Many new surfers are wondering how to ride on a surfboard. They make take it upon themselves to rent a surfboard and venture into the foam waves to attempt to ride it. They are often frustrated because they cannot stand on it for long nor ride it very far.
What most new surfers don’t consider because they don’t know is that the surfboard is designed for a rider to have their weight equally balanced on both sides of the middle stringer to go straight. If weight is on one side or the other, then the board carves or tips over. An experienced surfer knows how to carve and a beginner just tips over.
The Fundamentals of Riding the Surfboard
If a surfer knew they had to have their weight balanced on the surfboard correctly, the next problem might be how to get into that correct posture. Most beginners without lessons fumble this step because their weight is so improperly hurled onto the surfboard, they are falling before standing. Not to mention, they don’t know the timing of when to catch the wave.
The first mistake beginners are making is often missing the foam wave. They put their hands on the board and jump to quickly or they try to stand up while the surfboard is still in the foam. The first step is to wait until the foam wave is close and then paddle hard for a few paddles to get the surfboard in front of the foam wave. The board has the sensation of taking off in the wave.
The next step is smoothly getting the body from the lying down position to the correct standing position without upsetting the surfboard in the process. Advanced surfers have a smooth pop up which gets both feet to the board at the same time and keeps their balance in the middle of the board. Beginners are better suited to the pop up in which they place their rear foot on the board first and then stand up as they put their front foot on the board.
The important balance posture is hips and shoulders are squared to the front with both hands in front and the weight is equal on both sides of the board. The mistake beginners make is their posture has one arm trailing behind and their butt is over one rail. I call this the snowboarding or skateboarding posture. These two sports usually have the rider with one shoulder back. In surfing, this causes the weight to be placed on the heels and the board to tip.
Once on the surfboard properly, the board will go straight without any effort. The board can be carved by turning the upper torso to the direction of travel and placing a little pressure on the toes or heels on that side. The board will carve smoothly. On beginner foam boards, pressure has to be light because the board will dig a rail. This is the reason advanced surfers move to short boards with thin rails.
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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