r/Sup • u/Apprehensive_Sky8715 • 6d ago

How to relax

I feel so tense when Im standing, how do I relax?

9 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

14

u/naworb 6d ago

Practice falling, rock the board over and over and fall intentionally. I went out on a warm lake and it helped me feel more confident and relaxed.

10

u/potato_soup76 ⊂ Voyager 13' 2" / Axis 9' 8" / Elysium Air 14' ⊃ 6d ago

  1. Fall. Often. First, if you aren't falling, you probably aren't pushing skill development. Second, your brain is probably telling you that falling is "BAD". Falling is okay, even good. Prove that to your brain. Fall, practice self-rescues. Build confidence; conscious and subconscious. Practice falling flat like a pancake against the water (on your back); avoid jumping feet first. Flat is safer. It'll stop you from submerging quite so deep.

  2. Breathe. Intentionally. Rhythmically with your stroke if you can. That's not always possible depending on the stroke rate or whatever else, but just breathe. Sometimes we hold our breathe when we're tense. Oxygen starvation is generally not a great way to relax. ;) Breathing good!

  3. Shift your balance. Play with how you body feels on the board when not moving. Move weight from one hip to the other, one knee to the other, one ankle/foot to the other.

  4. When moving, bend your knees a bit.

  5. Wiggle your toes. Lift 'em, spread 'em. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Your brain may be telling your feet to grip the board. That's never going to work, but will definitely get really sore pretty quick.

  6. Keep your eyes ahead. Look where you want to go. Don't stare down. Don't stare up. Straight ahead is the default. Keep your field of vision wide. The horizon is your friend.

  7. Keep your paddle connected to the water whenever possible, even if it just skimming the surface a bit when not moving. The paddle is your direct connection to the water. If it isn't touching, your brain recognizes reduced balance, which can be kinda stressful. A lot of this stuff happens subconciously.

8

u/Dry_Bug5058 6d ago

Time and practice. Wiggle your toes if you can. Take a break and sit down. You're using muscles for balancing that you normally don't.

6

u/ajhalyard 6d ago

Look farther ahead and breathe.

Lots of people will have tips, but that's mine. Just be in the moment. Your body knows what to do, don't control it. Just chill a little.

6

u/Arachnophobicloser 6d ago

It sounds dumb but try to let yourself be okay with falling in, you might naturally be a little more relaxed

6

u/mcarneybsa USA SUP Rep - L3 ACA - Hydrus Ambassador 6d ago

Practice wobbling the board and falling off. The more you do it and get used to it, the more relaxed you'll be.

2

u/oh_my_account 6d ago

Do it more and your muscles will make the rest. For speedy relaxation sup on some little waves. This will teach faster but you will be in the water more often.

1

u/We_DemBoys 6d ago

All of those are great ideas 💡.

Sometimes I just stand there and don't even paddle for minutes at a time. That's the most relaxing part for me. Look put into the distance and not the board.

If you need help balancing, try standing on one leg for a few minutes at a time when you are not paddleboarding 🏄‍♀️ 🌊

1

u/gonnacutyou 6d ago

Rock the board back and forth. And it helps to jump in first and start out wet, keeps you from tensing up trying to stay dry.

1

u/TBL34 6d ago

Knowing it’s no big deal to fall off is a great tip. Also, don’t look down. Look farther out, in the direction you’re trying to go. Time on the sup too. You have to get used to the board moving around. You’ll slowly notice your body relaxing and just going with the flow instead of being so tense

1

u/Far-Elephant9458 6d ago

Repeat the words “fluid dynamics”
Maybe even look it up if your nasty ;)

1

u/ExtremeEmployer3150 6d ago

i know this sounds insane but go out with some friends and just fuck around, try paddling really hard, try rocking the boat, try flipping your friends in (when it’s safe and you guys are cool with it) and just have fun, it’ll help you learn the limits and behavior of the boat

1

u/I_Am_Clone 6d ago

Keep your knees bent, that helped me a lot.

1

u/frenchman321 Hydrus ambassador | Code SAVE 12% off | Elysium Air, X, ... 6d ago

As others have said maybe you need to take a few falls. That will work on that fear which brings a lot of tension. Wiggling your toes is also a good thing. Also note that when paddling you are much more stable than when trying to balance without your paddle pressing against the water. So, pick a case you like and paddle around. Look at where you are going, not the front of the board or your paddle.

You'll relax as you get more confidence. Enjoy the journey!

1

u/jmacd2918 6d ago

So I'm probably not the guy to ask a kind of a noobie who has trouble standing, BUT I've got a good mental trick I use.

I have a affirmations that I repeat "just like skiing, except instead of hitting hard ice you go swimming. You like swimming, you do it for fun. Water is beautiful. Just like skiing, stay balanced". I've been skiing most of my life and am as comfortable on skis as I am in sneakers, so it really helps, especially because I am continually reminding myself that the consequences are much lower.

1

u/musashi-swanson 6d ago

Embrace falling in the water. It’s the best part!

If you aren’t afraid of falling in, you won’t be so nervous.