For us at P2F, to be a great downwind paddler, you have to find your catch.

We have coached, and see, a number of paddlers on the water and the one thing we have noticed is the same paddlers are almost always riding the wash, never taking a lead. While these paddlers feel that they are going faster and keeping up, to us, this is a sign that they struggle to find a solid catch and need the wash’s assistance to make up for this technical fault.

Downwind paddling is all about hitting the catch and accelerating the ski on to a swell / runner. If you don’t have a good feel for the catch, downwind paddling is almost impossible.

Please note, we are not saying not to ride the wash is training, we are just saying to keep it to 30-40% of the session.

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