How does kelly slater paddle

I felt like taking notes! Meet you on the other side. You might want to grab some paper and a pen. This may seem a bit simple, but it makes a profound impact on his speed and efficiency in the water. If the head sways one way, there is another part of your body that reacts to that motion.

This has been studied for decades in swimming, and the same principle applies to surf paddling. When you sway your head and it moves off the vertical axis of your body, something on the other side of your body moves the opposite way. Your head moves left, your feet will move right.

This increases your lateral profile, making more drag. Instead, keep the head still and rotate your body around an imaginary metal rod going down your body from head to tailbone.

This is a key technique in maintaining lateral balance, and thus reducing drag. Elbow High This technique that Kelly uses is twofold. It impacts both his ability to slide smoothly through the water with little drag and also impacts the amount of propulsion he is able to get out of each stroke.

Again, I know it seems really simple. When the elbow enters high, then it stays high when you reach the front propulsive phase of the underwater armstroke. In other words, it helps keep his hand and forearm in a vertical position from the start of his stroke. When your hand and forearm are vertical, then you are able to hold the water and propel yourself forward with a greater surface area for a greater length of time.

Slight Roll The last tip is that Kelly uses is a slight roll from rail to rail around that imaginary metal rod See tip 1 so that he can recover his arm forward. What this does is that it first helps the recovering arm to be led by his elbow instead of his hand, which is super useful in setting up the previous techniques.

Second, it prevents any dragging of the hand in the water which is slows you down. I don't kick so much to get out back unless I get caught inside and am sprinting to beat the next set that's looming on the horizon….

If you click on my name, you can see information on a pretty good fitness program designed specifically for surfers. The upper body and core exercises will make a big difference with your paddling. Continue to pull, elbow bent, under your shoulder and toward the back. Other important things: -Slice your hand into the water at the beginning of the pull instead of slapping it. A lot of power will come from the length of the stroke.

I hope that makes sense. Good paddling involves pulling back on the water, not pushing down on it. I would imagine it would be drive your hand in near the nose then pull it out and around like an S so that your hand is exiting the water at the end of the S by your hip. Left hand would be an actual S shape, Right hand would be a mirror image almost like a round Z. Firstly, I love this guide, it is unbelievably useful. I am wondering, however, if you could clarify the S stroking pattern, I am having trouble picturing exactly what that means.

I have little trouble getting into a wave and even standing up, but paddling out past the breaks kicks my butt. Your email address will not be published. And the surf community at large, or at least the largest in the surf community, is taking note. Enter Kelly Slater , 11x world champion of surfing and the undisputed king of wave riding. Never mind the twisted humor in his April fools retirement announcement , or his uncanny ability to lead the charge in progressive surfing at the ripe age of For now, we focus on his acknowledgement of that one timeless truth in surfing—the best surfer is the one having the most fun.

Footage that proves the best surfer in the world does indeed SUP. So next time you paddle out to stand among the squatters, do so humbly, but with your head high.