SUP skating isn’t widely talked about. At least not in the UK. Previously called land paddling there’s been a resurgence of interest in SUP skate across the pond in the States. Brands such as Hamboards have always championed the discipline. And yet, all surf skates are ripe for a bit of ‘stick’ fun!

SUP skating – why would I?

Just as surf skating aims to mimic surfing so SUP skating aims to replicate stand up paddle boarding on land. More specifically the wavey end of the spectrum. Think top turns, bottom and carving. The only difference between SUP and surf skate is the paddle. Or pole as some refer to it.

Sometimes it’s just not happening on the water. The surf may be blown out or it’s totally flat. Yet you want your fix. When Mother Nature’s not playing ball it’s time to bust out the SUP skate! If you’re still not sure check out the video above where you can see us SUP skating the local park.

Is it really paddling though?

There’s certainly synergy between ‘paddling’ an oversized surf skate and paddling your SUP. That said there are a few differences with the actual paddle stroke. Hence why the activity has been relabelled SUP skating.

Paddling implies a catch and pull motion as the blade moves through the water. You can’t really do this with SUP skating. It’s more of a catch and push. So slightly different biomechanics. Nomenclature aside there’s no question SUP skating works similar muscles and keeps riders fit for their next on water session.

What else?

As with surf skating riders are looking top utilises the additional lean and carving ability of their setups to imitate how a surfboard behaves on a wave. The same principles can be employed when looking to mimic SUP surfing.

Although riders push with their paddle the nimble and agile surf skate performances imitate SUP surfboards and give the impression of laying a rail. If you ride at a skatepark and roll on transitions you can work on timing and paddle placement. Unlike surfing a SUP surfer should leverage their paddle at all times. Dig a stroke in during a top turn delivers additional power for spray chucking. This can all be drilled when SUP skating.

Maybe…

You mightn’t be sold on SUP skating thinking it to be kooky and not for you. Which is fine. Each to their own. There’s no question, however, just how much a surf skateboard can help if you do fancy indulging. Scope the video below to see how a surf skate can help with SUP skate power slides which can be translated to the water.

And remember, you don’t even need to go the whole hog as far as kit goes. If you purchase a Waterborne Skateboards surf adapter you can retrofit it to an existing setup and enjoy the additional lean in a more affordable fashion.

Head over to the online shop where you’ll find plenty of surf and SUP skate equipment choices. If you need a hand get in touch.