A little introduction to surfski

Last year I wrote a small introduction to surfski in Danish.
I have now done an English version, that you can find attached to this post.
Please feel free to copy and use it if you like. 

Paddling is very popular in Denmark. We have lots of friendly coastline and it can be quite windy, but it's not really surfski territory. My surfski introduction was intended to stimulate interest for paddlers, who are new to surfski, to introduce them to surfski ocean race, and hopefully also help them with some useful advice. I am not trying to do any kind of official or complete guide, it is basically written to provide some thoughts, that I think I would have found useful myself, and which reflects my personal experience at this time.

I thought it would be fun to have some feedback from the international surfski community, so here it is, the English version. I have never lived in an English speaking country, so there may be some language issues, but my main interest would be to get some feedback on the actual contents, so I could learn something and maybe improve my original Danish version. 

Best Regards,
Henning

Superb into document Henning. There are many good nuggets in there even for intermediate and advanced paddlers. I suggest everyone read this front to back.

I love the hand animations. They are actually quite effective at conveying your words.

Rob, this should be pinned to the top of the forum!

Excellent document. Thanks!

A very interesting document, especially the wave physics. Need to focus on reading it thoroughly though.

Also, You draw beautifully! That third picture on the first page reminds me of Picasso's Don Quixote:


I wonder how much of this could a beginner actually take in:D

But for us this was wonderful, thank You!

That’s a great little guide to surfski you made. I learned some things. You are a good artist and writer! 

Nicely done. With your permission I can post on my site. thx Wesley, Surfskiracing.com

Please post, I would be honoured
Henning

Henning ,if at all possible, I would like your permission please to post your article to a Facebook site that is solely used by paddlers in my home town.  I found your article really useful and I'm not a rank beginner. I think it would help a lot of beginning paddlers.
Many thanks for considering it,
Kevin

Anyone please feel free to post it and comment as you like.

Note that it reflects my current experience and what makes sense to me, but I come from a flatwater background. If you have been paddling a sea kayak or maybe a lifesaving specski, you will probably have different opinions on safety, technique, and other stuff.

BR,
Henning

Thanks very much, Henning, for sharing your accumulated wisdom. There are some fantastic tips in there and they are very clearly explained.
I can't remember if it was from Boyan or Ivan Lawler but some guru said that the tactic to teaching paddling technique and downwind skills is to explain each key point in different ways with various different similes and perspectives and eventually something will trigger the student towards clear understanding. You've made a really helpful contribution with your document which goes beyond an introduction.

Nothing beats real conditions!

Reading about downwind, watching videos...
I don't know if it's most for entertainment and inspiration - that's fine, and my Introdution to Surfski was anyway just meant as an appetizer for Danish flatwater paddlers.

However, now I'm there, where downwind is really something, in Fish Hoek SA.
That's definately something else. Coaching sessions with Dawid Mocke and a number of Miller's Runs (incl. one in a double with Dawid) puts things into perspective - and puts my leaflet into perspective as well

It's really just an introduction. If you want to go further and bigger, come down here :-D
And I will surely recommend some sessions Dawid as well - great experience!

As a beginner paddler I found this article extremely interesting and helpful.  I plan to read it through a couple more times.  Thank you!!!

Nice one Henning! 

Hayley Nixon is putting a series of awesome videos that would be of interest to anyone starting out in their surfski career too.

Hayley Nixon's Youtube Channel

Hello there,

I am very new to this site and also to surfskis.  I would like to know if there are any diagrams that outline all the parts of a ski so that i can get to know what you're talkiing about? LOL  Also terminology like "runners" and downwinders?

THanks very much

Hmm...  I'm sure I have seen such a diagram, but I can't remember where!

Some terms:

- Cockpit: the part of the boat that you sit in, including both the area where your bum goes and where your feet rest.
- Bucket, Seat - the part of the cockpit that your bum sits in.
- Footwell: the forward part of the cockpit where your feet go.
- Footplate: the flat board that your feet rest on.
- Foot pedals/rudder pedals: the pedals that the tops of your feet press on to activate the rudder.

- Nose/bow: the front-most part of the ski
- Tail/stern: the rear-most part of the ski

- Rails: the top edges of the cockpit.

- Rocker: the amount of curve in the bottom of the ski.  A ski that has a lot of rocker looks like a banana; a ski that has little rocker looks much flatter.  Skis with plenty of rocker catch waves more easily but are slower on flat water (as a general rule).

- Runner/Run: A wave on the open ocean that can be surfed.  The Aussies call them runners, South Africans call them runs. 
- Downwinder/downwind: a paddle where you're going with the wind, surfing the waves.  Aussies call them downwinders, Saffas call them downwinds!

- Wave deflector: A small shield taped to the front deck in front of the cockpit that deflects water coming over the nose of the ski and helps prevent the cockpit from being flooded.

- leash: made from rope or coiled plastic with a padded, velcro fastening on end that typically goes around a paddlers ankle and a rope loop on the other end that generally goes through an anchor point on the bottom of the cockpit.  Prevents the paddler from losing the ski when they fall off in windy conditions.