SUP CERTIFICATIONS

Baltimore SUP offers a variety of standup paddle board instructor certification training courses. Whether you wish to become a certified SUP instructor, or you’d simply like to develop your own SUP skills and knowledge, please take a look at our upcoming certifications.

Would you like to bring one of our courses to your paddle school? Email [email protected] for more details!

The FloYo SUP instructor training course has been designed to educate instructors on how to teach safe and efficient standup paddle lessons, tours and group paddles in an enclosed flat-water setting. This comprehensive one-day course will be led by Jessie Benson, founder of FloYo Fitness and former master trainer for WPA and ASI. The curriculum has been carefully created to give participants the knowledge they need to teach introductory SUP lessons.

The course is designed to help participants:

• Teach proper paddle skills
• Correct paddle technique
• Evaluate and assess students paddling ability
• Practice teaching relevant SUP safety information
• Develop knowledge and skills in performing simple SUP rescues
• If you are interested in getting certified to lead Stand Up Paddle lessons & tours then this course is for you!

The course covers the following topics:

• Board and equipment- how to select the right equipment for students
• Identify risks and dangers that affect students
• Injury prevention and emergency response procedures
• Create risk management strategies
• Incident reporting
• Apply SUP rescue techniques (including towing methods and SUP board rescues)
• Develop lesson plans and instruct a variety of flat water paddle techniques
• Identify how to manage large groups of students on the water
• Water safety information including boating laws and legal requirements

In order to gain your qualification, all participants will need to:

• Send in a copy of their CPR/First Aid certificate (must attend a class instructed by an American Heart Association or American Red Cross certified instructor)
• Submit proof of liability insurance coverage
• Complete the one-day training including the final evaluation
• Demonstrate ability to lead a SUP lesson to a group of students
• Demonstrate competency in performing SUP rescues
• Demonstrate correct paddle technique in paddle assessment video
• Complete timed one-mile paddle in under 15 minutes

After successful completion of this course (and after completing all the above additional requirements) you will be awarded: SUP Instructor Certificate of Attainment from FloYo
(valid for 2 years from the date of completion)

Cost of Training:

• $295

The FloYo SUP yoga and fitness instructor training course has been designed to educate yoga and fitness instructors on how to teach safe and efficient standup paddle yoga and fitness classes in an enclosed flat-water setting. The course will be led by Jessie Benson, founder of FloYo Fitness and former master trainer for WPA and ASI. The curriculum has been carefully created to give participants the knowledge they need to teach safe, effective and FUN SUP yoga &  fitness classes.

The course is designed to help participants:

• Develop sound stand up paddle board skills with an emphasis on stroke technique and turning methods
• Gain an understanding of paddle etiquette, water safety, and rescue and recovery skills
• Practice completing water rescue techniques by participating in a series of experience-based scenarios
• Learn how to cue and demonstrate each yoga pose and exercise that makes up a FloYo SUP Yoga class
• Develop the tools needed to create an effective SUP yoga class and learn how to teach all three FloYo class sequences; the signature FloYo class, SloFlo a more restorative class, and FloYo Fit an athletic interval style class
• Perfect your teaching and delivery skills in front of a group with five+ hours of first hand teaching experience
• Business coaching workshop on how to launch your SUP Yoga business
• Goal setting tools to help you discover where you want to take this new business opportunity

If you are interested in taking your teaching to the water, this course is for you!

What does the certification include?

• Two fun filled days of training which will qualify you as a SUP Yoga and Fitness instructor
• 100+ page in-depth manual which covers risk management, laws and legislation, SUP yoga pose breakdown, sample FloYo, FloYo Fit, and SloFlo class formats, SUP business guidance, etc.
• FloYo Certificate (upon successful completion of the course)

In order to gain your qualification, all participants will need to:

• Submit CPR and first aid certification
• Submit your 200 hour RYT certification*
• Demonstrate competent paddling and water rescue skills
• Show competency in practical water rescue test
• Successfully complete the final evaluation
• Complete timed one-mile paddle in under 15 minutes

*If you are unsure if you meet this requirement please email [email protected]
If you are not 200 hr yoga certified but you have another fitness certification please let us know!

After successful completion of this course (and after completing all the above additional requirements) you will be awarded: SUP Yoga Certificate of Attainment from FloYo
(valid for 2 years from the date of completion)

Cost of Training:

• $650 (includes SUP Safety Training and board rental)

About Your Trainer:

Jessie Benson has been a qualified SUP instructor for over 10 years. She has completed many instructor training courses and was former Master Training for the World Paddle Association and a lead trainer for the Academy of Surfing Instructors. Jessie launched the FloYo SUP Yoga Teacher Training Course in 2012 and has now created a one-day general SUP Safety instructor course for individuals who want to teach general SUP lessons and tours. Jessie leads SUP certifications around the world and also owns B’More SUP in Baltimore, MD.