The key to paddling a bodyboard is to first position your body properly so you get maximunm speed and control (and not look like a kook).
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5-10 minutes (and then days of practice)
Here's How:
- Apply plenty of wax. This will insure no slippage. Pay attention to the temperature ranges for your area, so you can pick the proper wax. Not sure? Ask your local surf shop for assistance. Rub the wax all over the top (deck) of your board, paying special attention to areas where you most commonly grip and lay.
- Stay Balanced. Place your board in the water and lie on your board so your hips are even with the back (tail) of your bodyboard. This may feel unbalanced at first, but with practice, you'll feel the advantage to leaning farther forward. Most beginners lie way too far back, and lose lots of speed that way.
- Hold tight.Grip the front/top corners of your bodyboard and rest your elbows on the board. Keeping your elbows on the board helps you to have better control and be more aerodynamic in the water (lessens drag).
- Hold your head high.Curve your back and keep your head high (like the yoga "up dog" position") while keeping the bulk of your weight in the center of the board (not too much in the back or front).
- Don't forget to use your feet. Paddling with your arms will only get you so far. Whether you are using fins or bare feet, be sure to keep them under the water in order to get full power from you strokes. Otherwise, you are losng power and traction each time your foot lifts above the water. Bare feet do need to splash a bit to grab in the water, but fins are best used under the water.
- Now, go rip!
