3 Steps for Catching Surfing Waves

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Three steps for catching surfing waves can apply to beginners and advanced surfers. Advanced surfers already know, but the important steps work for all three surfer levels of beginner, intermediate, and advanced.  

Surfers want to be moving before the wave impacts the surf board. This is key to catching surfing waves whether foam or green waves. Beginner surfers want to paddle easy before the foam arrives and paddle hard when the wave is five feet from impacting the board.

Intermediate and advanced surfers often paddle into the wave as it is arcing to build momentum and choose their final angle for riding. When real waves are rolling and have soft arcs, getting in front of them moving fast helps get in front. Long boards can catch waves that are seemingly flat to short boarders.

Paddle hard and even kick when the wave starts pushing the board. On a foam wave, surfers paddle until they are in front of the wave and before they put their hands on the board to do a pop up. On real waves, surfers usually need about three strong paddles until they feel the nose of the board heading down and the momentum of the wave carrying the board without paddling.

Speed of the wave, steepness, and your board type determine when to pop up on the wave. Catching surfing waves requires experience and practice. A soft top for beginners in foam waves is easy to time. Paddle before the wave arrives, keep paddling for four strokes until the board is in front of the wave, and then pop up.

A long board on a real wave can begin to paddle early as the wave forms and offer the pop up opportunity before a short boarder is even paddling. A long board might need to paddle for the pocket on steep waves to prevent pearling unless waves are big.

A short boarder wants to be in front of the arc and let the wave come under the board before he starts paddling down the face. If the short board is in the right position in the wave, it should only take a few strokes. Most short boarders turn the board toward the pocket after the momentum catches the board and before they do a pop up.

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For Surf Lessons in Oceanside, see the Landing Page

This is a great tutorial on catching real waves https://youtu.be/N7KopjbzxjE

Good video on doing Bottom Turns