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Interview with Christian Pessl
Christian "Pessi" Pessl trains SUP instructors in the VDWS teaching team and organises many children's courses and children's birthday parties on the SUP for the SUP Club Starnberg. He has a few tips to help children enjoy paddling.
When can children get started on the SUP?
If the children can swim, seahorses are a prerequisite. The children should be at least six years old, we have good experience with this. They also need to have a minimum understanding of the safety instructions, for example.
What are the ideal conditions for the first trials?
A shallow, calm body of water, a standing area is ideal for the first exercises, before continuing with play forms in deep water where you can fall in safely.
Which conditions should be avoided?
If there is too much wind, for example. Then it is even more difficult for children to manoeuvre the board than for adults. Children get frustrated very quickly.
What is the ideal start?
It's definitely best for kids when you're travelling in a group. You start by familiarising them with their own board: first kneeling, then standing, moving around on the board, going forwards and backwards. Then we also do partner exercises in the group, such as swapping boards while kneeling, swapping while standing, forming a large island with all the boards, walking across the boards. The more movement experience you have at the beginning and the less shy you are about falling into the water, the cooler it will be afterwards. Other tasks could be something like "Who can jump on the board, who can do a one-eighty, who can maybe even do a full turn?" Kangaroo jumps, i.e. jumping while paddling, go down well. You can inspire children with them and they don't even realise that they're actually stretching a bit.
How does the group stay together when playing without a paddle?
This is easy in the standing water. But you also have to learn how to paddle with your hands while kneeling or lying down - even if you lose your paddle later on.
Which material is suitable for children aged between six and eleven?
Definitely a board suitable for children, i.e. shorter and narrower. We usually use the 9'0" x 28" size.
What mistakes should parents avoid?
It's the same for stand-up paddling as it is for cycling or skiing: There is material for adults and suitable material for children. If I wanted to teach a child to cycle on an adult bike, I would also be doomed to failure. That's why the paddle has to be light, the shaft thin and the blade small enough. Otherwise the children won't be able to cope with it in terms of fitness and coordination and will lose the fun.
Do children see SUP as more playful or more sporty?
For most of them, it starts off playfully and the better they get at it, the more a little competitive spirit comes into play. They want to compete a little and you can incorporate that into a course.
When can children start paddling on their own board on tours?
I incorporate shorter tours into beginner courses. These are between 500 metres and one kilometre. But always with an interesting destination. We then paddle to the water rescue centre and have a look there. I don't call it a tour, but rather a treasure hunt. We paddle a bit, then there's a task, then we move on to the next station. You can make it more interesting for children that way. If I say "Come on, let's paddle a five-kilometre tour", most children will probably get bored very quickly. It's like hiking. If I only go up the mountain to hike, it will be less interesting for the child than if I include a few cool action stations in between. Then you can easily cover a few kilometres with them.
What about the leash and lifejacket? The leash can hardly be put on when playing.
Leashes and life jackets are obligatory for us. There are a few exceptions, such as when we play together, where we take the leash off, but it's elasticated, so most things can be done with a leash. The leash is like the seatbelt in the car, it's just part of it. (Ed.: Exceptions are possible, in white water an improperly used leash is potentially life-threatening).
What do you think of the longer, narrower youth raceboards, like 12" 6' by 22"?
This is for experienced children who are ambitious and want to paddle a longer tour or even take part in races. It's a very cool piece of equipment, but not suitable for beginners. You don't learn to ski on a racing ski either. A short all-round board turns more easily and children can keep their balance better.
Adults often struggle with balance, what are the sticking points for children?
Most children have quite good balance skills. The difficulty lies more in coordination with the paddle - holding it the right way round, paddling on the right side or dipping it deep enough. Or they stand half-twisted on the board
Is there any help for this?
For example, when we start paddling on our knees, I tell them to grip the paddle as if they were climbing up a pole. Then their thumbs are definitely up. Or you can use insulating tape to stick a mark on the paddle to indicate how far the paddle should be dipped into the water.
What are your final words to SUP-enthusiastic parents?
Children learn best in a group, they are social creatures who also want a challenge and to compete, so perhaps a children's birthday party is a good place to start, just for fun. And very important for the very motivated paddlers, who also exist, who want their children to become very good paddlers: In the beginning, you shouldn't overtax the children and let them make mistakes; children also learn well through their own mistakes. If you go paddling together, you should focus on the children, on their needs and not on what the parents might like to do.
Advice on children's material
If I ever find myself in the position of having to lever an overturned Land Rover back onto its wheels, I'd like to have the Fanatic paddle with me. Indestructible is probably an understatement here. If you count your children among the destroyers of everything, this is the perfect choice. However, the fun factor for children and teenagers, especially with particularly light and thin paddles, also skyrockets, just as it does for adults. However, a high-quality children's paddle weighing well under 600 grams can easily cost over 200 euros, whereas the Fanatic Ripper Carbon 25 is a real bargain at less than 100 euros. The robust Fanatic paddle is also a noticeable relief for children compared to adult paddles, some of which are much heavier and usually much too long. When buying paddles for children and teenagers, three goals are worth striving for: a weight of around or under 600 grams, a diameter of less than 27 millimetres and a robust, small and perhaps slightly shorter paddle blade than adult models. For committed youngsters who already know that you don't dig up the beach with carbon sports equipment, you can also find high-quality small paddles with carbon paddle blades in the racing segment, such as those from Makaio.
Boards: All-rounder or racer
The board market is similarly divided. Boards around nine feet long or shorter and with a maximum width of 28 inches are good all-round children's boards. The RRD Air Evo Convertible is a little out of the ordinary with a width of 30 inches; here, attention was also paid to windsurfing suitability. In general, children can paddle with better technique on narrower boards, pull the paddle straight through the water and thus keep on course much better and make faster progress. Long, wide all-round boards that are 11 feet long and over 30 inches wide give children no chance of learning to paddle properly. Boards such as those below from F2, Starboard or STX are examples of the all-round boards for kids that are also suitable for first tours. If children want to keep up with adults on longer tours, youth raceboards could also be an option. With a width of 21 to 22 inches, these boards are barely manageable for normally talented adults over 50 kilos. For experienced youngsters, the resistance and strength required is significantly reduced and parents are quickly faced with the next challenge, namely keeping up with their children.
The right sheet size
The paddle blades of children's paddles must be significantly smaller than adult paddles.
Starboard (1) offers with the Kids Tiki Tech (565 grams, ø 26.5 mm) in blade size XS (69 inches2) is a paddle with a particularly short blade length. This helps smaller paddlers, as the comparatively long blade (4) of the Fanatic paddles Ripper Carbon 25* (675 grams, ø 30.3 mm), children - in relation to their height - have to overcome more height when lifting out than taller paddlers with the same blade. RRD (591 grams, ø 26.2 mm) also equips the children's paddle (3) with a shorter blade. The Starboard Enduro S Skinny (2) With the longer base length of the slim shaft (ø 26.5 mm), the S blade size of 76 inches2 is more appealing to taller youngsters. At 601 grams, it can still be categorised as light for this class.
Shafts/grips: Thin and non-slip
Ideally, the shaft is no thicker than 26 to 27 millimetres. Like here 26.5 millimetres for Starboard (picture above 1+2) or 26.2 millimetres for the RRD paddle (picture above 3). At 30.3 mm, the Fanatic paddle is even thicker than most adult paddles. The RRD handle (7) fits even the smallest hands, Starboard (5) also has a particularly slim handle, the Fanatic handle (6) has a textured grip and is also slightly smaller than adult models.
