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THE SUBTLE ART OF BALANCE
WORDS : CORRAN ADDISON EVEN IF YOU DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS RIGHT , YOU ’ RE GOING TO SWIM . SOMETIMES THE BOARD IS GOING TO TAKE A HIT , OR GET BUCKED , HARDER THAN YOUR ABILITY TO ABSORB AND COMPENSATE . BUT , FOR THE MOST PART , IF YOU APPLY THESE BASIC IDEAS , AND PRACTICE THEM A THOUSAND TIMES , YOU ’ LL FIND THAT YOUR SUCCESS RATE WILL SKY ROCKET .
Bending forwards at the waist throws your centre of gravity off the centreline .
Of all the things that are likely to contribute to a failed run on a SUP , loss of balance is going to be at the top of the list . The reason is of course that standing on a bucking , bouncing plank , that is moving in all directions at the same time , is incredibly difficult . The board is simultaneously moving up and down , forward and back , side to side , with pitch and yaw . And this is assuming the board is a hard shell , and you have not added in the complication of the board itself bending and twisting , as happens with even the most ridged inflatable boards .
Balance , is that elusive skill that betrays even the best paddleboarders .
There is no ‘ catch all ’ solution to every situational event that calls for ninja like balance skills to save you . But there are a few things , that you can learn to combine , that will contribute to an elevated level of success .
All of these skills apply equally to all kinds of boards – be they composite , plastic or inflatable , but they are infinitely more difficult to master on an inflatable board . Just be aware of that if this is what you ’ re using , and you feel like your paddling buddy on a hard shell is having an easier time learning – your buddy is having an easier time . But that does not mean you can ’ t learn them . It ’ s just going to be a bit more work .
The main contributing factors to balance and stability come from stance width , stance stagger , knees and waist bend , and a powered up paddle , in combinations of some or all .
Board design Before getting into these elements , let ’ s just address board design briefly , as this can contribute in a large way to the degree that you require combinations of the above elements .
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