One question that we get asked from time to time is why should I choose PaddleFit as the path for my SUP coaching career. That is a great question. We do not want this to be an us versus them conversation. It does no one any good to try and prop yourself up at the expense of others. We have tremendous respect and admiration for certifications like the ACA, WPA and ASI. Those great organizations have been around for a while are are industry leaders in things like surfing, canoeing and kayaking as well as SUP. We are thankful for them and to work towards the same common cause to raise the bar of SUP. Switching back over to the "Why PaddleFit?" question. Here is the reason that we feel great about what we have to offer. 

A quick side note. We are assuming that you understand that safety and fun are two extremely important factors for us. We spend a very large portion of our program going over safety and how to coach people in a very dynamic environment. Everything that we do is led by safety and encouraging others to have fun. 

1. Just the 4 of us. Thats all there is that teach our certifications. 4 highly trained SUP coaches that know the PaddleFit system in and out as well as the SUP industry. Collectively we have given tens of thousands of SUP lessons in all environments from flat water to dangerous surf. PaddleFit has grown and changed significantly since our inception in 2009 just like the sport of SUP. So we have to be nimble and be able to progress our program, meaning that we have to educate our coaches who are teaching the certifications in a hurry so our educational program grows and we teach the best and most up to date information. With only 4 coaches it makes that process significantly easier and more efficient. When we do grow our certifying coaches we are beyond picky and select those that live by example, are highly educated and skilled and most of all good coaches. They we train them extensively through hands on teaching. Other than our founder Brody we have Brent and Corey who are both PaddleFit Affiliates so they have been through all 3 levels. They also own their own local SUP business so they know the ups and downs of owning a SUP business. Calling someone a waterman is thrown around too easily these days, but we have no hesitation in calling our last coach, John a waterman. He has tow surfed Jaws with the original Strapped Crew, he is the pioneer for east coast SUP by being one of the originals that brought the sport to the eastern seaboard. We are thankful for our phenomenal coaches that know the system in and out and live by example and are training the next PaddleFit coaches. 

2. Our number one goal is to teach people how to paddle with proper technique. We are straightforward with this message. In order for SUP to grow in a healthy manner, we need to be able to teach people how to paddle and how to paddle correctly. Dave Kalama is a part of the PaddleFit team and both John and Brody have worked with Dave with his very successful Kalama Kamps. Dave, being one of the founding fathers of SUP, has forgotten more about paddling than most of us will ever know about paddling. We are thankful to be able to assimilate Dave's philosophy about paddling and a lot of what PaddleFit is about is modeled after Dave especially when it comes to technique. 

3. Our goal is to surround ourself with the best....in everything that we do. Please don't take this as being snobby or arrogant. We are the farthest from those things but when you are surrounded by excellence, then you are inspired to achieve excellence and that is what we pass on to our coaches.  Whether we are talking about our brand partners such as Infinity, Imagine and Jimmy Lewis or our insurance company that provides discount insurance globally, we love the companies that we work with.  This extends over to American Council on Exercise (ACE) and National Academy of Sports Medicine(NASM), who we are educational providers for and they are global leaders in the fitness realm. 

4. SUP is all that we do. We are solely focused on SUP. We spend all of our time refining the PaddleFit system to make it the best we possibly can make it. Thankfully we do not have other jobs so we can focus our complete attention on SUP and PaddleFit. We surround ourselves with those that will help push us beyond our limits and continue to challenge us and help us grow.  It allows us to put forth the best possible product.

5. We are coaches not instructors. This might seem like semantics and a play on words but we believe that there is a difference between a coach and an instructor.  Instructors essentially pass on information which is great but coaches take it to the next level. Our philosophy is that coaches should be led by two things: love and caring. There is a deep commitment that a coach brings to each person that he/she comes into contact with. If you have a love for your clients and you care deeply about their wellbeing, then you are going to provide the best possible experience whether that be introducing someone to SUP or working with an elite athlete. This is what we live by and instill in our coaches. 

Thank you for listening to our "Why PaddleFit?" speech. As you can see that we are passionate about what we do and we enjoy sharing our love and passion of PaddleFit and SUP with you.  See you on the water.