The most difficult part of learning to surf is Beginner Surfers Must Override Their Instincts. Learning to surf is a function of a persons ability to learn. There are a lot of details at the beginning and many people, of all ages, don’t have the capacity to learn details.
When giving new students the dry land portion of the lesson, I mention their minds will go “gaga” when they are in the water and instead of executing what we are learning, they will immediately go to their instincts. Their instincts are all wrong.
The First Incorrect Instincts
The first instinct all beginners have is to paddle and throw their hands on the board in front of their shoulders in an already pushed up position. This can be observed watching people who rented boards trying to learn on their own. The first thing they do is push the nose of the board under water called “pearling”. They then fly off the front in a face plant.
The second issue is beginners don’t understand wave timing and standing up on the board. Observe people trying on their own and my students and you will see they often want to stand up before the wave arrives and usually too fast after the wave arrives. These also result in crashes.
The third instinct that has to be corrected is new students want to ride on the board in a posture I call “snowboarding”. They want to ride with one hand behind the body and one arm pointing to the beach. This results in falling off the side of the board their butt is on. Many intermediates start defaulting to this posture and need retraining.
The fourth instinct is slow paddling. I have rarely had a student that would paddle hard enough at the beginning. Slow paddling allows the wave to take over the board. The student has to paddle hard just three or four times to accelerate the board in front of the wave.
The Lesson Fundamentals to Over Come Instincts
Many cannot overcome these instincts even with a lesson but in a lesson we try. The other major issue for beginners is conditioning. Surfers need upper and lower body strength plus flexibility in their hamstrings, buttocks, and lower back. Pushups and squats cure all three for most people.
I give students a count to say out loud to override their instincts and automatic defaults when in the water their mind is racing and they cannot focus. Until students slow down and focus, their instincts rule and they continue to fall off the board. Most say when they have slowed down, it all comes together.
The count is paddle, stop and glide, push, back foot, stand up, front foot. What this means is first the students must paddle hard three or four times to get the board in front of the wave. As the nose starts to rise level with the water (the wave lifts the tail with the nose pointing downward) they can put their hands on the board. They must put their hands in a man’s push up position and hold it for a few seconds. This as opposed to the instinct of throwing their hands in front fo their shoulders prevents the pearl.
The next step is to push up and place a foot under the butt flat on the board. This is crucial to allow the student to stand up on that foot. The student will be standing on one foot for a second as he rises and moves the other foot to the front of the board.
Surf Students Fear Standing Up
A fear common with new students is standing up. It is rather comical that new students want to surf but are afraid of standing up. They don’t know they are afraid until it comes time to do it. Then they hold onto the board with both hands as they put both feet on the board. This results in flying off the front of the board. You can’t have your hands and feet on the board at the same time. The hands must be up in the air as the front foot lands.
Not only do many students have trouble learning/remembering all the steps, but their fears make them resort to their instincts. The combination makes it difficult to learn. This is why most every student says learning to surf is difficult. Once they learn, they will say it is easy.
Every student also says it is tiring. As they get more tired, learning and focus become more difficult. The paddling is what makes it tiring. Its like doing sprints in a pool. Good aerobic and muscle conditioning allow the cardiovascular system to assist and muscle development creates more glucose in storage for better stamina.
To get better, students must learn more skills and get in better condition. Progress requires more paddling and more courage. As the student masters the fundamentals, they then need more courage to tackle bigger waves. The conditioning gives them the confidence they can handle the ocean conditions.
Read Other Posts:
Beginner Surfers Learn on Soft Tops
5 Steps to Improve Surfing Performance
3 Ways to Catch Real Surfing Waves
Training to Ride the Surfing Short Board
Short Board Surfing Techniques
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