The Three Phases of the SUP Stroke
When learning proper technique for the forward stroke, it’s helpful to break it down into separate phases. The reality is that the stroke is one fluid motion, where each phase blends subtly into the next, but by focusing on one at a time, we can emphasize key elements that lead to a more efficient stroke.
The three phases are the Catch, Power, and Release. As we go through these phases, we want to keep the two foundational principles in mind. Our goal is to secure the blade in the water and pull ourselves past it, and to do so using the large muscle groups in our body. With that:
Catch: This is the initiating phase of the stroke, where you secure the blade in the water to give you something to pull against. The most important ideas in this phase are that you submerge the entire blade fully, before applying any pressure against it, and that the blade is set at a forward angle. You should set the blade so that you’re reaching comfortably forward, but not over reaching. Your bottom arm should be straight, but not locked out, and your top arm should be relatively straight, though individual style and mobility will show different paddlers with varying bends in their top elbow.
Power: The power phase is when you work to pull yourself past the submerged blade. There are a few ways to do this, but in general, we want to focus on using our lats, core, and hips as the primary drivers of the stroke. Key to doing this is to not let your paddling side elbow bend, or “break”. If this happens, you end up using the smaller muscle groups of your forearms and biceps as opposed to the larger groups. A useful analogy is imagining you’re on a skateboard and have a fixed pole that you’re using to pull yourself past. With your arms reaching out to grab the pole (this loosely mimics the position you’re in at the catch) you’ll move your hips forward and pull yourself past.
Release: The release is a subtle part of the stroke. Essentially, you’re just taking the paddle out of the water, but if we focus on a little technique, we’ll set ourselves up for better glide between strokes and a good setup for the next stroke. We want to finish the power phase as our lower elbow starts to pass by our hip, which will put the blade just behind our feet. At this point, you want to roll your knuckles of your bottom hand forward, or point the thumb of your top hand forward, so that the blade “feathers” or slices out of the water. This allows the blade to exit the water easier and with less drag, while also putting your body in a position to recover to the front of the stroke quickly. We’ll cover this more in a future tip when we talk about the rhythm of the stroke.
A note on three phases
Three is a bit subjective. Different paddlers think of it in different ways. Coach Johnny Puakea breaks it down into just two phases, while accomplished paddler and Quickblade founder Jimmy Terrell counts four. The number is less important than the actual technique, and goes back to our foundational principles: secure your blade fully in the water and use your whole body to pull your board or kayak past that point. An efficient recovery will allow your body to rest, minimize energy loss during this non-pulling phase, and set you up properly for the next catch.
