SUP racing scene is taking off worldwide with inclusive and open event formats popping up and spanning mass participation and amateur SUP races where paddlers have a unique opportunity to paddle alongside pro SUP athletes.
A seamlessly executed beach start is one of the most challenging elements of open water SUP racing and a technique that gives paddlers a competitive edge when mastered.
Infinity Team Rider and Ocean Athlete Zach Rounsaville breaks down this striking SUP racing technique with his super slick beach starts. This hands-on tutorial focuses on beach start foundations, performance and speed to help paddlers get ahead of the pack and take their SUP racing game to the next level.
1. Paddle Grip
Hand placement on your paddle is crucial: Hold your paddle in the hand that will be your “bottom hand in your first stroke”, that way all you have to do is catch the paddle with the top hand and start paddling.
Experiment with the set up: Depending on your board size and handle set up, there are numerous options for how you can grip your board when setting up for a beach start. You should grip the board in such a way that easily allows you to control the pitch of the board while you sprint.
Transfer all that sprint power and speed onto your board: The key for stability in your beach start is speed, to help maintain the momentum from the sprint and get ahead of the pack you have to use your whole body to launch your board out in front of you. Imagine an outfielder or a wide receiver diving for a ball and you will have a good image of what your body should look like!
Faster for less energy: Doing beach starts in the flats seems easier to drive your body up in one smooth motion (similar to a burpee). When encountering waves, you want to take advantage of a little free energy available. Time your pop so that the momentum of going over the wave helps to throw you to your feet. Practice will help you get to your feet a little faster for less energy.
Warming up with a couple starts right before the race is a great way to wade out into the water and find the point where you are approximately knee deep. At this depth you have hit the trade-off between running speed and having enough water to avoid catching your fin. Aiming for that point when you launch yourself should ensure a clean entry.
6. “Beach starts are all about speed”: Questions answered
In a nutshell:
• Hands don’t change positions until you are actively popping up!
• When going into waves you want to always be perpendicular to the wave and place your board at the crest or slightly behind so you aren’t immediately smashed by it
• Speed is your friend and you want to go as fast as you can without rushing your movements
The Infinity Blackfish is undeniably one of the most renowned race boards in the SUP world. The all water design sparked up unmatched levels of buzz in 2018 when Kai Lenny returned to competition and dominated the APP World Tour Sprints in London. We were there to witness it first-hand! The eagerly awaited 2025 Blackfish […]
Infinity SUP athletes made a massive impact at the 2024 PASA Pan American Surfing Games in Punta Rocas, Lima, Peru, clinching three gold medals and one silver across SUP Surf and SUP Race events. Peruvian SUP Surfers Sebastián GĂłmez, Vania Torres as well as Puerto Rican and Argentinian SUP Racers Mariecarmen Rivera and Juliette Duhaime […]
The 2024 Agios Nikolaos on SUP, held in the stunning coastal town of Agios Nikolaos, Greece, marked the fourth stop of the ICF SUP circuit as this year’s only SUP World CUP . This prestigious event, which ran from September 27 to 29, attracted an impressive roster of athletes from 17 countries, competing across three […]
Infinity Speed Freak Candice Appleby, the undisputed queen of SUP racing, continues to shape the sport both on and off the water. After her major victory at the Pan American Games in Chile last year which followed a new Gold medal at the 2022 ISA World Championships in Puerto Rico, she’s been focusing on recovery […]
Anik Wild, the co-founder of Tahoe Watermans Landing, provides an insightful glimpse into Lake Tahoe’s allure as a premier destination for Stand Up Paddling and other paddle sports. With its stunning alpine landscapes and crystal-clear waters, Lake Tahoe offers a unique setting for paddling enthusiasts year-round. Anik’s journey from a career in ski racing to […]
Jay Wild, a prominent figure in the US paddling community for close to 20 years, offers insights into the thrilling 2024 Tahoe Downwind Championships, set for August 17. This event, the second stop of the prestigious Tahoe Waterman Paddle Racing Series, promises an exhilarating challenge for all ocean paddle craft enthusiasts. With the breathtaking backdrop […]
Mariecarmen Rivera, the acclaimed SUP Racer from Puerto Rico has recently been announced as the winner of the 2024 Euro Tour. Demonstrating unparalleled skill and determination, the Infinity Speed Freak dominated the European SUP Race circuit by winning three races and securing a second-place finish in the fourth. Her success was significantly boosted by the […]
This website uses cookies in order to make it easier to use and to support the provision of relevant information and functionality to you.
Necessary Cookies
Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
3rd Party Cookies
We use a set of third party tools to provide information on how our users engage with our website so that we can improve the experience of the website for our users. For example, we collect information about which of our pages are most frequently visited, and by which types of users. Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!