How to Paddle on a Surfboard - Technique and Tips

Watching a surfer in action, paddling looks super simple. In reality, learning to paddle a surfboard effectively takes a bit of practice and experience. Over time, we learn the correct technique not just with our arms, but with our chest and legs. We learn where to be on the waves, where to position the body on the board, and how to be mindful of others.

In this post, we’re going to go over how to paddle on a surfboard in depth. We’ll start with actual paddle technique, then discuss catching a wave, and cover a few common mistakes we see from surfers in the water.

Paddle Technique and Form

So first up we have the actual technique used to paddle a surfboard. A lot goes into this. As you surf more often, these things become muscle memory. In addition to learning the correct paddle technique, it also is often useful to learn how to improve your paddle strength through exercise and regular activity.

Chest Up

Let’s start with the chest. When you are paddling your surfboard, keep that chest up. Using the muscles in your lower back and core, raise the chest up to protect back injuries. Keeping the chest raised will allow for better breathing, give you a better view of the waves, and allow you to get the right motion with your arms as you paddle.

Additionally, keeping the chest up is how we stabilize ourselves as surfers. By utilizing the core muscles, we can keep the body still while we paddle (more on this in a bit). Overall, the chest up is an absolute must for surfing.

Squeeze Legs Together

This is something that may be a bit less intuitive. When you’re paddling, especially back out to the lineup, keep those feet and legs together. I like to squeeze my legs together actively as I paddle, and sometimes cross one foot over the other to keep the feet together.

Keeping the legs together helps us balance, reduces drag, and definitely protects against injury. Legs flopping out to the sides can cause many problems. Furthermore, you will actually end up using less physical energy keeping your legs together than trying to stay balanced as your legs wiggle about.

How to Actually Paddle

Let’s discuss the act of actually paddling your surfboard. The motion is fairly simple for anyone who has experience swimming. With the chest up and legs together, here are a few little tips and techniques to make your paddling more efficient.

Elongate the Reach

When you reach your arm forward to paddle the surfboard, really reach it forward. With each stroke, extend the arm to its maximum comfortable position. Of course, don’t overstretch or strain it, but really reach forward. The farther you reach forward, the more actual stroke you’re going to have in the water.

Slow, Deliberate Movements

Slow is pro. Watch the actual pros. Even in the midst of an intense paddle battle, they’re often relatively calm and smooth with their strokes. Frantic paddling is incredibly ineffecient when it comes to your stamina. Instead of paddling faster, work on paddling correctly and with force.

Keep the Body Straight

I’ve heard it said that if you wear a dangling necklace, it should sit still while you paddle. Don’t be moving your torso and legs back and forth with each paddle. Engage the core and glutes, and put your energy into your arms to paddle. It may feel weird at first, but keeping the body straight and still will maximize the use of energy while surfing and keep you in the water longer.

High Elbows

As you actually paddle your board, keep your elbows up! With your elbows high above the surfboard, your arms are down, ready to engage the water. This helps you utilize your energy by keeping your hands close to the water. As your hand exits the water and reaches for the next stroke, higher elbows will keep your hands close to the surface of the water and ready to engage.

Forward, Not Out

This is perhaps one of the biggest mistakes I see people make out on the water surfing. When you reach for the next stroke, move the hand and arm forward, not out. You can practice your stroke by standing in a fairly narrow hallway. If you move your arms too far outward, you are dramatically increasing the motion and energy use at no gain in paddle strength.

Drag the Thumbs

You don’t have to actually drag your thumbs, but it’s a saying in surf schools and surf camps. The point is to nearly drag your thumb in the water as you reach to stroke. Much like the high elbows, this will help your surfing by keeping you in the perfect place to conserve energy and get maximum force.

Correct Follow-Through

Finally, don’t overdo the follow-through on your stroke. Make sure you’re propelling yourself forward; don’t push down. To help with this, it’s recommended to stop your stroke around the chest. Don’t keep pushing your hand farther back, as it will often push more at a downward angle. It also can lead to injury with that far of a movement, so be mindful of this one while out there surfing.

Board Positioning

Whether you’re paddling back out to the lineup or paddling in to catch a wave, being on the right position on the board is crucial. Find the right point for yourself. Every body and board is different and will have different balance points. Generally speaking, you want the nose of the board just barely sticking out of the water by an inch or two.

If you are too far back on your board, you’ll end up plowing water. This creates a lot of resistance and makes it much harder to paddle. If you’re too far forward on your surfboard, you’ll sink the nose and create a ton of drag.

Paddling for and Catching a Wave

Paddling out to the waves is a bit different than paddling to actually catch the wave. When we paddle to catch the wave, we need to paddle a bit harder. Still, remain slow and deliberate. Watch some surf videos. You won’t find anyone frantically paddling to catch a wave.

Kick If Needed

One thing many newbies don’t realize while surfing is that you can actually kick a little, especially if on a shorter board. You don’t want to do this excessively. I at most kick a couple times right before catching the wave. This kick may help you propel yourself forward, and shift your body weight toward the front.

Use the Weight of the Upper Body

As you begin to catch the wave, keep in mind that the torso and head are generally over 50% of your bodyweight. You might lower your chest or head to the board a bit to slope down the wave and drop in. If you want to pull off a wave or let it pass, you can pull your chest farther up and back to slow yourself down.

Positioning on the Wave

Not exactly a paddle technique, but something worth noting. Learn to read waves! Find the right position on the wave, match the wave transition, and know when to paddle. If your board is at an angle, you have to be ready for an angled takeoff. If you’re still a beginner, straight takeoffs will be much easier

Avoid Common Mistakes

There are a ton of mistakes or issues you can make with your paddling in addition to the tips already mentioned. In order to get the most out of your surf sessions, here’s a few paddling DON’Ts that I recommend paying special attention to.

Don’t Lay Flat

This has already been covered in the section on keeping your chest lifted off the surfboard, but it bears repeating. There really isn’t a reason to lay flat and paddle. You’re going to be using your energy inefficiently and put yourself at risk of injury.

Don’t Overexert

Pretty simple. Don’t overdo it. Slow is pro. Even if you’re caught inside, overexerting is often not the way to go. Sure there are times you will need to really push yourself while surfing, but know when to do this and do so sparingly. In order to increase endurance in the water and protect the muscles used when surfing, regulate your energy use. Don’t overpaddle for waves that you’re not going to catch. Overexertion is a common cause of many of the most common surfing injuries.

Keep the Spine Still

This is definitely one of the most common mistakes I see surfers make when it comes to paddling. When I paddle out, I can tell a lot by how much somebody’s body is moving as they paddle. If you’re rockign the body back and forth, you’re using a lot of energy. Not only that, you’ll end up using extra energy just to keep yourself balanced like that!

Check Your Surroundings

And finally, check your fucking surroundings! Don’t paddle into a wave that somebody is already on. And if you’re paddling out to the lineup, always be aware of where other people are, on or off waves. Surfers do not take kindly to being cut off or dropped in on. Be aware of what’s going on around you, and always look over your shoulders before popping up on a wave.