How To Use Your Swimfins: Slyde Handboards Beginners Guide

DALTON SMITH FROM NPI PRODUCTIONS TALKING TO YOU ABOUT HOW TO USE YOUR SWIMFINS

We're gonna be talking about the techniques of kicking and paddling so you can get an idea of what you need to be doing when it's time to catch a wave. 

We're gonna put you guys in the pool, show you exactly what it looks like when we're diving under the wave. Show you what it looks like when we're kicking and all the different techniques to make sure that you're getting as much time in the water as you can.

We got our fins. We got our leashes. We got the Wedge by Slyde Handboards and we're gonna jump in the pool. 

How To Walk With Swimfins On:

The proper way to walk with your fins on is to slide backwards and drag your feet across the ground. This is going to ensure that you're not going to trip and fall and hurt yourself or anyone around you. You will fall if you walk forward. 

How To Do Basic Kicking Techniques:

Just like a regular swim, but your feet are gonna be a little bit more loose. You wanna have this fluid movement, like this so your feet are naturally kind of going on a wave and you just go back and forth, left and right. 

How To Choose What Hand To Place The Handboard On:

Next, we're gonna have him paddle because that's, you know, equally important to catch the wave. We're both right-handed. I put the board on my left hand, Sam puts it on his right hand and that's totally preference. So for me, my right arm is my stronger paddle arm so that's why I put on the left. Sam likes to have his on his right arm because that's his stronger bodysurfing arm. So try both and see what works for you.

How To Kick And Paddle To Catch A Wave:

There's that moment where that wave picks you up where you have literally caught the wave and you are moving forward. So you need to kick and paddle as hard as you can until you feel that moment.

Bottom line is you need to stroke hard and make sure that you're following through. Some people will like hit the water and halfway paddle and you just think about the next stroke. When you hit the water, paddle all the way through. Paddle all the way through and kick at the same time and once you catch the wave, don't stop kicking. Some people catch the wave and they give up on the kicking. You'll hit flat spots, you'll hit parts of the wave kinda dies out. If you keep kicking, you'll make it, you'll keep going through.

How To Duck Dive:

Now that we've talked about kicking with your fins on along with paddling to get into the waves, we're gonna talk about going underneath of the waves or duck diving on your way out into the lineup. When you're making your way from the beach to where the waves are breaking, you're gonna have to go through a lot of whitewater or breaking waves. This is just gonna slow you down and make you tired. So the best thing to do is a duck dive.

You're simply gonna hold your breath, dive to the bottom, and swim towards the rear of the wave. When you come up, the wave will have passed and you're gonna be able to go through all of that energy without being slowed down and moved back towards the beach. 

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