Most paddle racers determine their paddle length in one of three ways:

• Method 1: They go to the paddle shop. The salesperson says extend your arm above your head. A paddle length is chosen so there is a “little” bend in your elbow when your arm is extended overhead.
• Method 2: Go online and find a height:paddle length conversion chart or follow a recommendation such as “add 10 inches to your height for racing and 8 inches for surfing.”   Cut your paddle based on your height.
• Method 3: Do whatever works for Danny Ching.

The problem with all three of these methods is that they do not work for everyone because they do not take into account  anatomy other than your arm length and/or height. Other factors that should be considered when considering paddle length include strength and athleticism (e.g. your ability to hurt yourself), flexibility, physical limitations due to previous injuries, the height of your SUP board, and your paddle technique. Perhaps this is why we are seeing and hearing about so many SUP athletes with shoulder, elbow, wrist, and ankle injuries.

The problem: your paddle stroke is more than  your height and overhead reach

To demonstrate why you cannot determine your paddle length based solely on your height consider these two examples:

• Example 1: Franz has a fused lower lumbar spine from a previous skydiving injury. He has only a few degrees of bend in his spine. Franz is 6’2” but has the arm length of a 5’11’ individual as he also has short arms relative to his torso. If Franz based his paddle length on his height his paddle would be cut too short because his back injury and short arms are reducing his “effective reach.” This will predispose him to injury in the future.

• Example 2: John has an old collar bone injury and a bad hip on the same side from a previous  bike accident. He has issues with bringing his shoulder across his body because of these injuries. Stated another way, his “effective reach” is reduced from where it should be based on his height and reach above his head using the arm above his head method. Because of his compromised reach he should be using a shorter paddle. Using a longer paddle may result in elbow or shoulder injury because his elbow would need to drop to accommodate the longer paddle.

These two examples are neither extreme nor uncommon. Many paddle racers are older athletes who are burdened with the scars of a life of previous activity.  Even if you do not have significant injuries,  minor decreases in mobility may affect your “effective reach” and  result in injury if your paddle is too long.

Is there a “holy grail” formula for determining SUP paddle length?

In our opinion there is no “one size fits all” formula. Paddle length must be customized to your size, paddle technique, mobility, and SUP board.  What we do know, however, is that there is a trend toward using shorter paddle lengths than recommended in the past. According to Laird Hamilton, “this  is partly because the boards we are currently using have less volume, our technique has changed and improved over the years, and  we are learning that using a higher stroke rate, for many paddlers, is faster. These factors  require using a shorter paddle length.” As a starting point for determining your paddle length, Laird advises “I believe that there is a formula for paddle length that is based on anatomy but we do not know the exact formula yet. I am currently recommending a paddle length that is 3-4 inches above your head as a starting point then adjust from there based on your needs, mobility, and experience.”

We agree.  Paddle racers and surfers should start their paddle length determination with a paddle that is 3-4 inches above their head. Although this is a significant departure from previous recommendations that were as long as 8-10 inches over head,  this length of paddle should be short enough to help your avoid some of the upper back, shoulder, and elbow, injuries we are seeing from paddles that are too long but will be long enough to allow you to race effectively. Most paddlers who we know who use this method find that the shorter paddle allows them to increase their stroke rate for more efficient paddling.

Fine tuning your paddle fit

Paddle racers should then tailor their paddle fit based on their board size (e.g. a higher volume board will require a slightly longer paddle),   flexibility,  experience (individuals with a good degree of flexibility or paddle experience can go a little longer as they can benefit from the longer lever provided with a longer paddle),  and previous injury burden (individuals with back, shoulder, or hip injuries are advised to keep their paddle on the short end of the spectrum).

Fine tuning your paddle fit will require you to be on your SUP board and have an assistant working with you. For example, our editor Chris Hill, uses this technique with his clients.  We predict that in the near future an industry develop where “paddle fit experts” will help you determine your ideal paddle  length and  make sure that you do not have technical errors predisposing you to injury.  This should not be too much of a stretch as it is the exact situation in the bike world where laser/computer guided fittings are the norm. These computer programs take into account arm length, leg length, core flexibility, the bike, and even ankle flexibility when determining bike fit. It would be insane to fit someone based on their height or leg length but that is, in many ways, what we are trying to do in the SUP world.

In our opinion, “paddle fit experts” will need to do more than pick equipment. Our editor and movement specialist, David Darbyshire  ( movementsolutionsint.com ) reminded us during our discussions about this article that the greatest athletes are the greatest compensators. Both of the examples in this article describe people who are compensating due to poor movement patterns brought on by limited physical capabilities. As a result, no matter what “tool” they use (in their cases, longer or shorter paddles) they will be compensating and therefore creating new movement  patterns. Ideally, before they even consider paddle length,  they would fix or improve their movement patterns and then determine the best paddle length. Because of previous injuries or other physical limitations this is not always possible. To give you an idea of how David considers equipment selection for a paddler he commented:

“In example one (above), a fused lower back would mean he has minimal flexion of the spine, which usually also means minimal rotation of the spine. Spinal flexion and rotation are very important to the paddling movement. Having short arms means the paddle will be closer to the body, so in order for him to be able to perform the skill effectively, he would need a longer paddle to reach the water. Obviously, this is not great because it will load the shoulder, arms and don’t forget the wrist in his stroke. If he had a shorter paddle I would expect him to pronate his foot, internally rotate his femur and slide his hip to the side with some lateral flexion of the spine to get a shorter paddle to the water. This will eventually catch up with him as well. Therefore, the perfect paddle length for Franz can only truly be determined by assessing his physical limitations, either by video or his own personal feedback from testing different paddles.”

Bottom line

In conclusion, we are seeing and hearing about too many  paddle racers with injuries that we feel are resulting (in part) from using too long of a paddle. We recommend using Laird’s starting point of measuring your paddle length 3-4 inches above your head and then tweaking from there based on your ability, technique, injuries, board volume, etc.

Over time you will likely come up with a formula that you can quickly apply based on  your anatomy and equipment. For example, our editor, Chuck Glynn (team rider for lairdstandup.com ) uses what we call “The Chuck Glynn Method.” He turns his paddle upside down so the handle is on the ground. He then measures his paddle so that the line where the paddle blade is glued to the shaft is at eye level for racing and chin level for surfing.

Photo credit: Chuck Glynn