How To

Paddle Monster Coach Larry Cain covers "the exit" on our fifth in the series on land-based, home paddle drills from our April 1, 2020, Facebook Live.  #technique #paddle #landdrill #paddlemonster #sup

Coach Larry Cain will be on Facebook live today March 24, 2020, at 3 pm EST on Paddle Monster's Facebook page here covering more land-based technique work that you can do on your own in your home! NOTE: It’s not our position to offer information...

Paddling with others is what allows us to make the most of the sport we love. Many of us are very fortunate to have a paddle league or group in our area that gives us access to share racing, adventure, or club-style gatherings while...

Ways to Help Avoid Roof Rack Catastrophes Last week I did something I have done a thousand times: loaded my surfski and my 9’4” SIC Fish sup surfboard onto the top of my Adventure Toaster (Honda Element) and set off for the water. This time,...

I went out in a novice canoe this past weekend and there were a lot of discussions on technique and having the entire club following a set of the same fundamentals. I think this will help for new outrigger paddlers as Super Coach Travis...

It's with incredible sadness that another friend in our paddle community, Josh Hensley, has passed. After another paddle death, the community world-wide mourns. We just can’t believe that it happened. Regardless if you knew Josh or not, you mourn. You wonder if it could...

by Coach Larry Cain You’ve probably all heard of Malcolm Gladwell and his “10000 – Hour Rule” from his book Outliers, which states that to be a world-class expert in something it takes approximately 10000 hours of practice. While I think the number 10000 is somewhat arbitrary and...

Hellow Mullets! Just A Quick Update, We Added A New Feature To Classifieds Tonight That We Encourage Everyone To Use. The "Mark Sold" Option is prominently displayed on any Classified Listing you own. This allows you to easily click, Mark Sold, to let your...

I find that one of the most useful things I can do when paddling is to visualize the path of the paddle in the water.  Understanding what you should be trying to accomplish with the paddle to move your board forward with optimal efficiency,...

I was reviewing posts yesterday about the Maui to Molokai and came across one of their rules and it struck a chord with me. It's brilliant and applicable and so well said that I needed to share it with race directors and paddlers alike....

After a dramatic and challenging day of competition, Fiona Wylde has been crowned Sunset Beach Pro Champion for 2019. In the lead up to the event, Fiona was looking quietly confidant and self assured in the tricky line-up at Sunset Beach, rapidly gaining respect...

A lot of us think or believe that we could never ride a board, never mind a raceboard, in the waves. The truth is we can. And here are a few tips to check out. 1. Start on a small day. And when I say small...

River Shredding With Michael Tavares We can't think of anyone we'd rather learn whitewater with than Mike Tavares...he posted this awesome instructional video on his Facebook page on how to do a Backside Crossbow 360 on a river wave.  Makes it look soooooo easy. (And Shred...

NSP Team Rider, Travis Grant, 3x Molokai Champion of SUP and 1x Molokai Champion on OC-1, with wins at Carolina Cup, King of the Harbour NZ and countless others and is a coach at Paddle Monster. Also in this how-to series: Technique with Travis – Proper paddle length Technique with...

This is an observation for race directors looking to get more people to come and enjoy their races. When you have a challenge that goes beyond a simple 5K or 10K race, one that has obstacles that transcend a straight line, a start and a...

Time in the V1 Rudderless Outrigger Vic Allen gets great coaching in this video in which he makes paddling the V1 Va'a outrigger canoe look easy!    

Three Weeks Away from Paddle Racing Season The Carolina Cup, what many on the East Coast and in professional racing circles consider as the start of the new racing season, is less than a month away. That means veterans as well as first-timers alike are starting...

Five Most Common Ocean Downwinding Mistakes Downwinding season is right around the corner, and as the folks from Blue Planet Surf remind us in this video, downwinding in the ocean is very different that in a lake or on a river, even if that river...

Don’t Be Afraid to Fly with Your V-Drive The thought of packing my Quickblade paddles used to scare the living daylights out of me. But, after awhile, I got tired of borrowing blades or renting inferior ones and decided to invest in a good bag...

Thriving in Paddle Training Just doing the miles isn’t enough. To perform well, you need to do more than just miles. Paddle Monster Coach Larry Cain explains how bringing in different elements of training while simultaneously putting in the miles, is the different from a...

Joe Bark's shapes are unmistakable.  Period. When I came to my first SUP race, six years or so ago (the Cold Stroke Classic) Bark SUP boards were pretty much all I noticed. They are unmistakable too, but when I think of a classic Joe Bark...

It's All About the Brace I've come to believe that the brace is the most under-taught and under-utilized of the paddle strokes, especially in standup paddling. It is essential in paddling outrigger - because if you do not learn to brace almost without thinking on...

How to Remount a Surfski Surfski is growing in popularity...as more and more paddle athletes are seeing its value as a cross training tool and are lured into it by the speed and the fun. (That's my excuse, anyway - I take possession of my...

First of all, let me be clear. As far as I can see it, there is no dominant governing body that can regulate races. At all. So, no one is imposing anything on anyone. We are a collective group of independents. This could change...

Assisted Surf Ski Rescues Helping a fellow paddler is something we all will likely have to do at one point or another.  Knowing how to use your craft to rescue someone in the water is essential knowledge.  Here's a great video from  Alex Matthews and...