As promised, here's the next #SUPtipTuesday! The "Angle of the Dangle" is really important when punching out through the surf, where the "Dangle" is the nose of your board. All kidding aside, when you are starting out in the surf zone with your race board, you want to be sure to keep the nose of your board pointed perfectly perpendicular to the waves. If they're coming in at an angle, you'll want to launch at an angle to ensure you hit them head on, perpendicular. If you hit the waves at an angle, they are likely to catapult you off your board. It becomes very unstable. The easiest way to hit the waves perpendicularly is to use small corrective paddle strokes, as you don't want to be switching sides too much in the surf zone (when you switch sides to paddle, you're likely losing time in the water and the board is losing momentum. It is best to keep the paddle on one side and use the J-Stroke and a modified sweep stroke to align the nose of the board just right.) Once you're sure your board is going to hit the wave at the right angle, CHARGE!! You want to hit that wave with as much energy (if not more) as its going to hit you with!! GOOD LUCK, BE SAFE, HAVE FUN!! Next week, we'll talk more about where to put your weight on your board throughout the punching out process.
