TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

by | Jun 27, 2020 | Uncategorized, Blog

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

If your into stand up paddleboarding you probably want to spend more time doing it and would love to get to a better level where you fall in less, paddle faster and can surf more waves? The best way to improve is to get more practice paddling but there are other ways you can improve your stand-up paddling without even touching the water. Training For stand up paddling may seem like it’s a little overkill for the average leisure paddler but I promise you it will make such a big difference to your overall health and fitness not to mention your supping performance you won’t want to stop.

Stand up paddle boarding training is a great way to stay healthy and fit, whilst practicing movements that you know will mean you’re more stable on a sup. These exercises will improve you turns and ability to catch waves easier on a stand up paddle board. If you looking to get that dream SUP body give some of our top 20 sup exercises a go have been specifically chosen because of their relationship to Stand Up Paddle boarding and the potential benefits they have to improve muscle strength and endurance as well as work the energy systems needed for stand up paddling.

Before doing any of our stand up paddle boarding exercises make sure you have completed a full warm up and only try the exercises that you are capable of performing and ensure you have clear and area around you to lessen the chance of injury if you do fall off.

For some of these exercises, you will need the following.

Bosu Ball

The Bosu ball is the perfect sup training piece of equipment for any home workout or gym. Not only is the Bosu ball going to mimic the unstable surface of the water but will hell improve your balance and stability with any exercise, which is perfect for paddler as we could all improve our balance coordinate and strengthen our muscles

Swiss Ball

The swiss ball is a stable in any gym but also another great tool helping to in prove stand up paddleboarders multiple muscle groups, whilst strengthening the body’s core specifically the  abdominal and back muscles which are some of the prim muscles used in stand up paddle boarding, its also great for helping to improve balance, coordination and trunk strength all whilst helping to speed up sharpness in reaction time anticipation and awareness

Balance Board (Indo-board)

The Balance board or Inboard has been used in the board sports world for a long time This simple piece of equipment is easily made at home and is perfect for helping to improve  balance as well as foot flexibility and strength, which benefits all board sports especially stand up paddlers and surfers. In addition, you can use this board to perfect shuffling or cross stepping technique through increasing their stepping agility.

Stability disks

The stability disks are great for stand up paddle boarding as they mimic the unstable nature of a board in choppy conditions helping to make any exercise more realistic and more in line with the needs of a paddler.

Resistance band

The resistance band is going to perfect for mimicking the resistance of the water on your paddles and will give you multiple resistance point and angles to which you can mimic the movements of paddling. It’s worth getting a variety of strengths in resistance bands as you may want resistance depending on what exercise you are performing.

Weighted bar/ barbell about 5-12kgs

A weighted Bar will be supper helpful when training for paddling the sup as it can help strength wrists and grip strength as well as condition the lower back, abs and really works the shoulders perfect for mimicking paddling in the ocean a barbell is ideal or any weighted paddle with work.

Medicine Ball 5-12 kgs

Medicine balls or wall balls are a great piece of equipment in the gym for stand-up paddlers and they can help make movements more function and help to improve the dynamic strength in more powerful exercises

These pieces of equipment aren’t essential, but they can help really improve your stand-up paddle boarding ability and especially for more advance paddler test your core strength and stability to mimic the relief muscle of paddle boarding

  • First of all, before you do any of these exercises make sure you have a good warm-up and improve mobility and increase heart rate before performing any exercises as it will minimise the risk of injury

1 SWISS BALL PIKE

  • The swiss ball pike is great for paddler looking to improve their abdominal core strength as well as the upper body and shoulders this is going to help create function movement and contraction in the should helping to strengthen the rotate cuss and build some built proof shoulders for stand up paddling

2 SWISS BALL TUCK THROUGH

  • The swiss ball tuck through is super functional for your core and upper body and requires incredible foot dexterity and leg strength to twist through the motion ideal for improving your core strength for pivot turns in a race or the surf

3 SWISS BALL PUSHUPS

  • Swiss ball push up is a classic for a lot of water sports and boards sports as it will help strengthen the chest, triceps core as well as really work on your upper body balance and control not to mention improve your functional strength for paddle boarding

4 SWISS BALL SQUAT

  • The swiss ball squat is not to be attempted lightly this as an advanced exercise only for the advanced and the brave, make sure you have a soft land around you in case you fall off and if you do fall try land on your feet with legs bent. This exercise is perfect of paddleboards to improve their leg strength and stability in a function movement like the squat. Just like paddling on the sup this squat will be unstable and need continuous balance to stay on top.  These are great for stand-up paddler looking to improve their balance and overall fitness for sup

5 SWISS BALL LATERAL RAISES

  • Swiss ball lateral raises are ideal for all stand up paddleboarders you can do them either on the swiss ball or on the floor kneeling. The great for building strong shoulders back neck to help keep you injury free on longer races.

6 SWISS BALL RESISTANCE PADDLES

  • Swiss ball resistance paddles are Problay the most life like supping training you can do the paddle and the resistance band mimic the waters resistance when pulling the blade towards you and then standing on the swiss ball ads another element of stability and lower body and core control. If you wanted an easier version give this a go on a Bosu ball or stability disks

7 SWISS BALL WEIGHTED PADDLE

  • The Bosu ball weight paddles is the perfect exercises to train those shoulders for a paddleboarder controlled movements over many repetition really make this one a shoulder burn.
    Try to keep this one slow and controlled and you will start to feel your deltoids, back, biceps arms and chest not to mention your lower body for stabilisation and core to maintain balance and good form.

8 BOSU BALL PUSH-UPS

  • The Bosu ball push up is a great exercise to help strengthen paddleboards upper body specifically the chest triceps core and lower back, perfect for building up endurance and strength in the arms

  • For more advance paddler with greater fitness level try our advanced one-legged Bosu ball push up this is really going to stress the core and lower back more to build up more endurance in those areas. If you are feeling strong alternate the legs and get a little hip flexor action as well.

BOSU BALL PUSH-UPS (advanced)

  • Balance board Push-ups are a more difficult version of the Bosu ball Push-ups as the balance board require more upper body shoulder stability and practice to do correctly, start off with 2 feet on the floor and if you want it to be more challenging take one leg off the floor to involve the stomach muscles a lot more

9 BOSU BALL SPIDERMAN PUSH-UPS

  • The Bosu ball spider man Push-ups just like the normal version but ads more core stability into the movement whilst having to stabilise the upper body and contract the abs. this a full body movement and will smash that upper body

BOSU BALL SPIDERMAN PUSH-UPS (advanced)

  • This advanced version of the spiderman push-up on the balance board or indo-board is really going to test your upper body and core strength as some points you will only have 2 points of contact making this movement very unstable forcing your core to be used more and to work harder to keep you stable.  Great exercise for developing function core strength that will give you better balance on the sup and improve your balance whilst turning the sup.

10 BALANCE BOARD PLANK

  • The balance board plank is perfect to test your abdominal endurance. Just like a normal plank its going to test your isometric contractions of the full body specially the abs and lower back but doing in on a balance board (indo board) will turn up the heat and make it very unstable and difficult to remain in one position.

11 BOSU BALL ONE LEG

  • To make this one a little harder take 1 foot on the floor in your plank position keeping your upper body and core stable without the BOSU ball wobbling to much. Ensure that your tense your abs and glues to stop the lower back and the spine taking all the weight.

12 BOSU BALL WALL BALLS

  • Bosu ball wall balls are a tough exercise for stand-up paddlers. This one is going to be explosive, dynamic, and more difficult to control and balance the Bosu ball. Try and keep the bosu ball and balanced as possible without wobbling to much through this exercise. As you throw the ball try to fully extend your legs and then absorb the weight of the ball by descending and slowing to a gradual stop with no rest between reps

13 BOSU BALL DEADLIFTS

  • Bosu ball deadlifts are a great lift to really strengthen the hamstrings and glutes whilst using most major muscles, whilst standing on the bosu ball try to use lighter weights to begin with as your legs will have to work harder than normal to maintain balance and stability. This is also a great lower back exercise

BOSU BALL DEADLIFTS 

(ADVANCED)

  • For the more advanced paddler with really good balance give the balance board deadlift a go as with will more challenging and difficult to maintain balance. Ensure you keep good form through this exercise as it’s easy to injure yourself if you use too much weight or perform the deadlift with bad form

14 BOSU BALL DUMBBELL CLEAN AND PRESS

  • The Bosu ball dumbbell clean and press is a super functional movement that will strengthen legs arms shoulder core and of course improve your balance and stability. When Doing this movement ensure you keep your back as flat as possible limiting any bending of the spine all whilst maintain the Bosu ball as level as possible. This exercise can help mimic long distance racing or sprints because of the leg movements and the high intensity 

15 BOSU BALL BENT OVER ROWS

  •  A traditional big movement compound exercise ideal for helping to build a big strong back but whilst also working the core strength, stamina, and upper body stability. This exercise is ideal of working that lower back and butting it under to heavier stress   whilst mimicking the unstable ness of standing on a sup.

16 BOSU BALL TORSO TWISTS

  • The Bosu ball torso twist and super functional and work multiple planes of movement first of standing on a bosu ball is going to test your balance and stability whilst twisting against a resistance band works your core strength and puts more pressure through the legs which is similar movement to making a turn on a sup bringing the paddle from side to side and putting pressure through the core to stabilise or turn the sup. These exercises can help massively improve core rotational strength and make a big difference when it comes to staying on the sup in choppy conditions

17 PULL-UPS

  • Pullups the ultimate exercise to gain some serious strength for a paddler. If you struggle to do pullups unassisted try adding a resistance band around your feet or knees to help pull you up or use a suspension trainer to mimic the movement but with less weight. Pullups are great for stand up paddlers as they help to strengthen the upper back biceps lats scapula and rotator cuff all muscles that take a big beating paddling so it’s a great idea to add in strength training to keep them strong helping to prevent injury from over use in paddling   

18 OVERHEAD BOSU BALL LUNGE

  • Works multiple body parts at the same time, predominantly shoulder and arm mobility and strength and simultaneously controlling and stability and balance on the balance ball. This exercise fires up the glutes hamstring and quads whilst really making you focused on the movement and keeping the external weight outside of your centre of gravity making it more difficult

19 BOSU BALL LATERAL HOPS

  • Bosu Ball Lateral hops is a great dynamic workout that’s going to make training a bit more interesting this is a great way to help work on foot placement, dexterity and also specifically jumping up and down the board to change position, all whilst trying to keep your balance.

20 LUNGE TWIST

  • The lunge is a great exercise for paddler as it works the glutes hamstrings quads, hip flexors and core adding in a weight twist helps to make this movement more difficult and stand up paddleboard orientated as it works multipul planes of movement. Try and do this lunge 12-15 reps each side for 3-5 sets depending on your fitness

20 LUNGE TWIST (ADVANCED)

  • A great lower body exercise working on glute and quad strength whilst also activating your core and arms through the torso twist, super functional helping to improve your core rotational strength and functional stability perfect for adjusting your paddling stance and stroke to adapt to the condition or waves.

For more stand, up paddle boarding exercises check out our other videos and blogs on how to train for stand-up paddle boarding and the best exercises to improve your SUP training

Related Posts

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

If your into stand up paddleboarding you probably want to spend more time doing it and would love to get to a better level where you fall in less, paddle faster and can surf more waves? The best way to improve is to get more practice paddling but there are other ways...

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

After the explosion in popularity of the wave Bristol surfer alike flocked to Bristol to get some guaranteed waves in perfect conditions but as a paddleboarder as well I asked the question can you use a sup at the wave Bristol. I wasn’t alone after checking out...

The Wave Bristol On Beast Mode

The Wave Bristol On Beast Mode

Are You Good Enough To Surf The Wave Bristol On Beast Mode After the flurry of hype and internet clips that went viral in the UK surf scean the wave Bristol is not doubt a massive success and a big hit with the surfers of the UK. With its ideal placement for all the...

First Surf At The Wave Bristol Review

First Surf At The Wave Bristol Review

First Surf At The Wave Bristol Review" In November we took some of our team rider Joss to check out the wave garden Bristol and see what all the fuss was about. When we arrived at the wave Bristol, we were pleasantly surprised and the incredible facility they have...

5 Top Tips To Catch More Waves At “The Wave Bristol”

5 Top Tips To Catch More Waves At “The Wave Bristol”

5 top Tips to caTCH waves at "the wave bristol"5 Top Tips To Catching More Waves In 2019 were lucky enough to be some of the first to surf the wave Bristol which is the world first fully commercial wave garden using the cove technology. We travelled up to Bristol to...

The Ultimate “KOOK” Test?

The Ultimate “KOOK” Test?

by | Mar 25, 2020 | Uncategorized

The Ultimate “KOOK” Test?

16 Reasons You Might Be A Kook

For generations the term “kook” has been used to describe many a surfer if the term sound familiar it might be because you have used it to describe another surfers or other surfs have described you as a “Kook” but what really is a  kook and how can you tell if you are one?

In the surf world nothing is more infamous than the world kook it’s been in pretty much every Hollywood surf movie since the 60s the term in the surfing scene prodomantly means “poser”, or someone basically who pretends to be someone they not trying to fit in with surfing image whilst exaggerating their claims to surfing ability and experience. It can also mean some one that doesn’t follow the surfing etiquette or ruins waves for others.

A definition of a kook could be described as “a mad or eccentric person” or A person regarded as strange, eccentric, or crazy.

But as surfers it’s a lot more about how your act what you wear and the equipment you ride for instance a kook might be some one posing very hard as a surfer because they like the idea of the surf lifestyle but can’t actually surf,

Surfing is mainstream whether we like it or not it’s been in newspapers magazines video for the last 30 years but with the rise of mainstream surf culture comes the rise in kooks that also want a little piece of that surf lifestyle. Who wouldn’t want to surf all day in the sunshine and life the care free life of a 60s pro sponsored surfer form everything from “surfer style hair ” to your surf yoga retreats in Bali it’s never been easier to taste a little of the surfing lifestyle.

With more surfers than ever entering the waters and carparks of our favourite surf sports there will be a rise in the kooks of the world, but you might be thinking I been surfing a while but am I a kook?

Are You A Kook?

Well the best way to tell is if you answer yes to any of the following questions

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Kookslams (@kookslams) on

All the stickers but can’t surf

(a classic sign for newbies and kooks alike is stickering up your brand-new board like a fully sponsored athlete but then paddling out like you about to drown is a no go)

You don’t know the surfing rules or etiquette

(You act like you know them, but you paddle obliviously in to wave and drop in on people with priority with little regarding for other surfers in the line-up)

You wear board shorts outside your wetsuit

(an instant kook labelling for anyone who does this no leeway)

You fall off a lot in a very clumsy way

(falling off in weird ways and postures is a clear sign that you haven’t mastered the basics of a surf stance)

You’re surfing is out of control

(You can’t control your board and are surfing literally like a torpedo heading towards surfers paddling back out in the line-up)

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Kookslams (@kookslams) on

You try and run before you can walk

(You surf ok and have some experience form surf lessons and camps, but you paddle out into line-ups that are way beyond you surfing skill level)

You pretend to be better than you really are

(You brag about waves you caught and bigging up your surf game without having the skill to back it up)

Put your Wetsuit on backwards

(We may have all had this kooking moment at one time or another especially if you don’t realise even the pros get it wrong some times, but its always a telling sign if you paddle out with your knee pads on the back of your legs and the zip at the front)

You have a brightly colours wetsuit but can’t surf

(In the surf world  peacocking matters. Same as a surfboard full of sticker, The colour of your wetsuit matters just like a peacock if you got the loudest bright pink or neon yellow wetsuit you going to attract a lot of attention. If your surfing not up to par it’s only going to label you as a kook)

You wear boots of gloves with board shorts

(It’s a common sight in warmer weather and tropical destinations wearing booties or gloves with boards shorts to protect your feet and hands from the rocky walk out. For most it’s a rite of passage as we do the reef dance all the way out)

You carry your board wax side closest to you

(A telling sign you don’t know what you are doing is walking up to a surf spot with the freshly waxed board facing your wetsuit or board shorts quickest way to tell how long you been surfing?)

Put your fins in backwards or wrong side

(Many funny surf pictures have been taken with the fins in the wrong way. we have all seen someone in a car park or walking on the beach with the fins of the board facing the wrong way instants kookery)

You drop and snake everybody in the line up

(sometimes because you an asshole sometimes because you a kook, but either way it’s never good)

You checked the kook tests

(That’s right if you needed to know if you are a kook you Problay are!!! only joking we all have our kooking moments from time to time even the pros have moments when they make a simple mistake or a kook mistake, if you are a kook its ok you can embrace it and take measure to make sure you not seen as one next time you visit your local break  

You checked the kook tests

(That’s right if you needed to know if you are a kook you Problay are!!! only joking we all have our kooking moments from time to time even the pros have moments when they make a simple mistake or a kook mistake, if you are a kook its ok you can embrace it and take measure to make sure you not seen as one next time you visit your local break  

Hopefully you found our Kook test a bit of fun and didn’t take it to heart if you have any other ideas or things they you find kooky send us a message and we will be sure to add them to our kook test

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Kookslams (@kookslams) on

Related Posts

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

If your into stand up paddleboarding you probably want to spend more time doing it and would love to get to a better level where you fall in less, paddle faster and can surf more waves? The best way to improve is to get more practice paddling but there are other ways...

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

After the explosion in popularity of the wave Bristol surfer alike flocked to Bristol to get some guaranteed waves in perfect conditions but as a paddleboarder as well I asked the question can you use a sup at the wave Bristol. I wasn’t alone after checking out...

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

by | Mar 25, 2020 | Uncategorized, Blog

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

  • After the explosion in popularity of the wave Bristol surfer alike flocked to Bristol to get some guaranteed waves in perfect conditions but as a paddleboarder as well I asked the question can you use a sup at the wave Bristol. I wasn’t alone after checking out internet forums and getting a whole load of questions ourselves about the wave we headed over though the wave Bristol website and it stated that they currently only allow surfboards body boards and bodysurfing with hand planes at the moment.

  • So that’s a no then but there is a glimmer of hope for the future as they do state that there may be specialist events of slots in the future that Stand up paddler and kayakers alike can use the wave, but nothing in the regular season or the foreseeable future just yet. We still keeping our fingers crossed that they would let in stand up paddleboarders in to surf the wave so will keep you updated if that changes.

  • In the mean time if you wanted to get your wave pool up of a sup or a kayak the only place that currently lets you nab a few wave is the wave harden in surf Snowdonia because of the much bigger pool and different wave making technology I guess it’s a lot save to have a 10kg sup surfing down the break with less chance of you hitting someone.

  • One thing is for sure if the do let paddleboards in the surf Snowdonia I can only imagine the carnage of trying to take off in the smaller take of area I would guess they would limit it to about 5-6 paddle at any one time to limit the amount of collisions and keep the take of area free

For more information about the wave check out the full-length Vlog

Our top 3 surfboards for the wave Bristol

 

Related Posts

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

If your into stand up paddleboarding you probably want to spend more time doing it and would love to get to a better level where you fall in less, paddle faster and can surf more waves? The best way to improve is to get more practice paddling but there are other ways...

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

After the explosion in popularity of the wave Bristol surfer alike flocked to Bristol to get some guaranteed waves in perfect conditions but as a paddleboarder as well I asked the question can you use a sup at the wave Bristol. I wasn’t alone after checking out...

The Wave Bristol On Beast Mode

The Wave Bristol On Beast Mode

by | Feb 28, 2020 | Uncategorized

Are You Good Enough To Surf The Wave Bristol On Beast Mode

  • After the flurry of hype and internet clips that went viral in the UK surf scean the wave Bristol is not doubt a massive success and a big hit with the surfers of the UK. With its ideal placement for all the southwest of the UK surf community it’s easy to guarantee yourself some wave year-round now in the UK. After surfing the advanced wave, ourselves we thought that waves was fantastic innovation and so glad that the UK is leading the way with a few more waves pools planned over the next few years. The advanced wave has Lots of varied sections and hade some really fast elements that made it all quite exciting, but the question dawned on a lot of surfer where do we go from here?

what to expect

Like most surfers the endless search for bigger more challenging and thrilling waves is always there and the wave might start to get stale after a few times of surfing it. For this small percentage of surfer, they were left wondering when they will make it bigger, can they make it bigger? What’s the next step up for and expert surfer? Well the Wave Bristol just announced it will soon be making some of its more advanced wave settings available for those good enough to ride them.

Now we have no problems atall with the waves they producing at the moment and from a business side of things having the different levels and waves suitable for the majority of surfer is perfect but you will always get that 10% of wave hungry rippers that want to shred something bigger faster and heavier. Well the people at the wave listened and the wave Bristol will soon be launching their expert setting or as some call it the “Beast Mode”.

Now if you started frothing at the mouth with the idea of getting barrled in some bigger faster hollower waves just hold your horses as it’s not quite open to everyone.

Through their testing and health and safety checks they have seen a lot of surfers over the few months its been open over estimating their ability on the already busy advanced wave, with lot of people bailing boards and not making the take-off even on a chest hight runner. This puts into question who would be good enough to ride the expert wave? Lots of surfers might think themselves expert but are that at that level without putting themselves and other in danger.

According to the wave they have announced that they will be running a licence to ride scheme by which surfers who wish to surf the expert setting will have to sign up to an assessment day were they will be assessed on their surfing and then the setting gradually notched up to the real deal to see if their surfing is on the level. If the surfer passes the assessment based on their surfing, they will be awarded a pass that allows them to book online in the future into the expert sessions.

For surfers surfing this wave I think it’s a smart idea having to prove your ability first before you go paddling headfirst to a concrete slab. Not only does it tick all the boxes for the health and safety risk assessments and insurance companies, but it also gives every other surf out there the confidence to surf the wave to their maximal ability without having to miss 3-4 waves because someone went over the falls and is now stuck in the way. If you have the expert pass it means your surfing is good enough and that can only mean more waves when the surf get good.

According to the wave’s website the expert setting (Beast Mode) will be the biggest, longest and fastest waves available with various challenging sections. Ideal for performance surfing, including clean open faces and steep barrels,” with face heights reportedly up to 2 meters and 12-16 second long rides. 

 

If that doesn’t get you heart beating faster and frothing at the mouth then I don’t know what will?

Here’s is what the wave Bristol have said to expect from their NEW expert setting 

  • The wave: our biggest, longest and fastest waves with various challenging sections. Perfect for performance surfing, including clean open faces and steep barrels.
  • Face height: 1.6-2.0m
  • Ride length: 12-16 seconds.
  • Waves per session: around 10 – 12 waves per surfer.
  • Suitable for: more advanced surfers who understand surfing etiquette, have mastered the fundamentals and are confident handling a faster take off and more powerful wave.
  • Wave direction: available as lefts or rights, your choice.

So that sounds amazing and sign me up to the next session, but what are the standards on which surfers will be judged before they can enter the expert wave? Well to get your golden ticked for the expert wave, hears a list of things all surfers should be able to do before they get assessed.

To surf the “Beast Mode” you should be able to:

  • Comfortably ride waves above 2.0m
  • Paddle in large waves and strong currents
  • Duckdive
  • Take-off consistently
  • Generate speed
  • Perform turns
  • Negotiate sections
  • Demonstrate respectful surf etiquett

 

Now you know what you have to do to surf the expert wave you may want to find out where you can sign up for your assessment day. click the link below to sign up for an expert’s wave assessment day

For those of you like us who can’t wait to get in to some bigger Bristol waves  this is guaranteed to get you fired up even more. Bigger, heavier and longer waves on tap in Melbourne wave garden facility this is what the potential of the wave Bristol could be on the expert “Beast Mode” setting.

We want to know what your thought are on the wave offering an expert wave setting and having a surfing assessment to get the golden ticket to go surf it. Are you looking to surf the wave on the expert setting, comment below and let us know?

For more information about the wave check out the full-length Vlog

Our top 3 surfboards for the wave Bristol

 

Related Posts

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

If your into stand up paddleboarding you probably want to spend more time doing it and would love to get to a better level where you fall in less, paddle faster and can surf more waves? The best way to improve is to get more practice paddling but there are other ways...

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

After the explosion in popularity of the wave Bristol surfer alike flocked to Bristol to get some guaranteed waves in perfect conditions but as a paddleboarder as well I asked the question can you use a sup at the wave Bristol. I wasn’t alone after checking out...

First Surf At The Wave Bristol Review

First Surf At The Wave Bristol Review

by | Feb 11, 2020 | Uncategorized, Blog

First Surf At The Wave Bristol Review”

  • In November we took some of our team rider Joss to check out the wave garden Bristol and see what all the fuss was about. When we arrived at the wave Bristol, we were pleasantly surprised and the incredible facility they have made not just the surfing lake but the board shop fin test centre as well as the whole architecture of the building itself. As a surfer it really made you feel like you were among your own.
    When team rider joss first saw the wave, he couldn’t believe his eyes and frantically getting ready for his advanced session on the left-hander was looking at which board to use and would be best suited to the wave.
    .

1 -choice of surfboard

Joss opted for the predator in a 5’6 as we handed something with a little more float than his tradition higher performance board but could still deliver on the performance he wanted to achieve on the wave.

After surfing the lefthander for an hour and getting the full experience of the wave garden Bristol we asked joss to give us his thought on the wave and what he thought about it.

this is what joss had to say

“Insane such good fun perfect to practice to get better its ideal its easily accessible ideal for the flat days”
“It’s a little bit cold, definitely recommend boots and gloves as its way colder than the sea if you are surfing the winter”
“You got a left and a right, loads of sections on offer, what more can I say”
“Boards wise a little small wave board you can get a lot of speed on flick around and do the turns, something that goes fast”

Joss surfedf the 5’6 predator surfboard at the wave for the reasons stated above and for us it would be a great option for intermediate to advanced surfers looking to surf the wave 

The predator Is designed with the perfect balance of high-performance features and modern comfort. So it makes sense for a wave-like the wave garden Bristol. Its shorter, wider and thicker than most people’s average shortboard and Its got plenty of volume and width upfront under your chest which helps with paddling in and speed sown the wave. The shape is then pulled back into a more refined rounded pintail, giving the board a unique riding style and the performance of a lower volume surfboard.

You can see if the videos of joss that he has no problems catch the wave and creating instant speed part of that is to do with the higher volume up-front witch gives it that ease of use when paddling and pumping down the line, whilst the pulled in tail you can see makes that transiting in turns super smooth, fast and responsive allowing you to get tighter turns as the waves sections. 

how to catch more waves @ The wave bristol

For more information about the wave check out the full-length Vlog

Our top 3 surfboards for the wave Bristol

 
Hopefully, you found this blog helpful and will give you a good idea of what to expect at the wave in Bristol and give you a bit of a tactical advantage when it comes to catching more waves.
If you know any other ways to catch more waves at the wave Bristol feel free to message us in the comments box below

Related Posts

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

If your into stand up paddleboarding you probably want to spend more time doing it and would love to get to a better level where you fall in less, paddle faster and can surf more waves? The best way to improve is to get more practice paddling but there are other ways...

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

After the explosion in popularity of the wave Bristol surfer alike flocked to Bristol to get some guaranteed waves in perfect conditions but as a paddleboarder as well I asked the question can you use a sup at the wave Bristol. I wasn’t alone after checking out...

5 Top Tips To Catch More Waves At “The Wave Bristol”

5 Top Tips To Catch More Waves At “The Wave Bristol”

by | Jan 24, 2020 | Uncategorized, Blog

5 top Tips to caTCH waves at “the wave bristol”

5 Top Tips To Catching More Waves

  • In 2019 were lucky enough to be some of the first to surf the wave Bristol which is the world first fully commercial wave garden using the cove technology. We travelled up to Bristol to check it out and were joined by our team riders dan Jeffery’s and joss brooks after getting to the wave and being blow away by seeing the first set come through, we couldn’t wait to get out there. Our team riders Dan and joss surfed the left-hander and Ben the co-owner of SBSboards surfed the rights, after their sessions we all sat daw talking about the wave and came up with our top 5 tips for catching more wave at the wave Bristol and how if you do some of these tips you will make the most of every wave available at the wave.

1 -Take A Higher Volume Surfboard

Whenever you look at a wave you want to look at the attributes of that wave and the features as well as the type of surfboard best suited to it because the wave is a relatively smaller wave with some flatter less powerful section, we would recommend having a little extra volume in your board for improved paddle power and driving down the line.

Having a few extra litres volume in your surfboard can also help when paddling in for the waves at the wave Bristol. You only have 2 attempts at catching the wave so if you’re not quite in the right position or miss time it, you might find yourself wasting your opportunity and having to catch a white wave in and miss your go for that set of the wave.

The extra buoyancy will help with paddling speed and allow the wave to pick you up a bit easier than a lower volume board. It will also help when on the wave as some sections are weaker and you either need to work the surfboard more to stay in the power zone or have a few litres extra to help get you through flatter and faster sections.

Also if you didn’t know salt water is different to freshwater in regards to buoyancy and how things float on that water if you have been to the wave and used your normal saltwater surfboard you might find you felt underpowered than you usually do in saltwater waves

Saltwater, if you didn’t know, is more buoyant than fresh water, the wave Bristol uses freshwater at its lagoon. But it’s a bit more complicated than that. The buoyancy is also factored by the temperature of the water as well as in the ocean salt density can be a factor.

For the scientific among you, you might know that One cubic foot of saltwater and freshwater do not weigh the same. The saltwater cubic sample would be 64.1 pounds while freshwater would be slightly less 62.4 pounds. Why? Because of the added weight of the extra salt.

The science states that water molecules bond with salt molecules and therefore when compared to freshwater saltwater has more molecules’ overall because there is more weight added to the water it becomes denser. The higher the density of the water the more your surfboard will float. An easy way to remember is to thing more salt the more buoyancy you are going to have. If you think about the salt levels that might help you chose a better option for surfing.

Famously the dead sea has about 20% more salt in it than the rest of the world so people can float very easily in it, the same thing with your surfboard more salt in the water will be pushing you back up to help you float. Were as in freshwater you don’t have any extra help

There is also the issue of the temperature of the water. Depending on when you go surf the wave may affect what type of surfboard and how many litres you ride at the wave, Bristol. If like us you headed to the wave on a winters day you no doubt going to be covered from head to toe in a wetsuit and that wetsuit might just help give you a bit more buoyancy but if you head to the wave Bristol in the summer you might be surfing in boardies or a bikini and that could affect your buoyancy of you on the surfboard quite a bit.

Coldwater and warm water have different Density!

What….. I know even more to think about but stay with me. The Densities of salted and unsalted water change depending not just on the content of salt but also temperature. In warmer climates the Water molecules speed up and spread out, meaning they occupy a larger area there for less dense. cold water is the exact opposite with water molecule’s occupying a smaller space so depending on the temperate and if you are wearing a wetsuit or not might mean you should adjust your surfboard dims

So what does that mean when I go surfing the wave?

Adjust your surfboards for the wave, Bristol, by either upping the volume of your board or opting for an EPS Construction (Expanded Polystyrene)  in your surfboard as the EPS is much lighter in weight than traditional Polyurethane (PU) and this means that the EPS board hill has better buoyancy and float.

2 – Take Off Close To The Wall

If you want to catch more wave and maximise more time on each wave your takeoff will be critical. At the wave, you are all bunched up in the corner right next to the wave generator once the waves start to produce waves you want to be in the correct spot to take off. Each surfer has 2 attempts at a wave before they have to ride the white water into the intermediate area and then paddle back round re-join the queue by which time the set would have stopped and you would have missed your chance to catch more waves.

When the waves start, make sure you stay close to the wall in the take-off zone marked by 2 red poles which are where the wave will start to break. Ideal you want to paddle into these markers to make your pop up as easy as possible but you will also get the most speed taking off close to the wall it will also give you an extra second or 2 to set up your wave and even think about a cutback to the peak.

Taking off close to the wall all give you a steeper drop and a bit more speed going into your first turn. If you take off more on the shoulder the drop-in is less steep and easier but will give you less speed so will need to generate more as you go on the wave

3 – Have A Good Fitness Level

It goes without saying but if you are surfing in the advanced surf area you will want to make sure your fitness is pretty good and specifically surf fitness. It’s all well and good going to the gym and doing a bit of running but this is surfing so those heavy squats and bench presses won’t help you to much here.

Whilst talking to our team riders we watched a lot of surfers who struggled with paddling. I spoke to said surfers who said they had neglected their fitness through the winter and then arrived at the wave to find out they were too out of shape to paddle and pop up, resulting in them catching fewer waves or making more mistakes and bails on waves because they were tired.

 At the wave, there is only a limited amount of time between sets to rest up and if you looking to catch 2 waves every other set you will have to be paddling hard to get back to the take-off point. You don’t want to pay all that money for a session and 20 minutes in be struggling to paddle back out because your arms feel like dead weights.

Taking off close to the wall all give you a steeper drop and a bit more speed going into your first turn. If you take off more on the shoulder the drop-in is less steep and easier but will give you less speed so will need to generate more as you go on the wave

Fitness we would recommend for surfing the wave

  • Being able to paddle for a long time continuously and have enough energy to pop up
  • Being able to get into position faster when you see an approaching wave, and not being too knackered to catch it when you get there
  • Being able to catch waves easily up to 2 meters (if your pop up isn’t great get a bit more practice)
  • Being able to turn and paddle for a wave quickly after long periods of paddling
  • Being able to paddle back into the line-up faster
  • Being able to surf for longer and at a higher intensity
Click below for surf fitness training

By improving your surf fitness, it will help you catch more waves over your 1-hour session and maximising your time and money at the wave Bristol

If you’re a regular surfer even in the winter months and surfing consistently a few times a week or every day then you will have no problems at the wave and your paddle fitness will be perfect to catch more waves at the wave garden.

4 – Catch the First 1-2 Waves Of The Set

If you want to catch more wave and maximise more time on each wave your takeoff will be critical. At the wave, you are all bunched up in the corner right next to the wave generator once the waves start to produce waves you want to be in the correct spot to take off. Each surfer has 2 attempts at a wave before they have to ride the white water into the intermediate area and then paddle back round re-join the queue by which time the set would have stopped and you would have missed your chance to catch more waves.

When the waves start, make sure you stay close to the wall in the take-off zone marked by 2 red poles which are where the wave will start to break. Ideal you want to paddle into these markers to make your pop up as easy as possible but you will also get the most speed taking off close to the wall it will also give you an extra second or 2 to set up your wave and even think about a cutback to the peak.

Doing this will require you to have a good fitness level and be back in position fairly quickly but for advanced surfers, this might be the difference between you catching an extra 5-6 waves more than any others in your session and at £40 a sessions you are going to want to make the most of your time in the water.

5 Chose The Right Surfboard

Like any wave in the ocean, those who are lucky enough to have a few surfboards in their quiver will look at the conditions and then pick a surfboard based on what the conditions are, for instance, if it’s a smaller 2-3 foot day at your local beach and you have limited time to surf you will Problay go for a small wave surfboard something wider in width flatter in rocker and some more litres that you normal board as you need all the speed possible.

If we break down the wave you can look at a few factors that will affect surfboard performance

  • Size of wave
  • Wave shape
  • Surfing ability
  • Surfers weight and height
  • Water density

    As we discussed in our first point water density can make a big difference in the float of your surfboard so the first thing you should consider is, Do I need a few extra litres than my normal shortboard, if you can take an epoxy surfboard or use one of the many available at the wave. You will see nearly all the boards available for use at the wave are epoxy and designed with a wider thicker outline combined a flatter rocker to maximise fun.

    Because of the size of the advanced wave at Bristol you are going to want a board with a wider width or flatter rocker to help keep all your speed on the wave, there are faster sections as well as fatter less powerful parts so having a board that can keep your speed is essential. The wave also has a small but fast barrel section which is great fun for any advanced surfer but can be tricky for those still progressing. This is where a board with a smaller more pulled in tail can get the best of both worlds with all the speed power and flow of a wider bigger board but with the manoeuvrability of a more performance surfboard.

    Depending on your skill level will also affect your surfboard choice if you are just getting used to open-faced waves and surfing along the face of a wave I would suggest having a higher volume and length surfboard that can give you a lot more speed and stability through your session

    Depending on your skill level will also affect your surfboard choice if you are just getting used to open-faced waves and surfing along the face of a wave I would suggest having a higher volume and length surfboard that can give you a lot more speed and stability through your session

    Our top 3 surfboards for the wave Bristol

    Hopefully, you found this blog helpful and will give you a good idea of what to expect at the wave in Bristol and give you a bit of a tactical advantage when it comes to catching more waves.  
    If you know any other ways to catch more waves at the wave Bristol feel free to message us in the comments box below

    Related Posts

    TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

    TOP 20 BEST SUP EXERCISES FOR HOME OR GYM

    If your into stand up paddleboarding you probably want to spend more time doing it and would love to get to a better level where you fall in less, paddle faster and can surf more waves? The best way to improve is to get more practice paddling but there are other ways...

    Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

    Can you sup at the wave Bristol?

    After the explosion in popularity of the wave Bristol surfer alike flocked to Bristol to get some guaranteed waves in perfect conditions but as a paddleboarder as well I asked the question can you use a sup at the wave Bristol. I wasn’t alone after checking out...

    []
    ×
    GET £10 OFF YOUR ORDER

    Get a discount in your email!