If you’ve been following along with this three-part SUP Stroke series, you know the progression:

Efficiency → Power → Speed

Speed is not something you force.
Speed is something you earn when efficiency and power are in place.

Yet most paddlers try to shortcut the process. They paddle harder. They paddle longer. They repeat the same route, over and over, hoping one day it will magically get faster.

It won’t.

Let’s talk about what actually makes a paddler fast — and what’s been holding you back.

What Speed Really Means in SUP

Speed has two sides:

• Becoming a faster all-around paddler
• Developing a higher top-end (sprint) speed

Even if you never plan to sprint, increasing your top speed raises everything below it. When your ceiling goes up, your cruising speed gets easier, smoother, and more sustainable.

That’s how you paddle longer, race better, and feel stronger without blowing yourself up.

The Biggest Mistake Slowing You Down

One of the most common mistakes I see paddlers make is this:

Paddling the same route at the same effort, over and over, expecting to get faster.

Distance paddling alone does not make you faster.

It puts you into what Ben Greenfield calls the “black hole training zone” — that middle-effort pace where you’re working, but not improving speed, strength, or efficiency.

To get faster, you must train faster.

That means:

• Shorter, high-intensity intervals
• Recovery between efforts
• And drills that teach your body how to move faster with stroke integrity

Your nervous system has to learn how to recruit more muscle fibers and fire them faster. That only happens when you practice going fast.

Speed Is Built on Power

You can’t paddle fast if you can’t apply power — and you can’t apply power if your technique is leaking it.

That’s why Part 2 of this series (Power) matters so much.
Speed is simply power delivered at a higher cadence.

When your stroke mechanics are clean and powerful:

• You can accelerate more quickly
• You can hold speed longer
• And you can do it without wrecking your shoulders or back

This is why inside Paddle Master Plus, we use:

• Video analysis
• Targeted drills
• And progressive stroke training

So you’re not guessing — you’re training what actually makes you faster.

If You Want Sprint Speed

Sprint speed requires:

• High power
• High cadence
• And zero wasted movement

You must be able to apply full power without thinking — because at sprint speed, there’s no time to think.

That’s why sprint training is never just “do 200 meters again.”
It’s broken down into:

• Starts
• Acceleration
• Cadence
• Body position
• And timing

These are all trained using drill sequences and video feedback, so you know exactly what to fix.

Yes, Equipment Matters

Lighter boards accelerate faster.

Narrower boards create less drag.

But the “fastest” board is the one you can:

• Stand on with confidence
• Apply full body weight
• And stay on when you’re pushing hard

If you can’t load your paddle because your board is too small or unstable, you’re giving away speed before the stroke even starts.

Technique + fit always beats just buying lighter/narrower gear.

The Bottom Line

Speed doesn’t come from paddling harder.

It comes from:

• Better stroke mechanics
• Smarter training
• And learning how to apply power at higher and higher speeds

That’s exactly what we train inside Paddle Master Plus through:

• Video analysis
• Progressive drills
• And personalized stroke coaching inside the Seychelle SUP App

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start paddling faster —
that’s where this work lives.

Thanks for tuning in! As always, your feedback and questions are welcomed!
See you next month!

Reach out and let me know what you want to learn about next.

Stoked and Grateful,

Seychelle