How To Stand Up On A Paddle Board

The first thing that you are going to want to do is get on your knees with your legs on either side of the handle.

Set your SUP paddle in front of you perpendicular to the board. Personally I like to hold onto my paddle through the whole process but you can grab it on your way to standing up if that is more comfortable for you.

Place your hands in front of you on top of the shaft of your paddle and put some of your weight on your hands.

Bring your first foot forward behind your hand to take the place of your knee and do the same for your second foot.

Start to rise up into a squatting position so that your hands are off of the board. Take the SUP paddle with you, holding it in both hands.

Slowly rise to a standing position and keep your knees slightly bent. Many paddlers find that it helps to look at a fixed point in the distance such as a tree on the shore to help them stay steady as they stand up.

One common mistake at this point is to stand with your legs to the front and back of the center of the board like you see surfers doing.

For Stand up paddle boarding, you don't want to do that. Stand straight, facing the front of the board.

Carefully adjust your position to center your weight on the board with your feet straddling the handle. Don't look down at your feet too much as this can cause you to lose your balance.

Dip your paddle blade in the water and start to paddle. Getting moving will increase your stability on the board and the paddle in the water will give you a third point of contact to help you balance.