It's Ok Not to Paddle Board Race

As many of you know the gliding and acceleration of a performance stand up paddle board is truly sensational! Developing your stroke technique and board handling skills is so rewarding and is never ending. This pursuit is what keeps many of us going as life long paddlers! I want to remind you that racing is not mandatory! To be fast and furious on your board can be just that, without the necessity to compete. Too many people get pushed into the racing scene as if it’s required to be a better paddler. If you do want to race, that’s great and we applaud your quest for greatness, but I would highly recommend developing and maturing as a paddler first before stepping foot into the SUP race scene.

Learning how to really feel your board and paddle in diverse conditions is a credible benchmark. Becoming an accomplished paddler vs. a mediocre racer is often even more attainable for most! I like to go fast and this season has been a blast practicing this objective. Being able to be in a steady state of 5+ mph and maintaining efficiency and effort is so rewarding. Sprinting to 6+ mph is a metric that tells you your technique is working! So enjoy your speed and the wind blowing through your hair as you accomplish depth in your technique.

EDITORS NOTE: Jonathan Bischof is a 15+ year lifestyle paddle boarder and SUP skills coach with an innovative approach to improving technique and efficiency in performance paddling. Schedule your private coaching session today and achieve better results, faster, all while having more fun on your board!