Fitness and Race League sessions are 1.5-2.5 hour practice paddle sessions led by our coaches where we work on SUP technique. For some people, it is a good chance to prepare for an upcoming race, but for most, it is a chance to learn paddle technique and perfect them with a set of drills. Not everyone is interested in racing, however, everyone that joins in these sessions sees incredible improvements in their paddling.
For our first FRL session of 2022, the sun was out, Jenn Fuller was leading the session with 18 members on the water, all ready to take on the new year. During this session, we focused on our footwork. Most people don’t like to move around on their board but moving on your board is important for a number of reasons. 1. Moving your feet can be helpful to keep your feet relaxed and stop from cramping and 2. Depending on the conditions, moving your feet can help you paddle more efficiently, 3. It is the starting point for that ever popular party trick, the buoy (pivot) turn.
One of the drills we worked on was paddling, then taking a step back and invoking a brace. You can see the members trying it out in this video. We did a few variations of this; trying the step back with both feet, with the paddle on the side of the foot moving back, and with the paddle on the opposite side. For many, there is a preferred side so working on this on both slides is tricky but useful since sometimes you don’t have a choice depending on the conditions you are in.
Hopefully this will give you a taste for what Fitness and Race League sessions are like. We’d love for you to join us. Check out our calendar to see when the next session is being held.
