Advanced SUP Techniques For Experienced Paddle Boarders

When you’ve got years of experience in SUP, it can be a little tricky to see where to take yourself next. Paddleboarding is a sport with an infinite number of applications, though, and there are always new and imaginative ways to adapt the activity into something new. Let’s have a look at some advanced SUP techniques that you can use to change things up and keep your sessions fresh as a seasoned paddleboarder.

Work On Racing Techniques Such As Pivot Turning Or Bracing Strokes

If you’re big on SUP racing, then you’ll be aware that there are plenty of advanced SUP techniques to master that will help you up your game against the competition. Favourites among these include the pivot turn and the bracing stroke, each having its specific use cases.

The pivot turn is one of a number of advanced SUP techniques for turning, allowing you to change direction nearly instantly when properly executed by stepping back on the tail and allowing the nose to spin around to face the desired direction. Meanwhile, the bracing stroke is a vital technique to have on hand when conditions get choppy, as they often do during a race. You can read more about pivot turns, bracing strokes and other racing manoeuvres by checking out our earlier blog on advanced paddle techniques.

Develop Endurance For Long-Distance Racing

Training your stamina up to allow yourself to more readily engage with long-distance paddle boarding trips requires a lot of both physical and mental effort. Multiple hour stretches on a paddle board can be extremely taxing and shouldn’t be taken lightly, but if you’re up to working on your advanced SUP techniques and adapting to a more efficient style, you can unlock a lot of incredible long-distance paddleboarding routes that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to engage with.

Practising on a variety of different water bodies (lakes, rivers and open oceans) for long stretches of time will get you used to facing a variety of water conditions over long distances, helping you to further develop your skills.

Work On Your Downwind Paddling Techniques

Downwind paddling is a thrilling activity, and we highly recommend giving it a go if you’ve never tried it before. It’s a fast-paced, link-driven activity where the aim is to maximise your speed by catching glides and increasing momentum by reading the water and the wind. Learning how to master these advanced SUP techniques can take years, but if you’re up for the challenge, then you’re in for a lot of fun. Check out our earlier blog on which boards in the Red Paddle Co collection are the best choices for downwind SUP to learn more.

Try Out Something More Extreme With Whitewater SUP

If you’re up for something challenging and exhilarating, then it’s hard to pass up on whitewater SUP. This needs some serious skill behind it, as the fast-paced adjustments in extremely turbulent waters in rapids and learning how to navigate eddies and currents safely are some seriously advanced SUP techniques.

Ensuring that you are properly equipped with safety gear is essential here. The risks involved with whitewater SUP are much greater than most other forms of paddleboarding. Keep your quick-release leash on at all times, and ensure you are wearing a helmet and buoyancy aid. Do not try whitewater SUP by yourself as well; always have a friend or family member nearby who can help you in the event of an emergency.

Give SUP Yoga A Try

On the other hand, you can also use your paddle board for something very relaxing instead. SUP yoga is an activity that is becoming increasingly popular, using your inflatable SUP in a very unique way. Don’t mistake the more zen tone of this activity for being easy, though - adapting the complex movements of yoga to the much less stable surface is tricky, and will put your core stability to the test in ways it never has been before.

Adapting yoga into your paddle board technique is a whole new way of experiencing SUP, making it refreshing for experienced paddlers and a suitably difficult technique to master for those who want to take things to the next level. If you’re interested, take a look at the Activ MSL Paddle Board, which has been specifically designed for SUP yoga and provides a balanced and stable platform for you to go through your poses on.

SUP Cross-Training Can Be Highly Rewarding

Working practice for your advanced SUP techniques into a cross-training regimen lets you really push yourself with difficult physical challenges like never before. If you’re a fitness enthusiast looking to do things your own way, then working SUP into your cross-training has a lot of benefits. It’s a great way to train cardio, strength and balance in a more unique outdoor setting. You can easily vary between high and low intensities by changing the style of SUP you do, allowing you to get a full body workout at the exact level of intensity that you need it to be. It’s quite untraditional compared to a typical gym routine, but a great way to mix it up a bit and work something different into your routine.

Embark On A Multi-Day SUP Expedition

The ultimate test of your mastery of advanced SUP techniques comes in the form of a multiple-day SUP expedition. It’s a very unique experience, blending long-distance paddling styles with other skills such as camping, adventure planning, and self-sufficiency outdoors. You need to be able to make and keep to a detailed plan of action throughout, yet also remain flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances on the fly. It’s a very unique way to experience waterways in remote locations and put all of your skills to the test, whether you undertake it solo or as part of a larger group.