several options available, as we review in this video.
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 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.
SUP Inflatable thickness - does it matter?
The first inflatable paddleboards were all 100mm thick but then it was discovered that if you made them 150mm thick the board becomes much more rigid. So the vast majority of iSUPs are 150mm. But thanks to improved construction techniques and materials, many manufacturers are now moving back to 120 mm thick , and even a few high quality 100mm boards are appearing on the scene again. SUP COACH looks at why this is happening and discusses whether it's a good thing.
How much should you bend your knees when stand up paddleboarding?
This is a really common SUP technique misconception. Far too many paddlers make the mistake of looking at videos of top paddlers, seeing what appears to be a whole lot of knee bend going on, and then trying to incorporate that into their stroke.
PFDs for Paddleboarding, pt 1: permanent flotation options
A buoyancy aid is a legal requirement for stand up paddleboarding in New Zealand, and many other parts of the world. Not every type of buoyancy aid is appropriate for paddleboarding though, and those that are fall in to two main categories, as is explained in this video.
Is a waist mounted beltpack PFD a good option for stand up paddleboarding?
Wearing a buoyancy aid is a legal requirement for stand up paddleboarding in many parts of the world. In other videos we've discussed the permanent-flotation style of lifejacket, which always work but do have some disadvantages for paddleboarding. The other popular option for SUP is the beltpack style of inflatable PFD (personal flotation device). These have many advantages, and for the competent paddler in warm weather they're a great option. However, they are most definitely not the right option for everyone, as we discuss in this video.
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.