If you try it, you will be addicted very quickly. Healthy and addictive, because paddling and keeping your balance on a stand-up paddling board (SUP board) trains your upper body, stomach and back as well as the deep muscles of your torso and legs. Even the knee and ankle joints can be stabilized by paddling and it has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Calories are also burned. Even more than you would expect from the "felt" effort. The consumption is comparable to jogging for about an hour.

Stand-up paddling means stand-up paddling, which also explains why we prefer to use the English expression in this article. 😉 It is a water sport in which you stand upright on a board or stand-up paddle board and use a paddle to ensure gliding movement on the water. If you are a little anxious at the start, you can of course sit or lie down on the board. It's definitely fun!

Stand-up paddling originated in Hawaii. People paddled there on oversized boards as early as the 1960s. When surfing finally became a trend sport, SUP fell into oblivion. Since the early 2000s, it has become more and more of a trend sport.

PlusPerfect spoke to Anna Gramling. She is 33 years old and works full-time as an educator. As a balance, she has been “paddling” on the Main for several years, so to speak, in front of her doorstep. For Anna, SUP is a relaxed but at the same time a sport that requires lots of training. Last year she turned her passion for SUP into a business idea and opened a rental shop in Zellingen, Lower Franconia, directly on the Main. What - as she says herself - was only a "Corona Lockdown" idea at first, has now become an established stand-up paddle rental under the name "Main-Boards".

Anna, can you only do SUP on calm water?
Anna: You can actually do this sport on any body of water, whether on small streams, rivers, lakes or the sea. You just use different boards for different waters.

How do I choose a board?
Anna: When choosing, you have to pay attention to where you want to use the board the most. So-called inflatable boards, i.e. boards filled with air with a large volume, are therefore suitable for calmer waters. Although hardboards are used on the sea. Height and weight also play a role in the selection. The wider and longer the board, the easier it is to keep your balance.

Do you recommend a course for beginners or is a short briefing enough?
Anna: Since Stand Up Paddling is a sport that can be learned very quickly, in principle anyone can do it. However, precise instruction is always an advantage, as there are various characteristics that are important for correct paddling. This starts with the correct adjustment or holding of the paddle. If you are very unsure on the water, you should take a beginner's course.

Is stand up paddling more for men or women?
Anna: SUP is for anyone who wants a full body workout. The constant balancing stimulates the fine and difficult-to-train deep muscles. This is ideal as part of a physiotherapeutic treatment, but also as prevention or aftercare for herniated discs and other back problems. No muscle is overtrained, rather the muscular balance is restored, whether in the back, abdomen, torso, legs or arms. Paddling is also very suitable for children, as the whole body has to be kept under tension.

How do you recognize a good paddleboard shop or rental?
Anna: As with all sports equipment, quality matters with SUP. The texture and construction of the boards is very important, as is the material of the paddle. Anyone who offers a rental should also have a certain knowledge of the equipment.

By the way!
The traffic rules must also be observed when SUPing. Right before left also applies on the water. When waterways cross, you should paddle with foresight so that you don't slow down rowers, boats or even ships or put yourself in danger.