The history of Stand Up Paddling
The new water sport Stand Up Paddling has its roots in surfing and is based on a long history in the USA/Hawaii. There are hints, that the ancient pacific islanders already used boards to move on the water and to glide on waves. According to that SUP were an early conjunction of the traditional Polynesian disciplines canoeing and surfing. In the 60ties Stand Up Paddling became popular for the first time. At first there were the beach boys on Hawaii, who paddled with their big boards to the open sea to be able to watch there surfing students properly – that’s the reason for the name “Beach Boy Surfing” which is used equally to “Stand Up Paddling”.
With the invention of lightweight shortboards into the surfing scene, SUP felt a bit into oblivion. It was first and foremost Robby Naish, who rediscovered Stand Up Paddling. Meanwhile this sport is getting more and more popular and has been established as a new trend in the water sports scene.
SUP the easy way
SUP is easy to learn – even by not trained water athletes of every age: You just need a board, which looks like an oversized surf board and a paddle.
The SUP rider is moving standing upright on a surfboard with a paddle and therefore is able to direct right into the wave or the current.
Most suitable is a day without wind to start trying to keep the balance on the board. Therefore you should lie on the board and start rising from that position until you are sitting on your knees. SUP boards are expanded so they are very stable and the paddle offers even more stability on top.
Afterwards you start paddling, keep the superior arm straight to safe energy. Keep the paddle close to the board whilst paddling. As a next step try standing in the middle of the board and keep balance. You can control the direction with your paddle.
SUP as workout
Athletes of every age and knowledge have the ability to do Stand-Up Paddling on every kind of water surfaces. Only condition: You should be able to swim, in case of falling into the water.
The eco-friendly new popular sport offers a perfect, holistic workout which is easy on the joints. It is perfect for everybody and meets the demands of the health and fitness movement in Germany. To be able to move on the board the whole body has to be under tension so it is an effective whole body workout. The core is strengthened massively and keeping balance gives the legs an extra workout on top. The balance is trained as well.
