Is There Too Big to Surf

A good question is there too big to surf. There is. As an instructor using 9′ surf boards, many people are too heavy to stand up on the surf board. This generally begins at about 230 pounds. As a person gets shorter, it gets worse to deal with that weight.

I have taught fathers with their kids that were 245 pounds and they did well. It depends often on the power to weight ratio. Can a person lift their body off the board? Is a person flexible enough to get their back foot flat on the board under their butt to stand on it?

The Fundamentals of Surfing

Surfing begins with rolling over onto the surf board to ride foam waves close to shore. The first problem people over weight have is getting on the board in a balanced posture. If the person is not balanced, when the wave hits it might turn over the board, but at the least, the person has trouble performing the rest of the steps.

Once a beginner catches the wave, they have to put their hands on the board in a man’s push up position and then push up. Right behind that they are putting one foot under their body flat on the board and standing up on it. This is where most fail.

People with too much weight have probably not been exercising. Surfing is one of the most demanding full body sports. It is unreasonable to think they could execute difficult techniques for people that are even in good condition.

People not used to exercising tire quickly. The more weight a person has, the poorer is their oxygen uptake. That means they don’t recover easily from the quick exertion of paddling for waves. Catching waves are like doing intervals. Like swimming 25 yard dashes.

All surfers could benefit from four or five basic exercises. I recommend squats, dead lifts, burpies, and push ups. Then add an aerobics program. A surfer should be able to put their palms on the floor without bending their legs. Yes, flexibility is important. Loose hamstrings, buttocks, and lower back are important.

Surfing is great exercise. Just going out and paddling for waves for an hour burns a lot of calories. The timing and rhythm of catching and riding waves is also important. When a person can accomplish the physical tasks described above they learn the timing and rhythm which then makes surfing look easy.

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