Paddle boards are currently one of the latest fitness trends around the nation. So how did Turner High School end up with four paddle boards? There are no lakes, rivers or oceans in Turner. There happens to be the Turner Recreation Pool that is attached to the Physical education wing of the building, here students are able to play and explore with the paddle boards. Stand up paddle boarding, is a surface water sport where individuals can either lie or kneel on a board and use their arms to propel themselves through the water, or they stand on the board and use a paddle to do the propelling.
The three main benefits of stand up paddle boarding include Strength Training, Improved Coordination, and Cardiovascular Endurance.
- Strength Training– Strength training provides significant benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being, including increased bone, muscle, and tendon strength, improved joint function, reduced potential for injury, increased metabolism, and elevated “good” cholesterol. All things that occur during a single paddle board class. Students use the basic paddle stroke to lift the paddle up and over the the board to the other side This movement strengthens the deltoid muscles, triceps, core and the mid and upper back muscles. Standing on the boards improves hip stability, knee and ankle flexion as well as strengthening quads and glutes.
- Improved Coordination. Paddle boarding is known for needing good posture and balance. These essential functions are needed to master the sport. Kids engage their core at all times to balance the board, or they risk falling down. Stand up paddle boarding is the best type for incorporating the strength, core, posture, and balance training.
- Cardiovascular Benefits. Paddle boarding is great for cardiovascular health. Stand up paddle boarding improves muscle coordination and muscle response time and provides other anaerobic benefits.
In class students are in charge of getting out the boards in the morning and maintaining the paddles and fins. Once they are changed out they are able to play on the boards working on maneuvering the boards around in the pool. Students choose to do core work outs, balancing and often like to race each other around obstacles. They have truly enjoyed having the paddle boards in class and look forward to using them. In the fall we plan on taking a field trip to Shawnee Mission Park and using them in the lake.
Look out for our stand up paddle board yoga post to come in a few weeks.