"SUPerior insights" - Part two

Ok, why do I see SUP as one of the most functional activities we can engage in? 

It's mainly about how we are provoked by an activity, both consciously and unconsciously. From what we can see, StandUp Paddling (SUP) challenges us in a way that few other activities do. The advantage of this activity is that it is basically risk-free and incredibly effective as a form of exercise. Let's start from the beginning - 

The explanation is partly based on the results of the first studies of SUP that I conducted around 2012. First, we were able to establish that sit-up and stand-up paddling are two completely different activities. The only similarity is that we have to propel a craft on water using a paddle. The difference lies in how we use our bodies and how they are affected. 

To better understand what it takes to paddle SUP, we started looking at other activities that had similar movements and forces. Here we looked at other types of paddling that use single-blade paddles, of course, but also at rowing, kayaking and "prone" paddling. However, all of these require us to sit, kneel or lie down, which imposes certain limitations when it comes to mobility and how we can develop power. 

The problem is that we are not primarily designed to move in these positions. The function of our large muscle groups and the way our bodies are constructed is based on us moving upright with the help of our legs. The question then became whether there was a more suitable activity to study? Relatively soon we realized that the activity that should be examined more closely was of course - cross-country skiing! Probably the most logical for Scandinavians. 

Fittingly, I had also worked with skiers before, so the step there was not that far. The advantage of cross-country skiing in particular was that there was already a lot of research and studies to help. Here, among others, several of the publications of the Swedish professor HC Holmberg can be mentioned. 

What later reinforced this was the work of another Swedish professor, Johnny Nilsson and his studies on the development of the new double-stacking technique in cross-country skiing. Johnny also had experience in developing kayaking and became one of the key people in this project. 

With Professor Nilsson's help, we were now also able to start using electromyography (EMG) to analyze which muscles we normally use when SUP paddling and also what effects occurred if we instead used other, better suited muscles. The study resulted in Johnny starting to paddle SUP himself and that for a while I started paddling around with an extremely long and stiff paddle - 232 cm? 

The reason for this paddle was that they had seen the advantages of using longer poles in skiing and being able to activate the abdominal muscles to a greater extent. In the same way, I could now learn how to activate the abdominal muscles myself directly when inserting. The fact that this paddle length was not particularly functional for general SUP paddling perhaps does not need any further explanation... 

The connection between SUP and cross-country skiing shows, among other things, that we mostly use the same muscle groups, the same muscle activation patterns and the same movement frequencies. During the further development of the competition technique in SUP, which we have chosen to call "Nordic stroke" and where we work with a lower center of gravity, we saw that this also correlated with alpine skiing... 

What we also realized from the EMG measurements and cross-country skiing, and specifically the new double-stakes technology, was that the absolute most efficient and ergonomic way to propel a SUP board is using gravity and our body weight... 

How we can use this to propel a SUP board is what the paddling technique - "Nordic stroke" is all about. The development of this and how we can design equipment that is most suitable for functional and health-promoting SUP paddling is my and my colleagues' passion and constant pursuit here at Kona Sports. 

More about this and why SUP training is so beneficial for other sports comes in "SUPerior insights" - part three