Paddling into wind / How to SUP Videos

Paddling into wind is never much fun and it's something most paddlers will try their best to avoid. But chances are you'll be doing a bit of upwind paddling at some point during your session and if the conditions change it may be even windier than you'd anticipated. So what can you do to make paddling into wind easier, faster and maybe even enjoyable? Well there's a few things. First off, get low. When you're standing on a sup your body can act like a big sail when it's windy. So reduce the wind resistance on your body by bending at the hips and dropping your shoulders. Then move your hands down the paddle for a wider grip or even a Conor Baxter style choke stroke which involves moving your top hand onto the paddle shaft. This allows you to not only get your body position lower again but also put more power into your stroke. It's a great paddling stroke to use when paddling with small fast strokes into a headwind. Then make sure your body weight is forward. This will help keep the nose of the board down and stop wind getting underneath it. This is particularly important if you've got a wide rounded nose board like this ice up filmed here. Then change your paddle stroke. A shorter paddle stroke will feel more effective and less effort than a longer slower stroke when paddling into the wind. And also by making sure the paddle stroke does not go past your feet it will make paddling in a straight line much easier too. Just think about this as pulling your board through the water and not pushing it. Then last but not least don't stop paddling. If all else fails drop to your knees. In the worst case scenario if you're struggling to get back upwind drop to your knees to paddle. You'll find you can usually always make progression into the headwind this way. Don't worry about holding the handle just place both hands lower down the paddle shaft and get paddling. From this point you can always lie down your paddle and paddle with your hands if you don't mind getting a wet face. But remember it's always worth checking your surroundings to see if you can find a bit of shelter from the wind. Look for cliff sides, trees, riverbanks that will offer you just a little bit of shelter to make paddling easier. Effecting your upwind paddling technique is well worth practicing as you are likely to be paddling against the wind at some point during your paddle session. And even if you're not planning to paddle against a strong headwind it's nice to know in case the wind picks up you can get home. Just remember the wind doesn't always do what it's forecast to do so just be prepared.