“Can I take fewer strokes and conserve more energy, so I can go out and catch more waves?”
That’s the question that inspired Rob Case to open his Surfing Paddling Academy, featuring an Endless Pools® High Performance pool, last spring. He just released the Academy’s first promotional video, which showcases his knowledge, his passion, and some striking drone shots!
A swimmer since age three, Case says, “Paddling gives me an edge. I end up catching more waves” than other surfers. He previously tried sharing these skills in a 50-meter pool, but the physical distance slowed interactions and, as a result, progress. He resolved those issues by moving instruction into his own Endless Pool.
/f/76838/855x290/70f1ac9993/350mtf5tg2ii1pvfrivu.jpg "Underwater footage of the High Performance Endless Pool at the Surfing Paddling Academy")
Underwater video footage like this is part of what makes Rob Case’s Academy so efficient. And that’s possible because of his choice of pool: “What I can cover in 50 minutes in the Endless Pool is something that I could do in four to five sessions in a [traditional] pool.”
/f/76838/852x445/5f82268b66/140h7oeorseueexo7wl7.jpg "A surfing paddling training session in the High Performance Endless Pool")
According to Rob Case, “Surfing paddling, like swimming, has a lot to do with feel, and when you can have that instant feedback loop” from the proximity afforded by the Endless Pools environment, “you can stop them right as they’re doing something incorrectly and make that modification on the spot. They can then have … that ‘a-ha!’ moment.”
/f/76838/701x438/eeade732f9/peupiuxq2c53wv6lgv8c.jpg "A bird's-eye view of the High Performance Endless Pool at the Surfing Paddling Academy")
This drone shot shows Rob working with a surfer in his Endless Pools High Performance pool. Upon opening the Academy, Rob told us, “When you learn to paddle, you increase your experience in the water tenfold.” That makes sense: researchers have found that a surfer spends about 10 times longer paddling than wave riding.