Ever wanted to turn the board one way, only for your body to turn first? Before hurriedly moving your feet, try changing the path of your paddle. The sweep stroke is a basic technique for changing direction by moving the paddle as if drawing a big half circle on the water.
01. Find your balance with your feet and knees first
Keep your feet apart and bend your knees softly to steady your balance. Check that you aren't leaning too far to one side while staring only in the direction you want to turn.
This move swings the paddle wide outside the board, so first check whether anyone else is nearby. Think about both the space the board needs to turn and the space the paddle will pass through.
02. Put the whole blade in up front
Reach the paddle toward the front of the board and put the whole blade in the water. Start within a comfortable reach so you don't lose your balance by overreaching with your upper body.
If you swing it sideways before the blade is fully in the water, it's hard to feel the stroke. Check that you can feel the blade catch the water, then carry on into a big curve.
03. Draw a big half circle outside the board
Sweep the paddle from the front of the board to the back, drawing a big arc away from the rail. What sets it apart from the forward stroke, which pulls straight back beside your feet, is that it moves wide to the outside.
In the picture, it starts at the front right of the board, swings wide to the outside and finishes at the back right. Remembering that the arrow starts at the front and ends at the back makes the order of the move easier to understand.
04. Sweep on the right, and the board turns left
Sweep on the right and the board turns left; sweep on the left and it turns right. When you practice on the other side, switch the roles of the two hands holding the paddle too.
Sweep once first and see how far the board turns. Even with the same effort, the response can vary with the board, fin and wind. Rather than aiming for a fast turn, it's good to find the direction you want through short, slow repetitions.
Sources and scope
The illustration is Starboard's original sweep-stroke diagram, arrows included; the explanation is Starboard Korea's commentary. It covers the basic forward sweep on a standard SUP, as distinct from the crossbow turn or the step-back pivot turn.
The illustration is Starboard's original artwork; the explanation is Starboard Korea's editorial guide, translated into English here. Sources checked: 2026-09-08.
