Author Topic: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body  (Read 9092 times)

Zooport

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Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« on: February 17, 2017, 09:03:05 AM »
Since the surf has not been as consistently ridable that much this winter, I have joined a gym and enlisted a trainer to keep me working properly when I can't surf.  He surprised me by saying that my body is severely out of balance and wanted to know what kind of exercise I have been doing.  I told him that I have been standup surfing almost every day for the past 4 years and showed him my stroke mechanics.  I paddle goofy foot semi surf stance and only stroke on the left side.  He said that I am hurting myself by being pretty buff on one side of my body and being pretty weak on the other.  This situation could eventually lead to back and joint problems.  Yikes!

I'm working to balance out my fitness with the help of the trainer, but I wanted to share this info for anyone who is doing similar things.




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« Last Edit: February 17, 2017, 09:08:13 AM by Zooport »
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Wetstuff

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2017, 09:48:08 AM »
Zoo says; "I have been standup surfing almost every day for the past 4 years."  G'awd, I wish I had that problem!

Back in the day, there were men who had enlarged right legs - because most bikes didn't have sissy starters. They'd stare down a 'trainer'.  Asymmetry, in this context, sounds like a well earned, badge of honor.

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hbsteve

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2017, 10:27:36 AM »
Switching stance while in the ocean isn't easy.  Once I realized I needed to move my feet around, I started switching which foot is foreword, every few minutes.  It felt very awkward, at first.  Now I'm comfortable either way, including when I'm in the ocean.  Yeah, I'm a paddler and not a surfer.  You balance has got to be much better, than mine.  Work into it.
One of the guys I paddle with also paddle surfs.  He got used to switching stance while paddling.  Then one day he takes off on a wave and realizes he has the wrong foot foreword.

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2017, 11:45:33 AM »
It's freaky how far it can go. When I was a teen we used to have this guy that came to the park where I hung around to hit tennis balls against the wall in the courts...he rarely played but he must have hit 1,000 balls a day into that wall. His left arm was a toothpick as was the rest of his body. While it looked like someone had grafted Arnold Shwarzenegger's arm onto the right.
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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2017, 12:13:36 PM »
Paddle both sides and yourself a lot of money and future trouble.

Subber

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2017, 12:20:40 PM »
That is interesting - uneven musculature.

When I used to live in Newport Beach, often in the afternoon, when the surf was blown out,
I'd flat paddle the bay for a work out and to improve my balance (initially) and practice turning
quickly as if I was getting in position to catch a wave. 

I would also practice paddling on both sides - switching every ten strokes or so.  And doing
step back turns on each side, turning around the moored boats. 
I guess it is because of that, that I do often switch sides paddling when I am surfing,
even taking off goofy sometimes, rather than my normal regular stance.

So, I think my sides are equal, right to left.
But, I wonder front to back.
I have been noting that my hamstrings seem to be getting tighter and tighter.

I think SUP surfing is such a wonderfully good over all workout - muscles, cardio,
HIIT (high intensity interval training), arms, legs, etc.  But I guess it can't do everything.

Anyway, I think it has made my muscles pretty tight (short?) in some areas.
Have you experienced that also?
Trainer say anything about that?

I may start doing yoga to get limbered up.
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Zooport

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #6 on: February 17, 2017, 12:22:39 PM »
Zoo says; "I have been standup surfing almost every day for the past 4 years."  G'awd, I wish I had that problem!


Yes, I'm incredibly blessed to live so close to surf. 
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laszlo

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #7 on: February 17, 2017, 12:33:20 PM »
How do you manage to paddle exclusively on one side? Unless fighting a strong side wind or current, I find I have to switch sides to keep from going in a circle.
« Last Edit: February 17, 2017, 12:35:31 PM by laszlo »

PonoBill

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #8 on: February 17, 2017, 01:03:51 PM »
Yeah, here's the answer, don't do that. My tendency is to paddle on the right side, so I force myself to paddle on the left. I run all over the board, so stance isn't that big of a deal, but when I'm paddling flatwater and I want to push the nose down, I advance my right foot (goofy). It doesn't take much to get some balance, but there will always be imbalance. Be thankful you aren't a 30 year surfer with a hump like Igor.
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Zooport

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #9 on: February 17, 2017, 01:06:08 PM »
How do you manage to paddle exclusively on one side? Unless fighting a strong side wind or current, I find I have to switch sides to keep from going in a circle.

I modify my stroke and can turn right or left from the left side.  I don't turn as quickly to the left and it's probably not a good racing stroke, but it works.  It is better on smaller, tippy boards. 
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connector14

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2017, 01:11:46 PM »
"I run all over the board, so stance isn't that big of a deal"

I sure wish I could convince my feet that it is "ok to move"  ;D
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PonoBill

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #11 on: February 17, 2017, 01:39:44 PM »
Wait for warm weather and go out and just walk all over the board. Run to the nose and try to get back, do extreme buoy turns. Just don't care if you fall for a day and you'll pretty much convince your feet that it's ok. Worked for me.

If you're surfing, make it a practice not to turn out. End each wave ride with an extreme step to the tail, stall and fall, or stall and sit like longboarders do. Teaches you how far you can go and not to care. When you go for a wave and start to not make it, walk to the nose and paddle hard. Not only will you make some waves you normally would miss, but you'll have to get back.

It's all much easier on a big, stable board. No other way to surf those. Got to move.
« Last Edit: February 17, 2017, 01:43:35 PM by PonoBill »
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connector14

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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #12 on: February 17, 2017, 02:01:06 PM »
Thanks for the advice.....I know I can do the falling in part easily when the water and weather get warmer  ;)
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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #13 on: February 17, 2017, 02:10:06 PM »
I had a bad case of foot paralysis when I first started surfing.  I just couldn't get them to move, my feedback inhibitions were too strong.  It took me eight weeks just to force myself to do a simple stepback from parallel to surf stance a couple of months after I first started stand up surfing. Up to then, I was just in static parallel stance going straight in.

If you haven't done this stuff from a while ago in your life, the paralysis syndrome can be pretty daunting.  Of course, now, a couple of years later, I am stepping all over the board as much and as often as I can, switch to goofy foot, surf backwards etc. and it is one of the most fun parts of surfing.
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Re: Paddling in surf stance is messing up my body
« Reply #14 on: February 17, 2017, 03:09:53 PM »
Subber--Start stretching/yoga.  It will be worth it.

 


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