Let's Go Paddle!

I have been lucky to spend the past 14 years and countless hours of water time coaching paddlers from a unique spectrum of backgrounds and abilities that only a city as big and diverse as Los Angeles could manage to bring together. From that, and my background in professional development and team management, a learning methodology emerged that has become the core of Paddle Method instruction.

Based on the outrigger canoe stroke and modified to account for the effects of wind, and lack of a rudder my coaching style takes a bit-by-bit approach that is designed to build core strength, water sense, and confidence in paddlers at every skill level to handle the conditions that come up on the water. We all paddle (or dream of paddling) in a crystal clear mountain lake, tropical islands, scenic rivers, and dramatic ocean coastlines, and in every fluid environment there is  change from wind, waves, and tides to deal with. Coaching paddlers to learn situational awareness and techniques to handle any situation is what I love to do and I'm lucky to live in LA where we meet paddlers from all around the world eager to experience SUP fun and adventure all year long.

My mission is to strengthen the bonds of the paddling community by engaging more paddlers with the life sustaining power and serenity of the Stand Up Paddle Boarding, (SUP) way of life.

Paddle Method stand up paddleboard instruction focuses on three core areas of SUP – control and close quarter paddling in Marina's. techniques for paddling in the wind and wakes for confidence and fitness, and combining the control and speed with timing to get through waves and catch the energy available on the water to surf.  Our Lessons, Workouts and Excursions (tours) build your water knowledge, fitness, paddle technique, and reflexes so you can connect with the waterways of the world for adventure, fitness, and community.

Join a group of paddling enthusiasts for one of our signature stroke technique clinics and workout sessions designed to build your strength and confidence so you can paddle faster, burn more calories and paddle confidently in a variety of conditions.

Let's Go Paddle! A guided, paddleboard tour or excursion is where you can see, first hand, all of your hard work and practice come together.

All of our paddle board lessons and workouts focus on building muscle memory along with your strength and paddle skills so your confidence grows with every stroke while allowing you to progress at your natural pace.

My goal is to build a skilled and knowledgeable SUP community so all who have felt the pull of the Ocean, Bay, Lake or River can explore the world from a SUP point of view.

Paddle on! Tim

Like anyone who is lucky enough to find their passion in life, I look back and see how all roads led me to a career as a professional SUP instructor, personal coach, and guide. The ones that stand out the most are both professional and personal and while too many to list here in full, here are some the highlights:

• Childhood summers, spent sailing up and down the New England coast.
• 15 years in the hospitality industry from Edinburgh, Scotland to Seattle, WA to Los Angeles, CA.
• 3 years working in the professional development and teacher training for LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District).
• 4 years as a sales manager for a Los Angeles based financial services company. Training a sales team and coaching paddlers really isn’t all that different. What gets me excited about both is working with different types of learning styles in the hopes of providing a fun and enjoyable opportunity to learn something new and say, “Aha!”

• Owner and operator of Paddle Method, LA’s first accredited SUP school from the Academy of Surf and Stand Up Paddle Board Instructors (A.S.I).
• Certified World Paddle Association (WPA) and Paddle Fit Instructor.
• 3 years on Board of Directors on both the Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Race and Ocean Festival and Los Angeles’s Waterkeeper’s Alliances Stand Up for clean water SUP race.
• Completed 2001 ARC Rally Europe – Transatlantic Ocean Rally (32 days on the open ocean and you’ll learn a thing or two!).
• Numerous SUP race finishes 2010-to present including: Winner of the 2013 Men’s Surf Class, SM Pier Paddle Board and Ocean festival. Team Captain and winner of Redondo to San Diego 100-mile adventure race.
• Member of United States Coast Guard Auxillary, Marina del Rey 12-4
• Steve West (author of the SUP Bible) and Will Anido – ASI Instructor Training (I learned more about paddling in 45 minutes on the water with Steve than I’ve learned from everyone else combined! And Will is simply inspiring; he placed first in his class during last year’s Molakai Challenge a.k.a.The hardest SU race on the planet.
• Kalama Klinic – Dave Kalama is a premier performance paddle instructor and one of the founders of SUP – 2011.
• Over 5 years and 1000+ hours of teaching experience: private lessons to large groups from back bay estuaries to the open ocean adventure tours.
• Avid SUP racer and SUP surfer.