Imagine a surfboard on wheels. It’s a bit like skateboarding right? Now imagine incorporating the upper body work out from a sport like canoeing, and you’ve got an activity done by people all over Hawaii and even out here in the streets of Los Angeles—land paddling.
Land paddling is classified as a “board sport” like surfing or stand-up paddling, invented by Hawaiians thousands of years ago. Like stand-up paddling in the ocean, land paddling requires the same form and technique, except you’re on dry land propelling yourself forward with a big stick, commonly known by long paddlers as the Big Kahuna Stick. The Big Kahuna Stick is 1.5 to 1.95 meters long made of either bamboo or wood, with a layer of fiber fiberglass wrapped around it and a carbon rubber grip.
The great thing about land paddling is that you can get an intense core and upper-body cardiovascular workout, and do it almost anywhere there is flat land. Skate parks, out on the street, or in regular parks near bike trails are great places to land paddle. Especially trails with mini-dips, so you can get up some good speed!
While it is helpful to have some experience in skate boarding, it is something people of all ages can take up, and is definitely a more enjoyable work out than the average trip to the gym. I can guarantee after about forty minutes, you will definitely start feeling the burn!
Check out the video below for a breakdown of how land paddling works, and as the land paddlers of Hawaii say, carry a big stick!
References:
http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/news/local/Carrying_a_big_stick_98741989.html
