Jamie Mitchell Talks Fitness, Diet, Gear and Technique

SAN DIEGO, California - Supconnect recently conducted an interview on the "Supconnect Live" webcast in HD with Jamie Mitchell, one of the worlds best prone paddlers of all time, who has also had a profound impact on the Stand Up Paddle world.  He shared insight from his vast experience on several topics that will definitely be of interest to paddlers around the world. 

The beginning of the interview took us on a brief journey into Jamie's younger years.  The now 35 year old recounted that he had asthma as a young child and that his parents put him in swimming lessons when he was as little as 4 years old.  As he grew he became a professional lifeguard, continued swimming and added a lot of surfing to his routine.  Then in 1999 he participated in his first Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race which would lead to a future "Decade of Dominance" in which he won the race 10 years in a row from 2002 to 2012.

In order to accomplish the 10 year Molokai feat and also become a Battle of the Paddle Champion in SUP, Jamie has applied tremendous self discipline.  His fitness routines have been strict and have included a lot of early morning swimming, strength and weight training, surfing, and cross training in and out of the gym.  His diet has also been specific and he as spent the last several years eating more organically and following the advice of Adam Kelinson, author of The Athlete's Plate. For more detail, watch the video above and hear what Jamie has for a typical breakfast, lunch and so on. 

When it came to discussing stand up paddle gear, Jamie spoke for a moment about his JM stand up paddle board by Surftech.  The majority of paddlers do not have the luxury of having a quiver of boards so Jamie has tried to create a board that will do as well as possible in a variety of conditions. 

Finally when it came to technique Jamie broke down stand up paddle into three simple area of focus.  First, he mentioned "The Recovery".  Jamie said, "Without a good recovery, you don't have a good stroke," and explained that the stroke is doomed if the recovery is not solid.  The second area of focus mentioned was the "Twisting of the Hips and Body Rotation.  Jamie said that he typically feels the best about his paddle stroke when he is using a lot of core and twisting.  The third and final area of focus discussed was the "Entry to the Exit".  Having a clean entry and exit have a great deal to do with speed on the water.

To hear the details from Jamie himself on all of these topics please enjoy the video above.  Also, stay tuned and look for more technique and tips from Supconnect Live and all the interviews with the best stand up paddlers from around the world!  Stay "Sup Connected" and spread the stoke!

.