Six hours fully packed with Technique and Training tips for Stand Up Paddling at the Surfcenter Altmühlsee, left the participants satisfied and with a lot points to continue working on. We started with a good warm up on land, followed by recording videos and an hour SUP drill training with special exercises on the water. After the lunch break we had a look on the videos and analysed everyone’s technique and where to work on. Thanks to the Bredder Indoor SUP we could practice the proper technique on land. We continued with a strength workout in Tabata style to prepare the body for paddling. After a short break we went on the water again to work on the right technique and an insight into a SUP training session. To finish a fully packed day, we sat together for some Q&A and feedback. Thanks Surfcenter Altmühlsee for the invitation and to the participants for their effort and the lovely feedbacks. Calls for more!
4.0 SUP&FUN Girls Camp with Tina Funke at the Baltic Sea
Text by Tina:
Again a special SUP training camp is over and Tanja Ecker and I, Tina Funke, agree: That was wonderful again! With the now fourth event just for women, a format has been established that is felt both by the participants and for us as organizers something unique.
The men should not misunderstand this. We love paddling and training with them and it will stay that way. However, it is the new participants who tell us that they would not necessarily have dared to sign up for a “mixed” camp because they have doubts about whether they can meet the performance requirements. This usually comes from experiences we women have often already had in school sports or even sports in general. In SUPing, lack of strength and the often new element of water, especially with wind and waves, are then added to the mix. This makes one or the other woman feel insecure.
The sense of community and the social component of such camps means that many of the participants come back again and again. They look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new, interesting women who all have one thing in common: paddling. Our tasks as trainers are, among other things, to encourage, to try out new things “accompanied” and to respond to the individual characteristics with an open ear and new ideas. The certainty that someone is there to look after you encourages the participants to take on new conditions and tasks.
Both of us also place particular emphasis on a high quality course with the teaching of training science content in theory and a varied and diverse practice. Thus we are on the water with different training methods. Training of technique and posture, stroke variations and board control are on the program as well as the conditional skills speed, strength and endurance. On land, the focus is on improving agility, strength and coordination. We take a closer look at problems in technique. For example, why do we use the paddle too far back? How do I mobilize the thoracic spine for a wider reach? Why do I have neck tension after long sessions and how do I avoid it? How can I stabilize my hips to make the power transfer from the paddle blade to the board more effective? The combination of a lot of practice and theory with presentations and explanations makes each training camp unique. The main topics vary so each camp is different, so it’s never boring.
We both come from sports science backgrounds, but have very different backgrounds. Tanja is particularly active in training practice as a successful athlete and coach of junior youth and adult racers. She brings her experience from competitive sports into teaching and planning. Last year she won the ultra long distance race SUP 11-City Tour, is 8 times German champion and also internationally often in the top 10. She now coaches several athletes “remotely” in Europe and whenever possible live on site. As a media specialist, drone pilot and photographer, she has an eye for the picture and her video analyses, which we implement several times within a camp, are simply brilliant.
I, on the other hand, can look back on 37 years of water sports experience. As a coach in windsurfing, white water canoeing and stand up paddling in Europe, I have experienced a lot that I can now pass on to the participants. Trusting us to provide safe and appropriate conditions is crucial for a good learning experience. As an enthusiastic windsurfer, I have dealt intensively with the waves in the Atlantic, Pacific and North Sea and, as a starter in the German Windsurf Cup, I know the harshness of cold, wind and water forces. In the meantime, however, my favorite waves have become somewhat smaller. Through training by sports doctors and sports students and with the additional training as a functional trainer, a lot of background knowledge always flows into the teaching, which has earned me the title Erklärbär. Well, I have to admit that I really like to give the background to methods and techniques. I find it very important that my athletes understand why they should implement something.
Especially the combination of Tanja and me and the blind understanding between us as coaches, makes the SUP Girls Camps something special. So we can react spontaneously and help quickly individually or even split the group. Thus, intensive support is always guaranteed. In addition to the ambitious female athletes, we are always happy to welcome new participants who want to try out a competition or dare to go on longer tours. The different performance levels of the women enliven the camp, as everyone can learn something from everyone else. With the right technique we not only want to push the performance, but also promote a healthy and preventive paddling.
In the not entirely unimportant social program, Tanja feeds us with freshly cooked on-site, healthy, wholesome, vegetarian and delicious meals. In addition to the obligatory banana pancakes, there are also many international dishes on the table. This service in particular offers participants real added value.
I always bring up the subject of regeneration, but the 7 to 8 hours of sleep are difficult to implement with so many interesting women. As is customary, there is also a lot of chatting. Then the recovery simply has to be made up for at home.
Does all this sound interesting?
On August 3, 2023 we will organize a 3-hour workshop on Fehmarn (before the SUP Festival) and the next Girls Camp is planned for early October on the Baltic Sea. More detailed info will follow, but feel free to contact us at info@tanjaoutdoors.de or info@tinafunke.com
The full article was published on Stand UP Magazine >> read more!
Check out the Instagram Reel for a little insight what we did >> watch video recap!
Off-Season
Fall and winter is often a transitional time for paddlers. After the last race in summer the off-season usually begins. “Off-season” is a word that many of us don’t like at all. It kind of sounds like pulling the plug. Putting the body on “off.” In addition, it’s getting cold and dark early, which makes it difficult for most of us to get out on the water after a long day at work. But does that mean we can’t do our beloved sports anymore? Are we supposed to lie around lazily on the couch and become fat? That is not possible! Unfortunately, this is how some paddle athletes feel about the off-season. Too often it is neglected that a time-out for body and mind, at least once a year, is very important for us and our performance.
The off-season describes a phase that immediately follows at the end of the season. No matter when exactly the off-season starts, it is important to include an off-season in your training schedule. During this time, a conscious break is taken to allow the body to recover from the stresses of the season. Many athletes underestimate the importance of the off-season. Especially tendons, ligaments, the immune system and the fasciae regenerate during the off-season. That’s why it’s so important to reduce the volume and intensity of your training. Many endurance athletes are afraid that the off-season will have a negative effect on their performance level. Those who think long-term know that this is the wrong approach. Because while it is of course true that the off-season decreases your performance in the short term due to the lack of training, the long-term positive consequences of the off-season clearly outweigh this. This is because the off-season ensures that the risk of injury and illness for the new season is significantly reduced, and the body can recharge its batteries so that it is fully rested and ready to start preparing for the new season. In addition to the significance for physical regeneration, the off-season also plays an important mental role. Our psyche also needs a rest too. Poor nutrition is also negative for the off-season. Especially in this time, a healthy diet is quite profitable. The better the nutritional composition of our food intake, the better we regenerate and – for all those who find the off-season a mental hurdle – the faster we also regenerate.
The off-season is perfect to try out something new! You can do different sports you don’t have time for during the season. Of course, you can still go paddling, but mix it up with different stuff like biking, running, skiing (for those who have snow ;)). But keep in mind, everything you do should be in the regenerative zone. Means low intensity with a low heart rate and a shorter duration then during your training period. This is the time to recover from the last season and build the base for the coming one. That’s why all the workouts should be in the regenerative zone. In concrete, you can go paddling with an heart rate in Zone 2 while breathing only through your nose. This will keep your heart rate down anyway. Use the break to look forward to the adventures of the new season and thus gather mental strength. You are not rewarded for starting but for persevering and make it playful. Cut the distance in pieces! That makes it easier as you go step by step closer to your personal goal. Nothing is more beautiful than the anticipation of what is to come. Just keep on moving and get out there! Do it together with friends and make the off-season a fun time!
3. SUP&FUN Girls Camp with Tina Funke
First international 🇩🇪🇳🇱 SUP Girls Camp 3.0 in the books! New and familiar faces made it another great weekend with motivated and happy SUP Girls. Learning a lot about paddling technique, speed, turns, mobility, nutrition and training everyone went home with new points to work on and a big smile. Check out the little recap for more insights about what happened! >>> Video Recap
SUP Girls Camp 2.0 in the books! If you have fun and a good team everything runs smoothly:
Great people ✅
Dreamteam ✅
Mix of theory & practice ✅
Training on water & Land ✅
SUP technique analysis ✅
Functional movement screen ✅
Turning point SUP test ✅
A lot of fun ✅
Community & camaraderie ✅
Good talks, food and weather ✅
🐊’s & 🐻’s ✅
Did I miss something?
Thanks Girls for joining Tina Funke and me from whole Germany and can’t wait for the next one! Always great to teach something we all love so much!
>>> Video Recap 2nd Girls Camp
Teamed up with Tina Funke for our first SUP & FUN Girls Camp. That calls for more🙌🏽
Great spirit, amazing community, powerful girls and so much to talk about🤪
We had a lot of fun with SUP training, technique analysis, mobility, strength training, learning the theory about training and nutrition. All focused on the women needs. We discovered the individual challenges on which to work on now, to reach everyone’s goals.
It was a great time with likeminded girls. Camp life with cooking and eating together. And thanks dear friends for the little birthday party 😊
Recap SUP 11-City Tour 2022
It was my 5th time in a row to paddle the SUP 11-City Tour and every year is different.
I never thought I would win this year. I came to Friesland to enjoy and have fun and that’s exactly what I had. I could gain a lot of energy from the support of my friends and the whole crew on the side and just enjoyed what I was doing. That helped me immensely mentally. Because having the mental strength to persevere and enjoy even in difficult conditions is especially important.
Smile and go for it, no matter the conditions and we had really tough conditions this year! Wind gusts up to 70 kmh (headwind of course) and rain, therefore we paddled mostly together to save energy. The race was super close and excited for everyone. Before the last day I was just 10 seconds in front and I new I had to give everything on the last 27 k time trial back to Leeuwarden. My advantage now was that I could chase. Weirdly enough I went through the 5 days without any muscle or body pain, except of some nasty blisters. I knew it was going to be a tough battle with the super strong Petronella van Malsen. Thanks for the pep talk by Ella I started fully motivated, because I had nothing to loose and in the end it was fortunately enough, whereby a big compliment to Petronella, who was extremely strong every day and also pushed me very hard to deliver. Also a big shout out to Nicoline Elisavetha Rasmussen finishing 3rd in her first participation and to all the others who made it through really hard 5 days. You are all heros!
This year everything just worked out and I was able to perfectionize my routine regarding the nutrition, which in the end made the difference for me compared to previous years.
After the race I was just overwhelmed of everything, it felt like a movie that passed by so quick. Super emotional, happy and stoked and still trying to process everything. Thanks to everyone for all the cheers, support and love they gave me. That had definitely giving me wings! You’re part of this victory!
Recap World Championships 2022
Recap of my 2nd Planet Canoe#worldchampionships2022 ICF SUP World Championships Gdynia
Looking back with mixed feelings as I was a little bit disappointed after the Longdistance but luckily I’m surrounded of good friends, so I could fight back. Somehow the buoys seemed to like me …
Starting with the last race – the technical, the relief: I had very good Beachstarts, so I made it through all my heats on the quite bumpy 1 k race course advancing into the B final where I finished 6th after a hug of the buoy. Place 14 overall in a super strong field.
The Longdistance race was a personal disaster for me. I put a lot of preparation in this race but the conditions were just too much out of my comfort zone. Up to 1,50m high waves from all directions and strong wind turned the Baltic Sea into a roller coaster. After I got stucked at the buoy and swimming around it, I couldn’t find back my balance and rhythm, so I decided to quit after one lap. Normally giving up is not my mindset but in this case I decided to save energy for the technical and don’t destroy myself. A hard decision why I was a bit bummed. Congrats all who tried it or even finished it, with more than the half of the competitors DNS or DNF.
The sprints – the first race, I made it to the C final ending 3rd in a photo finish with Iva again. A 19tth place overall on 180m what I never practice , so pretty happy with it. Big congrats to 404 teammate April Zilg winning the world title ( on my board )
Thanks for the well organized event with some air of improvement.
Thanks everyone for the support and cheering, was good to see old and new friends from around the world. Looking forward to the next one, knowing now where to work on.
Recap European Championships 2022
Yesterday was my first race here EUROSUP 2022 I HVIDE SANDE
The 15k Longdistance race crossed the fjord with a little but challenging downwinder because of the small and short waves. Super happy with my result finishing 7th in a very strong field. Stoked to be able to keep up with the leading group until 5k where everyone took their own way catching the small bumps.
Congrats Espe Barreras for a race in your own league and to all girls and my teammates Anne De Boer & Maui Sach
Thanks to everyone for the support and #teamgermany for the cheering
Super proud of Jojo Karst finishing 4th and Kai Carstens finishing 8th in the juniors
The Technical race EUROSUP 2022 I HVIDE SANDE was a tough and difficult one. I had a great start and some close battles in the semifinal with Caterina Stenta & Nicoline Elisavetha Rasmussen for a place in the A final but after a mistake at a buoy I just missed it. After a very early start in the morning and so many long beach runs I was just super tired in the B final with even longer runs (5 times) and after 66 Turns my legs were just dead. Not so satisfied with my own performance but still happy making it in the Top 10 and learned a lot.
But even more happy for Jojo Karst who made it on the podium again in a super tough race with a great performance
To finishing off the Eurosup we took part in the team relay. A fun format with team racing.
In the end #teamgermany finished on the 6th place overall and it was so much fun with the team. Thanks everyone for the support, was a pleasure being part of it
Recap German Championships 2022
German SUP Championships Ocean SUP & WINGFOIL FESTIVAL 2022 – Technical & Longdistance.
Very tight and fair battles with Susanne Lier in both races.
The “downwinder” had some tough upwind/ sidewind parts. Conditions made for the 404 Jump where I could lead until 1 km before the finish. Congrats to Susanne Lier and Paulina Herpel
On the next day we had the final of the Technical race. Wind and waves made it a real ocean race – and it was a thriller! Leading from the start, Susanne overtook me but I could overtake her again at the beach run. All ended in a final showdown running to the beach through the water, where I almost fell. All my friends, the kids and parents cheering made me fly but arriving at the finish my legs just couldn’t keep up anymore what a crazy race but I’m super stoked about this title!
This year my focus was more on coaching others, so it was difficult to get my own training program in. But spending lots of time on the ocean payed off. I went into these races without expectations but to see the happy faces and personal success of everyone I train and support, gives me the mental strength to perform. Thanks to everyone for the massive support and cheering congrats to everyone for their races in difficult conditions.
And big shout out to Lena Albano and crew for the great organization and to all my sponsors! German National Title No. 8 in the books .
SUP workshop in Sweden with SUP for Life Lomma
Great SUP workshop Supforlife in Lomma 🇸🇪with Charlotte Wilhelmsson and her training kids. Super fun to see the motivation and curiosity of this group.
Organized by Republicofnomado it were intense 4 hours with lots of learnings and improvements. The workshop was customized for the club members needs and Charlotte brought her ergometer. Technique training, turns, starts and different stroke types. I hope you can use all the tips in your upcoming races and paddles! Thanks for the lunch Asa 🌯 and looking forward to work together again 🇸🇪🇩🇪
Charlotte and her training group follow my online training program and we will work together also in the futuer to bring kids and adults together.