Surf Ski Technique

Balance Over White Water

Basic skill tips need refreshing each season you begin ski paddling.

You may spend the winter paddling in the river or lakes, ensuring you keep dry and avoid illness. Now that it is warmer though, the surf is where you will be heading.

What key tips do you need to paddle through white water confidently, so you ensure you prevent yourself falling off and not getting past the waves to enjoy a long paddle in the ocean? Top Paddlers use the same method as the one we have detailed in Surf Ski Supremacy – only they have practised it enough it has become second nature to them. These skills await you in the Surf Ski Supremacy eBook.

Surf Ski Paddling Tips

As you begin your journey at mastering the balance on a ski you may find your thigh muscles become tight. How do you prevent this?

You see experienced Paddlers smoothly glide by and you are sure they do not have the feeling of uncomfortable tight thigh muscles as you do. Their balance is relaxed, yet you feel unsteady in the craft and now the muscles in your thighs are tight and there is a threat they will cramp. This is a common issue with new paddlers in the surf as well as flat water like canals and rivers. After 10 to 15 minutes paddling, you have not fallen in, but survival to prevent this is to paddle slow. Pretty soon your endurance and time you want to stay on the ski runs out as it becomes too uncomfortable sitting in the saddle as your thighs are tense.

The good news is that correcting this problem is a simple adjustment to two elements of your technique.

What is the technique and skill needed to relax these muscles? Its all in the Surf Ski Supremacy eBook. Click through to the home page for more information.

Surf Ski Technique

The most effective position for blade is vertical in the water. Surf ski paddlers modify this by going off vertical to compensate for changing environmental conditions and to assist balance.This should be avoided.

The power of the stroke is when the blade is accelerated between the knees and the hips during the trunk twist and heel pressure. Blade entry is between 45 and 50 degrees to the water. The stroke makes a line following the wash of the bow of the craft (Kayak) and inside the wash of a surf ski because it has a longer bow.

Strength is required in the back and abdominals of the athlete. The optimal technique requires the paddler to lean on the blade during the pull phase and arm and elbow are at 90 degrees. At exit the elbow and arm position is at 90 degrees and the shaft raises to parallel to shoulder height.

During exit the blade is turned on its side (90 degrees) to give a quick release from the water with minimal drag.

How To Surf Ski

The advantage of practicing drills on the ergo is that there is no concern for the environment

e.g. turbulent water. The Paddling shaft may be repeatedly used to focus on one step of the stroke e.g. the catch, the pull through or the exit. You may be trying to improve your exit hand out of the water and as there is no concern for balance you may perfect this step of the stroke in one sitting.

Anyone who has trained on such a machine usually realize its specific benefits to ski/kayak paddling.  They feel it is a necessity as a conditioning and technique improvement substitute for actual ski paddling. This is because using the ergo is so specific to the real thing and also it is a little harder because the resistance is consistent for each stroke, therefore giving you a stronger pulling stroke when out on you ski.

Learn Surf Ski Technique

Speed is gained by spinning the stroke.

Being tense and muscling the stroke reduces speed.

Accelerate the blade through the water and shorten the stroke. Tenseness causes you to pull the blade through the water at the same velocity. Speed is gained by accelerating the blade through the water. Lean on the stroke. Think of the Spinning the wheel:  When you have a bike upside down and want to spin the wheel, you start by grabbing it and flinging it down. From there, you don’t grab it and muscle it an more. Doing so would stop the wheel and restart it. Inefficient. Rather, you tap it when spinning, minimising impact of the current velocity while increasing speed.

Surf ski padding is the same.

Choppy conditions:

Relax. How do you relax?  Relax by breathing out. Use deep breaths and let them out with a sigh. Stop paddling with legs over the sides and paddle resting in the water. Relax, let the whole body relax.

Rest on your paddle.  A paddle is similar to a tight rope walkers pole.  They use the pole for balance not the body. Similarly use the paddle for balance not correct with the body. The body is kept relaxed. Core strength is important.

Now start up again, heel pressure with leg tense on stroke side, other side relaxed. Concentrate on how your body feels. When  paddling at all times note the bow of your ski. Keep it flat, no rock. In all conditions good balance is measured by the bow being flat or level at all times.

Fish Caught On My Surf Ski (Taylor)

One of the past-times I really enjoy on my surf ski, is fishing. Particularly during Australia’s winter when the tayler are running.

Here is a picture of 5 good sized tayler I caught on one recent outing. My fishing partner Dale caught 10 that day and we also threw back 3 or 4 each. Is was a stellar outing in the ocean.

Eating fish so fresh is a real treat too. In this case, the 5 fish was too much for my family to eat on the evening, so rather than freeze them and lose that freshness, I gave 2 fish each to my neighbors. The biggest Ikept for my family – there was so much meat on it it really was enough. I was a real popular guy that week!

So how do you fish on a surf ski? I’ve seen a few different methods, we trail a lure behind us. We start with a bike tube. This we sling over our shoulders, which leaves our hands free to paddle. We tie about 10 metres of fishing line to the bike tube, then attach a good sized lure to the other end.

When we start paddling our surf skis, we let the fishing line out and paddle on both sides of the breaking waves. Deep channels on the beach side of the waves and any areas of turbulent water (rips, high currents etc) are all great places to catch fish.

This really is a great part of my surf ski lifestyle. A wonderful and fun way to keep fit while enjoying the outdoors when full on training is on the back burner.

The common errors which cost many teams were

1. they tried to walk against the current
2. they tried to paddle against the current – a better option although oncoming white waters kept tipping some off their skis.

The best and fastest option when you know the rules is paddle straight to the beach outside the finish. Then pick up your ski and run to the finish line. You do not have to be on the seaward side of the line but you do need to finish over the line from the sea. Simply walk the ski or board over the finish line towards the water then back over again. Takes one step each way.

It was a shame to see so many miss out due to not understanding or knowing this rule. Several years ago I missed a gold medal from not knowing this rule. You reckon that was’t  disappointing.  It would have given me back to back to back golds in my single ski race. Anyway that is another story.

Another common mistake made this year was double combinations not watching other race finishes because they would have seen it was much faster to get back on their ski after falling of in the shallow shore break and paddle to the finish line compared to walking beside the ski and pushing it across the line. One of the biggest upsets of the carnival was the disqualification of the Northcliffe ski team when their 1st paddler jumped on just before the gun and was pulled out of the final. They were last years winners.

Disappointments may occur due to officials making an incorrect call, your own club stuffing up entries or not being marked off for an event by team managers; you the athlete not checking your craft is race worthy. One double crew had to pull themselves out of the starting line due to a rudder problem.

Most of these above issues were and are controllable. The only non controllable issue is wicked mother nature and what she can put in your way or another craft taking you out of the race. Mother nature is the only preferred obstacle you need to overcome and control all the rest. Mother nature may be beaten and complied with by having a good race plan. Obviously have more events to reduce the odds against you in a big surf.

For more tips and techniques on surf ski racing, visit the Surf Ski Supremacy home page

Surf Ski Paddling

When Do Broken Paddles Occur?

Broken paddles most commonly occur when verring off sideways in the white water on a ski. When this happenes, the paddle is jammed between the rail of the ski with the blade in the water then the lever action snaps the shaft.

How To Avoid Breaking Your Surf Ski Paddle

Remember to drop or let go of the paddle immediately if this happens. Always brace yourself with the paddle leaning on or into the white water when going sideways along white water. Lean into the wave.

Story: He lost his ski and paddle in the big sea:

‘An unfortunate broken paddle occurred at Kurruwa 2010 in big surf when a masters competitor lost his ski and paddle after being cleaned up by a big wave. The safety Insure Rescue Boat went to pick him up and in their process they ran straight over the paddle, which was hard to see as they were negotiating large white waters to get in a position to pick up the competitor. From the beach we watched the $400 plus paddle float in pieces for a short time before both ends sank.’

For all the information and advice you need about riding your surf ski, purchase your own copy of the Surf Ski Supremacy eBook

How To Surf Ski

Look at the depth of the water and wave size in the shorebreak to prevent broken or damaged rudders.

If the wave is breaking into shallow water you need to be concerned about timing your mounting of the ski and your timing when paddling into an oncoming wave. Being hit in the chest with no momentum in your ski, then back shooting into the sand can damage your rudder and ski.

Slight damage is only a bent rudder. Major damage which you will not see at first as you have straightened your rudder and headed off on your paddling session is damage to the internal shaft.  The rudder stem slips through a cylinder from the bottom of the ski to the top where it has a locking nut holding it in place. The cylinder is inside the ski. A severe knock by dropping the ski or back shooting with your body weight in the ski into sand may damage the fixture of the cylinder inside the ski, causing it to fracture at the join.

If this type of damage occurs, the ski will take water which will be a surprsise to you when your session is finished and you pick up your ski.