The Journey Towards Having More FUN Surfing

Paddling shoulder injuries can be caused from several poor techniques.  But one of the first causes takes place in one of the most unsuspecting places during the stroke.  

Have a watch and find out where, make sure you aren't doing this, and how to fix it if you are...

Paddling out to the surf can be challenging sometimes.  It's part paddling technique, and part strategy.  In this video, I provide one of my secrets to getting out that I cover in the Level 2 paddling course.  

It's all about studying the shoreline.  

Have a watch and let me know if it helps! 

Private 1-on-1 Level 2 courses on Positioning, Timing, Sprint, Pop Up and Getting Out are available right now.  But be sure to complete the Level 1 course beforehand.

Please reach out with questions, comments, frustrations, success.  I'd love to hear from you.  

Do you ever feel like when you paddle hard, you don’t really go as far as you thought you would, or anywhere at all? 

A lot of surfers who take my paddling technique course say that they were taught by their good surfing buddy to paddle hard.  So let’s investigate this.  Does paddling harder lead to moving faster? 

In this video we investigate whether this myth is true, how to avoid wasted energy use, how to apply more force, and what it is we actually feel in the water when we take a stroke.  

Hope you enjoy!

 If you have any questions, I'm just an email away.  

Interested in the Level 1 or Level 2 Paddling Technique Courses?  Learn more here.

In the meantime, I'll see you in the water!

I have heard it before.  In order to catch the wave, you have to paddle as fast (or faster) than the wave is moving.  But is this true?  Or another paddling myth?  

Find out how fast waves are moving, how fast surfers paddle, and whether or not you have to paddle as fast as the wave is moving in order to catch it.  

 Watch here:

Just wanted to say, I really enjoy hearing from you.  If you ever feel the motivation to drop me a line, please do so.  That can be if you have any questions about the paddling technique programs, or the surfing fitness programs, or even the surf technique programs.  Or even just to talk surfing.  

When I first started the Surfing Paddling Academy, I remember having a particular phone call with a surfer who had emailed me a question.  The answer to the question had a little more than an email could contain.  So I told him to call me.  I said it would only take fifteen...

Paddling Mythbusting – Reach as Far as you can or Not? 

Another paddling mythbuster is a common mistake I see in surfers of all levels. 

Should a surfer reach as far forward as possible in each stroke, then enter and pull through?  Or should they enter their hand and arm somewhere else?

The short answer is that reaching the hand and arm as far forward as possible is not helpful.  Over-reaching causes several problems including hurting the shoulder, making it harder to catch the wave, and adding significant drag in both shortboard paddling and longboard paddling. 

Watch the video to learn more:

 As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  I'm only an email or phone call away.  

For interest in the Level 1 Paddling Technique Course, go to the Surfing Paddling Technique services homepage here to learn more.  

I am asked quite frequently whether the hand should move shallow, underneath the board, or deep, well below the board when paddling.  Which one is more efficient?  Which one provides more power?  Which is more effective?  

In this video, we investigate whether the myth of paddling with the hand close the board and shallow is more effective than going deep.  Hope you enjoy it!

Feel free to contact me with question - I'm only an email or phone call away. 

Cheers!

Part 3 of 3 on how to catch waves easily: Kolohe Andino paddles into this wave with no stress or effort.  Kolohe’s wave is different than Mason and John John’s (from Part 1 and Part 2 of this training series), but we discuss how to adjust our strategy while using the same method to catch waves easily. 

Hope you enjoy and get something from this.  These concepts are taught in greater detail in the Level 2 Paddling Technique Course where we focus on Catching a Wave - Positioning, Timing, Sprint Technique, Pop Up, and more so that you can learn how to catch waves with ease. 

Here is part 2 on how to catch waves easily: John John Florence and his ease of taking off so casually.  Here, John John takes one stroke and uses a vastly different strategy to catch this wave, but we discuss why that is.  We compare Mason's wave from Part 1 in this training series to John John's, and then in Part 3, we compare both of these to Kolohe Andino's southern California wave.  

Hope you enjoy and get something from this.  These concepts are taught in greater detail in the Level 2 Paddling Technique Course where we focus on Catching a Wave - Positioning, Timing, Sprint Technique, Pop Up, and more so that you can learn how to catch waves with ease. 

Ever wonder how the pros catch waves easily?  While there is a lot to talk about to truly understand all of what is going on when we takeoff on waves, in this three part series, I analyze the takeoff of Mason Ho, John John Florence, and Kolohe Andino and share some insight into the strategies they use in catching their very different waves.  

This is part 1: Mason Ho's mutant beast of a wave.  Here, Mason seems to paddle fairly hard to catch this wave, but we discuss why that is.  In Part 2, we compare Mason's wave to John John's and then in Part 3, we compare both of these to Kolohe Andino's southern California wave.  

 Hope you enjoy and get something from this.  These concepts are taught in greater detail in the Level 2 Paddling Technique Course where we focus on Catching a Wave - Positioning, Timing, Sprint Technique, Pop Up, and more.  

In the Level 1 and Level 2 Paddling Technique courses I often reference “feeling water” or “holding water”.  Being able to better “feel” or “hold” water allows you to increase your Power output per stroke and therefore increase your distance per stroke efficiently. 

I use the terms “feel” and “hold” because they are good kinesthetic cues.  But they’re rather abstract descriptions for principles that are very scientific in reality. 

So in this video, I outlined some of the science behind “feeling water” and how you can improve that sensation which will in turn improve your power output per stroke:

“Feeling” and “holding” water is a combination of two things: drag forces and lift forces.  Drag forces in this case is a good thing as opposed to the drag that slows us down.  The same drag forces that slow us down allow us something you...