Building Skills for Short Board Surfing is a process surfers work on all their lives. Surfing and riding the short board include several skill sets that can always be improved. Professionals are always trying to get better.
Learning to read and judge waves is the most consistent skill set everyone works on. Competitions in the pros are often won by the surfer who best assesses where the waves are best and how they are breaking. They spend time before they go in the water looking at the break. Once Kelly Slater won a contest by making a different assessment than the other surfers on where to ride.
Selecting Your Beach
What kind of board you have and what type of waves you like might determine which beach you like. Some beaches are sand bar like in Oceanside and the short board surfers like the peaky waves that have steeper drops and shots at doing lots of maneuvers in the pocket. Reef breaks along the San Diego Coast tend to be more gently pitched and have longer rides.
Strength is important. Paddling for longer sessions requires stamina. Pro surfers spend as much time out of the water cross training for strength. They also want strong legs to force carves. Aerobics are important for stamina and quick recovery. Interval training will deliver a stronger cardio system.
Study the Maneuvers
Studying the types of maneuvers you want to make is a step for advancement. Look at other surfers, watch video, read, and see what skateboarders and snowboarders are doing. Advanced surfers are learing in all these manners. Talk to other surfers about how they do a maneuver you want to learn.
Build on the basics. Surfers know how to accelerate for speed by pushing the nose of the board up and down the pocket with their front foot. Coaches suggest two or three pumps and then perform a maneuver. Recover and pump two or three times before the next one.
The pop up is automatic for advanced surfers. It must be quick, smooth, and land the surfer on the board with good balance so he can immediately bottom turn into the pocket or accelerate for speed. When to pop up on the wave as it rolls under the surf board is learning the timing.
Work in the Line Up
Knowing how to position for waves and work in the line up is important. Watch the other surfers and learn what they are doing, who is aggressive, and which way the surfers like to go. They will let you in if you catch and ride waves. Don’t miss good waves or fall. They become less willing to give you a turn.
Always have an idea of something to work on when you go in the water. Have a few goals and try to advance in each session. Have patience. Progress will always seem slow.
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