How to Get Back On a Paddle Board After Falling | Best Method

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Hi! SUP Eddie here! I’m a Paddle Board Instructor and avid paddler from Southern California. In this video I’m going to show you the best method on how to get back on your paddle board after falling.
There’s a couple key steps that a lot of people forget about so make sure you watch the whole thing so you don’t miss it!
Key take aways from this are…..
1. Don’t Worry About the Paddle
2. Come From the Side
3. Use the Handle
4. Clear Enough Space with Forearms
5. Rotate Your Body
6. Retrieve the Paddle
If you missed any info you can read it in my blog at koapaddleboard...
If you are new and want to learn the proper way to paddle board, feel free to check out my “How To Paddle Board” guide. It has a lot of useful hints and tips to give you a great sup experience.
Check it out here: koapaddleboard....
Lastly, don’t worry if you take a splash. Remember, it’s just water :)
See you in the next video!
-SUP Eddie

[@SwinglerESZone]

Hey all, if you are learning to get back on it is always best to practice in calm waters like a pond, lake, or marina away from boats. If you are trying to do this out in the ocean with swells, hold onto your paddle. I know not everyone has ideal practicing areas, but like I said, always practice in a safe environment before tackling rougher terrain. Have fun!

[@hollyjunejacobs7675]

I'm a short, big busted, late 50's woman, not in the best shape, and I'll be wearing a vest-type PFD. After reviewing a lot of vidoes on how to get back on the board, THIS is the one! Body mechanics! Thank you! I'm going to look and see if you have more instructional SUP vidoes!!

[@blammela]

Just put today w life jacket on. Could not get back on with out flipping the board over. My board is leaner then his.

[@jeaniewilleford4190]

What exercises would help with getting back on ? Push-ups? Ect?

[@emmyo6678]

72 years of age. Got on my brand new SUP board 2 days ago ...going back out today. I hurt my ribs trying to get back on the board so I'm going to let the ribs heal and start training myself again next week. Will still be on the board on knees. Cannot stand yet but that's ok. Only had it 2 days. I will keep on going. ❤️🌊🌊🌊☀️

[@SwinglerESZone]

Take your time. There's no rush. Glad to hear you are getting out there.

[@sharondawson8389]

Thanks for the tip about using forearms to clear space when wearing a life jacket

[@user-js9gn2hw9s]

Good advice...2nd year paddler here. First time today for the season....yayyyyy

[@newlotusyoga1652]

I'm not a strong swimmer. So lesson number one is always wear your life jacket and not leave it pinned to the SUP thinking it will be there if you need it. I did have my ankle clip on because I figured if I fall in I'm just going to swim up to the board and get on. This would have worked if I didn't have a paddle in my hand. The reason I fell in in the first place was after trying to reach over for a special baseball cap that I was wearing which was quickly getting away from me after it fell in. The water was a bit wavey but nothing I hadn't been on before. Lesson number two for me would be be very aware of the activity and behavior of the waves. After seeing my hat drifting off, I don't think my paddle would have behaved any differently. Therefore I did not want to end up being "up schitt's creek without a paddle". As I was struggling to hold my paddle and the board to keep me afloat I was feeling rather panicked. That's lesson number three don't panic which is a little difficult to do when you're entering fight or flight and your dense body just wants to go under. That's when I learned lesson number four. If you're going to be away from the shore bring your partner. In this case if it wasn't for my wife I might have gone under. My wife relieved me of my paddle helped me to relax while she paralleled next to my board which was upside down by the way. On that note I'd like to see a video on how to flip your board over. I don't remember how we did it I think between the two of us, now that I had my other hand available to me, we managed to flip the board and then at that point I was able to crawl back on with my wife's assistant. In hindsight, I really believe I would have lost my paddle if I let go of it. I guess I should have done that if I was in a life or death situation. It would be interesting to see a video of somebody in the water trying to get back on a flipped board with the water being a little rough. I'm 60 years old yoga teacher and still have a lot of strength left and I just wanted to say strength has nothing to do with it. It's all about technique and above all staying CALM..... And wearing your damn life jacket if you're not a strong swimmer. FYI ... the incident happened not that far off the shore on a very large Lake called Lake Simcoe, in Ontario. The lake can be unpredictable at times and can go extremely deep in certain areas. Please be careful 🙏

[@jayduncan9315]

Super helpful. I'm new and have fallen off and really struggled getting back onto the SUP. I should have kicked my DANG LEGS!! That would have been a game changer!! LOL!!

[@ericthompson7191]

Thanks Eddie! The plank analogy really makes sense to me as I have been having trouble getting my chest up on the board. I was trying to drag across to board and kicking like mad but it wasn't working. Cheers.

[@stacg45]

Love your videos! Easiest tips! Can’t wait to get out there and try them! Thank you for sharing! ❤❤❤❤

[@mcorbin5408]

Last time i fell, I flipped the board by grabbing the handle. The freaked me out even more. I'm going to practice the forearm technique tomorrow.

[@jacquelinepinto4139]

Thank you very much! It was very clear, I’ll be going for my first SUP on Wednesday! ✌️

[@jacquelinepinto4139]

Yay!! I managed my first SUP simply following your instructions so thank you thank you so much 😊

[@SwinglerESZone]

I'm glad this video was helpful, and I hope you had a great time!

[@patricksaucier1203]

What can i do to get you to keep making instructional videos and help promote you? I've watched a lot of them and your two are really good and helpful for beginners.

[@lisalaser3698]

Great info; high speed, low drag. I like your style and I need more of these vids!! 😀

[@patricksaucier1203]

Excellent! Exactly the instruction I need.

[@stevenmoore7923]

Brilliant .. im out this weekend for the first time on board .. very helpful

[@learnwithmeonline5161]

Great explanation!

[@stephenfarthing3819]

Again. Good points. And I will be heeding the side situation of the board.

[@vincenzaasparacino7845]

YESSSS FINALLY SOMEONE WHO TAKES THE BOOBIES INTO ACCOUNT 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I have the hardest time getting back on and I’ve actually been paddle boarding for a while now so it’s kinda embarrassing so I’m excited to try this method tomorrow

[@shenaniganswithbrenda4623]

I just want to thank you so much. Yours is the best instructural videos there is on KZbin. You were right to the point. I'm going out tomorrow to do it for the first time hopefully it's not going to rain. But I have enough confidence now myself after watching your videos that I'm pretty sure I'm only going to fall off about maybe twice just to see if I can get back up now. Thank you

[@SwinglerESZone]

Thank you! Have fun out there!

[@melindasapp8500]

Thank you for your great tips for beginners! We are going for the first time tomorrow and you did a very nice job of explaining this for beginners.

[@catherineaillerie5134]

Thank you so much, very instructive video!

[@kevywilliams3304]

awesome ! But forearms on a floor are not the same as when you’re in water . The board wants to flip . Need a rope hanging from the handle .. with a loop for the foot

[@annnorth9255]

Excellent!

[@suesalmela]

thanks, going today for the first time!

[@andrewbutcher3391]

Most useful video I’ve seen…👍

[@SirNoobs]

I'll take the forearm trick into account next time. I had all the problems you pointed out with my board - instead of a center handle it has two side handles and every time I reached over to grab the handle it would flip over. Also it didn't help that I had a kayak PFD on with a big chest piece.

[@LucaBogdanGrigorescu]

This might be a little late, but FYI: you can attach a ring or two to the middle of the board (look for kits in the SUP stores), then attach some kind of neoprene handle to it.

[@JourneyOfLight_ShamanOfMemory]

Watched quite a few SUP videos and found yours the most informative. Would be great to have more videos... Would you consider this? Thanks for sharing your info. ❤ Im learning SUP to help reduce my panic attacks. Breathing rapidly and tense bodies always knocks me of the board. However if I relax I feel I become one with the board and the ocean. I'm not a strong swimmer so tips on helping another who has fallen and struggling to get on would be great. Or how to navigate the swells in freak winds that go from 0 to 40km like we have here in Melbourne Australia.

[@djackio]

I was always able to get back on a hard board, but got a shock today when I couldn’t get on my new inflatable. I tried just pulling myself up the side and couldn’t do it. Will test this method out tomorrow!

[@erickrueger6885]

great video, just getting started in using a sup.This helped a lot.

[@annnorth9255]

How about some videos on some basic gym exercises to help strengthen, add flexibility, as well as balance, to make your paddle boarding experience even better. I can tell you definitely workout in the gym as well as enjoy water sports. Just some basic foundational exercises. not supreme heavy duty muscle building. I would think it helps to warm up your body a little before embarking on a paddle board adventure especially for older adults etc. Thanks love you clear instruction 😍

[@victoriatempleton925]

Google How to Train for SUP - I found great help on line. Happy paddling !

[@terracobb6149]

Just from lots of SUP experience, you need to have great core strength as well as forearm strength. Do any kind of workouts that target those two areas and you’ll be ahead of the game when you start out

[@kevinli8552]

I can do it on the ground as well, would be much better if you can show us in the water once.

[@sabukol]

thanks !

[@abderrazak6122]

Nice video.

[@danielscott1749]

for beginners or older people. a shot rope with a loop at each end run one loop under the centre handle , thread 2nd loop through the first use second loop as a foot hold and use your leg to lift you . bingo bingo your back on the board easy peaze.

[@ricciano]

Great vidéo..

[@WheystedGainzAndArtisticMe]

What if the current moves the paddle

[@ellendieringer8418]

Yes- that helps , my life jacket WAS in the way the forearm tips helps

[@WheystedGainzAndArtisticMe]

Well you can and meant to hold on too the paddle and when fall.and don't matter if in not deepish water

[@sallyhewitt4920]

My blu wave isup has handles on each side of the board and I do not have a handle in the middle. Do you have any suggestions for me? It is so frustrating! As long as I can touch bottom I can haul myself on the board but if I am out of my depth I struggle.

[@JosieJayD]

So I tried to enter from the side but the other side of the paddle board pops up when I push myself up. How to I make the board even when pulling up.

[@SwinglerESZone]

There are several things that could be occurring, but what it sounds like to me is you have too narrow a board for you. 32"-36" wide is recommended for beginners. If that is not the case, reach for the handle in the middle of the board. Use my forearm technique and kick with your feet behind you.

[@AndyRomero]

better show that on the water.

[@sweetiebee8187]

Ohhhhhh! 😁😊

[@nikkistewart8885]

How do you get on a paddle board from a dock at low tide?

[@SwinglerESZone]

You should start on your knees. If board is on your left, swing your left leg over then follow with your left hand. Now bring your right leg. Your right hand should be holding the paddle firmly pressed against the dock. Use your right hand to push off the dock, and you're good to go.

[@kabukiarmadillo]

Tossing your paddle aside while you get back on the board... A paddle typically floats just below the surface of the water not on top of it. Tossing the paddle might be okay if the water is calm like a lake. On any sort of dynamic water -- ocean, river -- a paddle -- particularly a black paddle like most of them are -- can be hard to find again if it ends up in the water. I would not let go of it in those circumstances. Ask me how I learned this lesson. :D If your paddle is black put a couple of bands of highly visible Gorilla Tape or duck tape on the blade. Waterproof the edges of the tape with a bit of Marine Goop or similar. It makes it easier to spot if it gets away on you although it will still be a challenge. Getting on the board with a life jacket... On inflatable SUPs the handles aren't embedded. They are straps which can be hard to grab when you are in the water. An easier way to get on a SUP -- hardboard or inflatable -- is to simply push the edge of the board closest to you down into the water. As the board tilts toward you press up against it and reach across to the handle or the far edge of the board whichever is easier. NOW lean forward with a bit of a kick and the board will flip back into place lifting you and your PFD up and on. Subtle trick that refines the technique you describe here. Happy paddling...

[@SwinglerESZone]

Excellent advice. You are correct if you are in turbulent water. I should have made it more clear that this advice was for people who are just starting and who tend to do so in a safe and calm place like marinas or ponds.

[@nailsenkal58]

Don't leave your paddle behind, it will float away!

[@bc5001]

I know it goes without saying but.........NEVER EVER take your lifejacket off to help get back on if you are struggling.

[@SwinglerESZone]

You are 100% correct. Safety should always be priority.

[@tobewiser1629]

It would be best if you teach this in the water.