Top 3 Ways to Paddle Like World Champion Kelly Slater – Surfing Paddling Technique Revealed

This tutorial breaks down the top three techniques Kelly Slater uses to paddle with maximum speed and efficiency. By applying these methods—which focus on reducing drag, maximizing propulsion, and utilizing core muscles—you can drastically increase your wave count.

Key Takeaways & Tips

Technique 1: Head Stillness [0:20]
Keep your head still; it should not sway from side to side. This is crucial for maintaining lateral balance and reducing resistive drag. When the head sways, the body reacts, increasing your lateral profile and creating more drag.

Technique 2: High Elbow Entry [2:42]
Keep your elbow high when about to enter the water (the “over the barrel” drill). This ensures your hand and forearm are in a vertical position from the start of your stroke, allowing you to hold the water and propel yourself forward with a larger surface area.

Technique 3: Slight Rail-to-Rail Roll [5:05]
Use a slight roll from rail to rail around your body’s imaginary central rod. This aids the arm recovery (setting up the high elbow), prevents the hand from dragging in the water, and sets you up to use your big, powerful core muscles (like pectoralis major) instead of just stabilizing muscles.

Power Source [6:31]
The slight rolling motion acts like a wound-up spring and allows you to utilize stronger muscles (like the core and pectorals) for propulsion. This is key to a powerful stroke versus a shoulder-driven one.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Head Sway [0:25]
Allowing your head to sway slows you down because the rest of your body (feet and legs) reacts to balance the motion, increasing form drag.

Low Elbow Entry [3:36]
If the elbow enters the water low, you will have less time to hold the water with a vertical forearm and less surface area for propulsion.

Hand Drag [5:28]
Failing to incorporate the rail-to-rail roll during the recovery phase can lead to the hand dragging in the water, which creates unnecessary drag.

Using Stabilizing Muscles [6:31]
Using only your stabilizing rotator cuff muscles for power is inefficient and should be avoided. The stroke should be driven by the larger core and chest muscles.