April Zilg
- Mar 5, 2019
- 2 min read

#SUPtipTuesday Tip #31

Today's #SUPTipTuesday comes in the form of an #AskApril :-D "I’ve noticed some paddlers standing with one foot forward and the other back, essentially facing out. What are the pros/cons of this?"⁣ GREAT QUESTION! I hope these 3 main points cover the pro/con list and answer your question!! 1. Most guys are going narrower and narrower with boards, they may be standing staggered because they need to with how narrow the board is. ⁣ 2. The other reason is to extend stroke length on the open side. If you put your right foot back, you can get more rotation and longer time in the water with your blade, you would switch feet every time you switch sides. If you are not proficient, then this could really tweak your lower back. Also, most people would not switch very smoothly, and it would cause a loss in momentum and you would miss some powerful strokes. 2a. The longer-in-the water stroke is useful for an all out sprint on one side at the end of a race. ⁣ 2b. Sometimes I use a slight step back in my stroke in longer races to move around a bit, this helps keep the feet awake and utilizes different muscle groups to keep you fresher longer. ⁣ 3. Maybe these guys see some bumps you don't see! Remember that we want to control the pitch of our board sometimes too (this is the front to back rotational plane). Lifting the nose up over wind chop or driving it down into a small boat wake or wind bump is only possible by shifting your weight forward and back - and this can only be done with that staggered stance. ~⁣ You'll definitely see me utilizing both a staggered stance when surfing, downwinding, punching out, or sprinting! But I find I derive the most power in the "powerH" position that I use for power lifting. ~What stance do you SUP in the most? Why? Let's hear it!! 👇⁣ 👇⁣