Learning to surf is a progression of Beginner to Advanced Surf Techniques. My new surf students wish it was easier to learn to surf, but even the beginners have to learn the techniques of advanced surfers. The only beginner break is they start in shallow water so they don’t get hurt.
Surfing is about catching waves, popping up on the surfboard, and then executing maneuvers to enjoy the wave. Beginners start with a high volume soft top board to make these techniques easier. Advanced surfers (short boards) have learned so surf on smaller boards through practice, skill development, building strength, and increasing courage. All are necessary to advance.
Catching Waves
The beginner learns to time a foam wave. Standing in waist deep water, he waits for the wave to arrive and when it is 20 feet away, he rolls onto his surfboard and paddles easy. He looks for wave and when it is close, he paddles hard to get in front of the wave. The advanced surfer knows where the real waves are breaking and gets in position. When the wave arrives, he lets it roll under his surf board and then paddles hard to get down the face.
The beginner surfers can use a pop up that doesn’t require the upper body strength and agility of the advanced surfer. When he has caught the wave, he puts his hands on the board in a man’s pushup position and then pushes while bringing one foot under his butt and placing it flat on the boars. He stands and raises his hands while the other foot reaches for the front of the board. The advanced surfer pushes and pops both feet onto the board at the same time. They both arrive in the same stance.
Learning to Ride
The objective for the beginner surfer is to ride straight to the beach without falling off. After that, he can paddle out to catch bigger foam waves and then small real waves. The advanced surfer catches waves and bottom turns into the pocket. Then he accelerates for speed before his first maneuver. He may do a cut back to get back to the power or he may bottom turn up the face and then do a cut back to rip the lip and go back down the wave. Then he accelerates before the next maneuver.
The beginner could do all this on an 8′ soft top board even though he may start on a 9′ board (recommended). After learning the maneuvers, the beginner could move to a hard board that is 7’6′ long, 21″+ wide and 2 3/4″ inches thick. It is good for the beginner to move down in length only 6″ at a time. Each move will require more strength to paddle, a steeper wave to catch, and be trickier to ride. Moving shorter slowly makes each transition easier.
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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