Paddleboarding for beginners: board types and how to stand up for the first time

TUREFF• •0

Stand-up paddleboarding, often called SUP, looks effortless when someone else does it. The good news is that on calm water most beginners are standing within their first session. The trick is a suitable board, gentle conditions and a step-by-step approach to getting up.

Board types in plain terms

All-round boards: wide, stable and forgiving. This is the shape most beginners should learn on, and the one most hire centres use.
Touring boards: longer and narrower with a pointed nose, built to travel further and straighter. Better once you are steady.
Yoga and fitness boards: wide with a large, flat, padded deck.
Surf SUPs and race boards: specialised and much less stable.

Boards come as inflatable (packs into a bag, tough and forgiving if you fall on it) or hard (stiffer and slightly more efficient but harder to store and carry). For most beginners, a good inflatable all-round board is the practical choice. Width and volume matter more than anything else when you start. A wider, thicker board feels much steadier under your feet, and heavier paddlers need more volume. Every board has a recommended maximum load; stay comfortably within it.

Before you get on

Choose flat, sheltered water with little wind, such as a lake or a slow, quiet river, ideally where you can stand up in the shallows.
Wear a buoyancy aid and the right leash for the water (see the safety guide in this room).
Dress for falling in: in cold water that means a wetsuit or more.
Go with a friend or, better, book a lesson with a qualified instructor.

Standing up for the first time

Start on your knees. Walk the board into water at least knee deep so the fin does not hit the bottom, then kneel in the middle, near the carry handle. The handle marks the board's balance point.
Paddle on your knees first. Hold the paddle shorter than usual and take a few strokes on each side. Get used to how the board moves.
Hands on the board. Place the paddle across the deck in front of you and put both hands on it and the board.
One foot at a time. Bring one foot up to where your knee was, then the other, so your feet are hip-width apart on either side of the handle.
Rise slowly. Keep your knees bent, your head up and your eyes on the horizon, not your feet. Lift your chest and bring the paddle with you.
Put the paddle in the water straight away. A blade in the water acts like a third leg and adds a lot of stability.

Staying up

Keep your knees soft and let your legs absorb the wobble, with your weight on the balls of your feet.
Look ahead. Looking down is the quickest way to fall in.
Keep paddling. A moving board is more stable than a still one.
Feet parallel and pointing forwards to start, not in a surf stance.

Falling off safely

You will fall in, and that is part of learning. Try to fall to the side, away from the board, rather than onto it, and away from the fin. Hold on to the paddle if you can. To get back on, go to the middle by the handle, grab it, kick your legs up behind you and slide on to your stomach, then come back to your knees.

A sensible first session

Keep it short, stay close to the shore, and paddle into any breeze first so it helps you back. Practise kneeling, standing, stopping and turning, and come back in while you are still enjoying it. How did your first stand-up go, or what are you nervous about? Ask or share in the comments.