SUP Mag UK lo-res free to readers July 2014 lo-res - free to read | Page 56

SUP
RACING
Words:
Sonny Z Erdelyi

UP is such a great way to get on the
water and have fun, either alone or
together with family or friends.
However, more and more people are taking
this sport seriously and are keen to compete
against each other in races. In this article, I
will give you some ideas about how to
prepare for a race.

S

I assume if you are interested in racing,
you’ve already paddled on a SUP board. If
not, no matt er how fit you are, I'd advise
you to take some lessons from a qualified
instructor to learn the basics such as knee
paddling, stand up paddling, board control,

s

t

a n d

u p

water safety etc. If you’ve got the basics
and you are able to paddle, now it’s
important to spend time on the board
learning the right paddling technique and
learning how to deal with the environment,
first on flat water then on the sea and the
ocean. There are many things out there to
cope with, for example; choppy water,
waves, different wind directions,
temperature and so on. It is also important
to learn essential board skills like how to
change direction without slowing the board
down, including the most common type of
turns, reverse kahi stroke or step back
(pivot) turns.

p a d d

l

e

m a g

u k

56