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.
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