Just wondering if anyone has had any experience in this particular area. Seeing as I live in the midlands in England (UK, not US) I am about as far from waves as you can get but really need to get regular paddle practice in as I have a shoulder injury which gets worse if I don’t. However when I turned up at my local park’s boating pond in my wetsuit with board under arm and started wading out through the ducks and crisp packets, Parky (I think that is his christened name) started frantically blowing his whistle and threatened to call the ********* police and have me arrested for disturbing his wildlife. Does anyone know where I stand on this? I’m sure, actually that seeing as I pay my rates and council tax that the said wildlife is as much mine as it is his anyways.
I’m going back tomorrow early for dawn patrol, Parky don’t start til 9.00.
Hey Pauluk, I’m in Telford (that’s Walsall’s main car park I think). My folks live in Cheslyn Haye, I may try Chase water one of the days see if I can catch some wake from one of the boat things, might die in the process though.
I made a simple paddling machine that helps heaps with getting shoulders ready to surf. You could make it too. For each arm you need a handle, rope, two pulleys, and a weight. Find someplace at least 8 ft tall. Tie two pulleys to the rafters
about 3 ft apart. Run rope through pulleys, attach handle at one end, weight at the other (a gallon jug of water works ok).
Set up the other arm about shoulder’s width apart.
Stand in front, and push handle down in simulated paddling. If you are cheap enough it can all be done for less than $25 USA (which is what, 13 quid). I used to do it aerobically, for 5-10 minutes at a stretch.