Leg Kicking for paddling

Damage

Do people on here kick there legs when paddling or leave it off,do ye find its more of a drag on the board or actually worthwhile??

Macanri

Damage wrote: »

Do people on here kick there legs when paddling?

There are lots of times when you paddle. You might clarify when, ie are you asking "Do people on here kick there legs when paddling to catch a wave?"
If so, then yes, I usually kick my feet when catching a wave as it gives you that little bit more momentum and thereby I can catch the wave a little sooner and get on my feet quicker.

Damage

Yes it when you're going to catch a wave that I am talking about.

I have never seen anyone kicking just paddling around though:D..have you?

spaceHopper

I'm a longboarder so what would I know but all it does is bring down a section, watch a comp on line or pick a good surfer on the beach, do you see them kicking.

FlashD

Mostly Longboarder here too........... but surfing long enough to know that kicking your legs sounds all wrong, I'd only be thumping the back of my boards anyway.

cue

I see lots of people doing it. I don't. I was taught not to when I first started. The instructor told me to concentrate the energy into arm paddling and keep the legs flat as much as possible to allow the board to move smoothly.
I kick when I'm missing a wave. It never works.

gerk86

yup, find also gives me a bit more momentum and i definatley get onto my feet quicker

Decos

Yep i usually kick but its not a conscious effort, i just end up doing it. Id consider it a bad habit myself and im trying to stop doing it. Dont think it really helps and only disturbs the balance on the board imo

Mercy Seat

I do end up kicking, but am currently working on cutting that one out. Much more experienced mate has pointed out that it does nothing for my balance and I should really be concentrating on my paddling.

Difficult habit to get out of though.

Mickeroo

I don't kick but have a habit of throwing my feet forward over my butt to try and shift more weight to the front, if you know what I mean, is this also bad??

Mercy Seat

I've seen that a few times, seems to work for a lot of the surfers I wouldn't mind being able to surf like. Does it help you when you're popping up at all? I can imagine going from having your feet over your arse to having them under you can be a bit of a tricky manouvre.

Mickeroo

Doesn't interfere with my pop up as far as I can tell and a few times it definitley felt like it gave me the extra bit of thrust I needed to catch the wave.

seachto7

used to kick like mad myself, but got out of it, and concentrated more on paddling, and getting a feel for when the board catches the wave.

I suppose I was concerned with focusing on my pop up rather than gaining any speed....

keryl

Always wondered if it helps to kick, always figured longboarders didn't have to but I have seen some do it. Legs bent up does help to paddle quicker and push the board forward a bit.

cornbb

Never do it myself, tried before and find the board just thrashes around too much. Like keryl, I like to be able to bend my knees to get my legs forward (and therefore my centre of gravity forward a little bit) if necessary at the last minute.

Overature

if you kick, it moves your centre of gravity from the centre of the board where it should be and when the waves hits it will be a lot harder to control it and there is a greater chance of being thrown off. also it will increase drag if you feet are in the water and will slow you down. thats what i find any way

OuterBombie

Similar to other posters, I don't kick, mainly as I transition a lot especially this time of year between my shortest board (5'8 fish) to my semi-gun (7'0"). While kicking on one would be easy, kicking on the other (the bigger) would upset the whole board. I find it better to be consistent so when the transition to the bigger board happens I'm not reminding myself not to kick, or worst again, start kicking and end up ejecting over the falls.

I did read on another thread about paddle power (over on surfermag, I think) to think about where you legs are while you paddle for a wave. It mentioned having your legs out the side of the board (in the water) which causes drag versus having your knees and feet close together, using the buoyancy of the board to keep them out of the water, reducing drag, making the paddle easier and faster.

I thought it was interesting advice and when I tried it I noticed I kept my legs in anyhow.....

Please God, let there be waves over the christmas....