Tips for giving a lesson

[SUPlakes]

I donated my time to give a lesson to two people.  They're both in good shape, comfortable on and in the water, so I don't think they'll have a problem picking it up on the lake. 
I think foot placement is critical starting but what other tips would you recommend?

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Be patient. Nobody gets it all right the first time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zooport]

Off the top of my head:
Proper stroke using core muscles.
Paddle blade angle tilting forward.
How to fall safely
How to get back on safely
Water safety; using a PFD
How to paddle straight
How to turn
Back erect, knees slightly bent

[supthecreek]

MY goal is to show folks how much fun it is.

Pick a day with low wind.
Pick a location with easy water access, preferably gentle sand bottom

Begin on land:
Basic safety instructions and equipment discussion.
Do you swim?
Any Health concerns?
PFD regulation
LEASH. Stress the importance of a leash at all times. Drill it in.... nicely

Here's the paddle and how to hold it.
Try to stand on a picnic table or something that allows you to demonstrate actual strokes in the air.
I never care how people paddle at first... I just want them to get comfortable on the board without stressing them out about proper stroke.
An easy "rowing" stroke is fine... anything that they can do to move along the water.
Nothing make me happier than to see people paddling along chatting and smiling.... even with the paddle backwards and a terrible rowing stroke
 

In land portion.... the ONLY stroke I teach people is how to stop.

Sick the blade firmly into the water and brace the shaft against your body...
the board will stop instantly and turn slightly to the side the paddle is on.
The proper forward stroke can be introduced gradually, once on the water. 

Falling is fun.
Never try to "save" a fall by landing on the board.
Relax, fall away from the board with your paddle away from your body.

The handle is the balance point on the board.
Your knees and feet should straddle the handle.
Here's how you pick up and carry a board.
Safe water entry

Getting on the board:
Here's how to put your leash on securely
Paddle in both hand across the deck. one knee across to the other side of the handle, then lift the other knee onto the near side of the handle.
Remain on your knees
choke down and use a canoe stroke untill you are at a safe, quiet place to demonstrate a few strokes.
Paddling while on your knees shows them how a board moves and how to switch the paddle from side to side to go where you want (with hand on mid shaft, hand the paddle from right hand to left hand)

While on knees:
Place your blade near the nose and "sweep' in an arc out away from the rail and towards the tail.
This demonstrates a turning stoke very easily.
Show how quickly a "backwards stroke" turns the board
Learning how to turn while on your knees is an easy way to show how the board reacts to different stokes.

Time to stand up:
Paddle across board in both hands, shoulder width apart.
Lean forward, lifting one foot at a time into the spot their knees were on each side of the handle.
Keeping hands on the deck for support, push into a standing position.
Immediately put your paddle in the water to help with stability.

Bend your knees slightly
Gently take easy paddle strokes.
SMILE.... you relax when you smile..... eyes looking ahead, not at feet.

Once comfortable:
Try to go somewhere.
Don't simply paddle in circles at a landing,take a small excursion so they can actually see the beauty of this sport.

Paddle into the wind, so it is at your back on the return.
Teach them the importance of understanding how wind can easily take you downwind... and if strong enough, you may not be able to paddle back into it.

Too much instruction will suck all the fun out of it.
Basics is all they need till they have a feel for it.

Everyone has different ability and reaction to stand-up...
the goal is to maximize the fun and stoke that paddling offers

[SUPlakes]

Perfect, thanks all!  Along with paddling into the wind starting out, I typically mention that if people ever feel uncomfortable or have trouble getting back, paddling or your knees or prone paddling will help with stability and getting up wind.

My goal is to make it enjoyable as possible and picked a good spot with low wind (assuming the forecast holds).  I learned myself in the cold ocean solo so I probably won't give tons of instruction unless I see something off. 

What are the safety benefits of a leash is there's no wind, water and air temps in the 80's, calm lake, strong swimmer, wearing PFDs?  I've fallen hundreds of time messing around on my board on the lake and have never had it get that far from me. 

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

The safety benefits of a leash are that the board is attached to you. In perfect conditions it might seem unnecessary, but things change on the water. Someone might lose consciousness. A wind might pick up and carry a board. A person might get hit by a powerboat. Safety equipment might fail. Especially for beginners, a leash makes it easy to bring a board back after a fall, and beginners fall a lot!

Most people aren't on sheltered lakes. You want to establish a good safety habit early on, then when you venture onto a river or bay or ocean, you already are doing the right thing. Even an experienced paddler should always wear a leash, unless you're on a swift moving river. Stuff happens on the water.

[SUPlakes]

The safety benefits of a leash are that the board is attached to you. In perfect conditions it might seem unnecessary, but things change on the water. Someone might lose consciousness. A wind might pick up and carry a board. A person might get hit by a powerboat. Safety equipment might fail. Especially for beginners, a leash makes it easy to bring a board back after a fall, and beginners fall a lot!

Most people aren't on sheltered lakes. You want to establish a good safety habit early on, then when you venture onto a river or bay or ocean, you already are doing the right thing. Even an experienced paddler should always wear a leash, unless you're on a swift moving river. Stuff happens on the water.

Ok, thanks for the follow up info

[Eagle]

Basically show them how its done and let them copy.  Have taught a number of peeps like this.  In a calm lake -> it should be pretty easy.  Most we know learn the basics in a few minutes.

But have taught skiing snowboarding and sailing for years -> so found using the progression method works fine for this.  Go over safety first then let them have fun.  Sharing SUP stoke is always a good thing. 

[Eagle]

Just the other day unloaded my board and noticed a couple of girls sitting in the sand with inflatable boards besides them.  Parked the car and the girls were still there.  So asked if all was ok.

As it turns out they did not realize that the base plate needed to go into the fin slot first.  Showed one and the other copied.  Boy did that make their day.  Both were super happy and could not thank me enough.  Was my good deed for the day. 

[robon]

"Most people aren't on sheltered lakes"

It seems to me there was just as many sup related deaths in 2016 on lakes as  rivers and the ocean in North America. A tragic death occurred on on a very small reservoir in Colorado, which would seemingly fall into that "sheltered lake" category. A storm came in quickly over a mountain range, creating very high winds and large waves. A mother of three drowned in front of her boys and the family dog was also lost. Bottom line is wind can come up quick in almost any location, and mountain lakes are even more susceptible to wind events as it is harder to see incoming storms, the weather is more unpredictable, and there is down slope winds as well as prevailing winds.

As mentioned, things just happen out there regardless of what body of water it is and how safe it is presumed to be.

http://kdvr.com/2016/06/24/woman-using-paddle-board-found-unresponsive-at-chatfield-reservoir/

This drowning occurred on lake Tahoe and it was a college football player who had some SUP experience. It was reported swell from this wind event got up to 5 feet high. On the main body of Kootenay lake close to my place, it can go from glass to chest high swell+ in the matter of minutes and it has happened to me on many outings with no warning.  Most recently last year with a loaded board on my trip end to end. Thankfully it was lined up, but someone with no experience would be swimming the entire time and there is a lot of exposure.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article85379467.html

Skaha Lake Pentiction

http://globalnews.ca/news/2801125/man-pulled-from-skaha-lake-in-penticton/

[Eagle]

"What are the safety benefits of a leash is there's no wind, water and air temps in the 80's, calm lake, strong swimmer, wearing PFDs?"

Main benefit is that the board stays close to you.  Someone can fall and crack a rib or have a medical problem.  Staying out of the water is often better than floating in the water.  Safety first is always a solid approach and good to pass that message on to new paddlers for sure.  For rivers and certain situations -> leashes can be a potential hazard.  So good to pass on both the pros and cons.

[SUPcheat]

If a newbie asked me for a lesson, I would lend them equipment and pay for their session with a pro.

Having been in a liability prone profession, and knowing the myriad dangers of the ocean and the need to accumulate the proper reflexes, I think I would not want the responsibility of giving a lesson, and would regard it as cheap insurance to send the person to one of the professionals who do it on a regular basis.

[blueplanetsurf]

Go over the most common mistakes and how to avoid them:


If they do well, you can show give them some stroke technique tips while standing in the water, it's much easier than trying to give them pointers on the water:


If they are struggling with just balancing on the board, these are some good tips:

[SUPlakes]

The first lesson went great.  It was a picture perfect day, she had a blast, and completely pushed herself - we paddled for over an hour.

I gave the safety instruction and also some basic tips, then asked if she prefer a lot of verbal instruction or to watch and mimic.  Not surprisingly, she preferred the latter so we did that and I would give small tips if something looked off.

When she first got up, she feel backwards and almost hit her head on the board.  I had a quick "oh sh*t" moment but was glad she wasn't hurt, just slightly embarrassed and the fall didn't at all shake her nerves.  Then she rocked it, got used the balance and didn't fall the rest of the day.
 
Great videos BluePlanetSurf.  Thanks for sharing. Makes me miss living in Honolulu but can't complain with some of the great places to paddle in NC.

I also recommended that if things ever get sketchy, windy or if balance ever becomes an issue, paddling on knees or even the prone position will help a great deal.  One time I was paddling to an uninhabited island and the wind and currents were very strong, plus I had about 40 lbs of camping gear.  It was impossible to make progress standing (took me 3 hours to go 3 miles) but I got some good kneeling and mostly prone paddling practice in

[addapost]

I also recommended that if things ever get sketchy, windy or if balance ever becomes an issue, paddling on knees or even the prone position will help a great deal.  One time I was paddling to an uninhabited island and the wind and currents were very strong, plus I had about 40 lbs of camping gear.  It was impossible to make progress standing (took me 3 hours to go 3 miles) but I got some good kneeling and mostly prone paddling practice in

That is what I was going to say. I do a little instructing professionally and I ALWAYS include prone paddling in a beginner lesson. I generally start a lesson with folks paddling on their bellies. We'll "race" like that. Throw and chase our paddles. Throw our paddles BEHIND us, then figure out how to turn and retrieve it. I'll often do all that before they ever even stand up. After 10 minutes of messing around like that they are no longer afraid of getting wet, they have worked out the basic mechanics of moving the board forward and turning it. AND they have an important tool in their toolbox in case they ever break or loose their paddle or the wind is too strong to paddle into. Sounds like you did a great job.