25/01/2021
Something I get asked about all the time and can make the difference for getting rid of nasty shoulder/back pain and headaches...check out my post below on what I think is the ideal paddling technique.
The Paddling technique... so I have scrolled the internet and have found hundreds of self-proclaimed gurus of the correct and most efficient way to paddle. Most of the theories make me giggle... “making an ‘S’ shape with your hand under water, swaying your hips from side-to-side, taking 10 big strokes to get enough momentum to catch your wave...” and on and on and on. Well I don’t believe I have the one answer for every surfer, but I do think I can easily detect bad technique. And sometimes it’s the surfers with skill that have bad technique. I see so many patients with shoulder and back pain which is simply caused from lots of paddling. And we all know that we usually have to do loads of paddling to get loads of waves. So, let me share a little of what I know from my physio and Pilates background, and from 26 years of surfing and trying to get it right. I’ve read numerous articles online about Kelly Slater’s amazing paddling technique. But what I couldn’t find anyone mentioning is that he doesn’t overarch his back. Look at the two photos above. Kelly stays really low in the water... so he is engaging his core (abdominals) rather than overarching and using solely his back extensors. This gives him a better base to then stabilise his shoulder blades. And yes, he does keep his elbows high which gives him a long stroke but his chest is low which engages his core. Much more efficient. Overarching your back in paddling is so common, especially in young surfers. You can change it but need to remind yourself constantly so that you can change your muscle memory patterns. A good tip is to lie on your floor at home and get into your paddling position. Now try to drop your chest a bit (maybe half way), and maybe try to remove some of the “posterior pelvic tilt” out of your back (try to tuck your tail bone under and bring your front bottom ribs closer to your hips). Try to hold this position for 10 seconds and the. Try to repeat it 10 times, finding that correct paddling position each time. It will feel really different, but it may change those aches and pains for good... and you may even notice you are faster and more efficient in the water.
