Progress from Soft Tops to Surfing Short Boards in easy steps. Surfers get better with practice, improving physical capabilities, and learning more techniques. The short board is a tool for performing maneuvers that would be too difficult for soft tops or longer boards. The main advantage is the carving.
It takes a while for a surfer to go from beginner to advanced in which he can execute the maneuvers best served by a short board. The first thing surfers like is the ability of the short board to duck dive waves. This is an advantage on sand bar beaches but not much on reefs where surfers paddle around waves.
Moving from Soft Top to Short Board Surfing
Surfers learn the fundamentals on soft tops. They learn to catch a foam wave, do a precise pop up and ride to the beach. Then they can paddle out for bigger foam waves and starting with smaller real waves. No need for a short board for any of these exercises. The surfer progresses to bigger real waves on the soft top. The 8′ soft top can ride a 7′ real wave and do lots of maneuvers including bottom turns, accelerating, and cut backs. Some can do 360’s and aerials.
The soft top can catch real waves do a bottom turn into the pocket, accelerate for speed, and do maneuvers like riding up the face or doing cut backs. It gets more difficult when the surfer wants to rip the lip and make sharper turns up and down the face. The soft top has wide rails which makes deep carves difficult without catching an edge. The short board has narrow rails made for deep carves.
Until the surfer wants to work on deep carves, he doesn’t need a short board. Many surfer like the lazier maneuvers of higher volume or longer boards. There is a good reason. Higher volume boards are easy to paddle, catch waves early, and ride easy if you are mainly driving the pocket. That is a lot to give up, especially if you are a week end warrior.
The short board sinks in the water making it harder to paddle. It needs a steep wave to give it power which means the surfer must allow the wave to come under the board and paddle at the last moment. The short board is less stable to ride. Therefore a slow progression from soft top to short board allows the surfer to adapt to paddling, wave catching and maneuvering.
The best process is to move shorter 6 inches at a time maintaining the width of 21+” and 2 3/4″ thickness. This allows more maneuverability while maintaining easier paddling and wave catching. Short boards start at 6′ 10″, so there is time when moving from an 8′ soft top. Learning to paddle smaller boards and catch waves with smaller boards are major steps toward mastery.
In the process, one should consider their weight and physical conditioning. Short boards like lean because then they don’t sink as much. There is a power to weight ratio that says one must be able to push their weight off the surfboard into a stance. One must have strength to carve.
Learning to catch real waves is a life long practice. It is the essence of surfing. Some want to ride bigger waves. Some have a favorite size wave and conditions in which they can excel. The short board is good for steep waves, but that often means there are only a few snaps possible before the wave closes out. Long boarders like slower forming waves and often longer waves so they can drive and perform their maneuvers more causally.
Visit the Home Page for Surf Lessons
See my website GetFittoSurf.com
See my website HappinessandWorkLifeBalance.com
The New Surfing Trilogy. 3 books in 1 E-Book
Lose weight, get fit, and learn to surf. All in one concise summary of 3 books, Combines The 3 Week Plan, Get Fit to Surf, and Learn to Surf Guide.
Buy E Book on Amazon for $6.99
Learn More
Get the Learn to Surf Guide Course in Kindle, Paperback or Audio
A great 29 page course on the fundamentals of catching waves, doing beginner and advanced pop ups, riding real waves, how to do maneuvers on real waves, which surfboards to ride, and how to progress. Great for lesson preparation, after lesson review, or learning on your own.
Kindle price $2.99 on Amazon. Paperback price $6.95 on Amazon. Audio download price $7.95
Get Fit to Surf
A great guide to strength, flexibility, stamina, and leanness for surfing. Beginner strategies for getting stronger, more flexible, stronger cardiovascular system, and nutrition to lose weight. An improving surfer or one who wants to prepare must meet the whole body physical demands of surfing. Getting stronger improves ones ability to perform better.
Buy on Kindle for $5.99 or the Paperback for $7.99
Every Body Can Surf
To read a great book for getting in shape to surf or getting in better surfing shape, read my new book Overweight People Can Surf, a Health, Fitness, Nutrition, and Surfing Adventure
Description:
Get healthy and fit to surf or set a goal of surfing to improve weight, fitness, nutrition, and health. This guide by a surf instructor/health coach/personal trainer gives the short version of how to lose weight, get strong, build stamina, develop nutrition, and learn to surf. Surfing is a lifestyle enjoyed by millions and so is fitness. Fitness creates opportunities to enjoy life through lots of different kinds of recreation. No need to stand on the sidelines while others are having a great time. Start your program to health with easy steps and progress at your own pace. That is the secret to maintaining a lifestyle. Do it at your pace. This book will start you on the path.
Buy the E book on Amazon for $5.99
Buy the Paperback on Amazon for $7.99
Lose 30 Pounds and Get Fit
Description:
My newest book. Many people these days want to lose major weight. They want to get fit for recreation or to surf. They need to get healthy. Getting healthy often begins with losing a major amount of weight. This is not easy, but with the right routine it becomes easier. The body fights weight loss as a self-preservation mechanism, but it can be manipulated into complying. I have lost 50 pounds years ago and recently 35 pounds to get below my high school weight. It feels great. Weight loss may also be the key to reversing diseases and disorders. Doctors will tell patients to reverse diabetes, lose 25% of your body weight (varies). What people don’t learn from doctors is whether they have metabolic or mitochondrial disorders. Both lead to serious health issues and disease. This books discusses all of this to better inform you if you have health issues.
Buy the E book on Amazon Kindle for $5.99
Buy the paper back on Amazon $7.99
Seniors Get Fit to Surf
Description:
Seniors often ask if it is too late to learn to surf. Age is functional not chronological. If people have been exercising and maintaining body strength, surfing can be accomplished. If people have not been exercising, then getting in shape to surf could be a life changing move. Learn how to develop strength, flexibility, and stamina to learn surfing. If you are in surf shape, you could pursue most any recreation.
Buy the E-book on Amazon for $5.99
Buy the Paperback on Amazon for $7.99
