Beginner Surfers Use High Volume Boards
Beginner surfers use high volume boards to learn the fundamentals easier. The high-volume board is easier to paddle, easier to catch waves, easier on the popup, and easier to ride. Smaller boards might prevent the beginner from ever getting started.
Surfing is more difficult than most beginners imagine. It looks so easy in the movies. That is partly because all experts make what they do look easy. Surfing requires certain muscles, an ability to learn, good coordination, and some courage. Most beginners feel intimidated until they have tried a few waves and realize they won’t drown.
I start beginners in waist deep water on high volume boards. I push them for several waves until they are understanding the timing and rhythm. The surfer sees the wave, rolls over onto his board, paddles a few easy strokes, looks to the side for the wave, paddles hard to get in front of it, puts his hands on the board, pushes and brings one foot under his butt, stands on it lifting his hands, and then moves the front foot forward. This is why timing and rhythm are important to get each step included.
The Stance Has to Be Correct to Ride the Board
The proper stance I call pushing a tall box. The hands are in front and the shoulders and hips, therefore, are facing square to the front. Snowboarders, skateboarders, and most beginners want to ride in the snowboard stance which is one arm trailing. This places the butt over one rail and the surfer fall off the butt side.
I give students a count to say out loud pronouncing each step. The count is paddle, stop and glide (placing hands on the board and gliding for a few seconds), push (full push up), back foot (placing one foot flat on the board under the butt), stand up (lifting the hands off the board), front foot (placing the front foot in the middle of the board near the nose). The reason I want students to say these steps out loud is to slow them down and override their instincts which are all wrong. The beginning of the lesson consists of getting students to override what their brain wants to do and getting them to include each step.
If a student is using a board that does not have enough volume to make it easy, they are then battling another aspect that will keep them from getting to practice correctly. I start kids under 80 pounds on a 7′ board. 80 to 110 pounds on an 8′ board. 110 to 180 pounds on a 9′ board. Over 190 pounds on a very high volume 9′ board. These boards keep the student’s size from being a factor. Overweight people do have an additional burden. Surfing favors the lean.
On the right size board, surfers can progress to riding real waves and doing the basic maneuvers in real waves before they have to think about a hard board or moving smaller. The longer the surfer stays with the high-volume board, the easier it will be to use a hardboard and then a shorter hardboard. The idea is to have fun. Carrying a short board to the water looks cool, but if you can’t surf it, it doesn’t look cool.
Learn More:
How Surfboards Are Constructed
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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