Biggest Problems Beginner Surfers Face
Learning to surf is more difficult than everyone expects and these are the Biggest Problems Beginner Surfers Face. Surfing looks so easy and effortless on film but the experience in the water for beginners is quite different.
The ability to learn is the major problem I see as an instructor. New students have a set of muscle memory issues they bring with previous activities and breaking muscle memory issues that affect surfing are difficult. Surprisingly, beginners like to get in a stance I call snowboarding with one hand behind the other on the board with their butt over one rail. They head for the beach with one and in front and one trailing while riding sideways on the board. Breaking this conditioning is the most difficult issue.
Learning the Pop Up Sequence
Learning the pop up sequence is key to surfing. The advanced pop up is easier as a concept but more difficult physically for the beginner than the beginner pop up I created. The advanced pop up has the surfer paddling, putting two hands on the board in a man’s push up position and then popping both feet onto the board at once with the hands in the air as the feet land. The problem beginners have is getting the front foot far enough forward because they don’t have the surf specific muscles and agility that comes with practice.
The beginner pop up has the surfer going through the same motion, but after they put their hands on the board, they push and put a back foot on the board and put a foot under their butt flat so they can stand on it. For a second they are rising on one foot so they can lift their hands off the board to move the other foot to the nose. Beginners get this on dry land but have trouble in the water because of the next issue.
The Beginner Must Learn to Calm Their Mind
Beginner surfer’s minds go “gaga” in the water. They forget everything they learned in the dry land and resort to a panicked sequence their brain would call instincts. Everyone’s instincts are wrong in the water. The sequence is a smooth, planned movement that only takes a few seconds to execute in the water and does not require speed. In fact, beginners improve as they slow down. I have techniques for teaching designed just to slow down the beginners mind.
Being overweight and lack of strength and flexibility are three more issues. Being overweight is incurable until the surfer loses weight. The lack of strength comes from lack of upper body and core exercise, but is also a function of the surfer being able to lift their own weight. Flexibility is an issue for most people because the surfing flexibility is different than regular stretching improves. Squats are the best for surf stretching. Pushups are the best exercise for upper body and core strength and give power to the pop.
Because surfers forget the dry land lesson when they get in the water, the instruction in the water to take them through the dry land over and over is the way surfers succeed. Some are more natural than others and can be up in a few rides, but some take the whole lesson to learn the timing and rhythm.
Timing and Rhythm Are Key to Learning
I tell beginners its all about timing and rhythm and they get it after they have learned it. The surfer has to have the patience to catch the wave before they put their hands on the board. This is very tough for most beginners. Then they have to have the patience to place their hands in the man’s pushup position and rest for a few seconds before pushing up. This slows their momentum and is the number one obstacle for beginners to overcome. They want to paddle and throw their hands into and already pushed up position after which they do something they create with their knees or feet and fly off the front of the board.
Beginners learn to surf when they can focus their racing mind and follow the right sequence to make the experience smooth. Once they get the timing and rhythm they are up on every wave. This is the proof I like to see to show they have learned the process.
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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