Surfing More About Timing than Balance
Surfing is more about timing than balance. Many people worry that they don’t have the balance to surf, but with over 3,500 students, I have had very few that didn’t have the balance. Timing is more of a problem.
Surfing Timing
Timing is used for timing incoming waves, paddling long enough to catch them, how to progress through the pop up sequence and how to ride the surfboard.
I see people trying trying to learn surfing on their own jump up on the surfboard before the wave has arrived. That’s sad. Students learn to get on the surfboard 20′ before a foam wave arrives. They paddle easy to get momentum keeping their eyes on the wave. When the wave is 5′ away they paddle hard. When the wave hits the board, they have to paddle three more times to get in front of the wave.
When to Start the Surfing Pop Up
Once the surfboard is in front of the wave, the student puts his hands on the board in a resting man’s push up position. This slows down your momentum to give you poise for the pop up. Then you push up as you put your back foot on the board (beginners pop up). Most beginners want to move directly to putting their hands on the rail in the pushed up position. This usually results in pearling the board or turning it over.
After putting the back foot flat on the board under your butt, you stand on the foot raising your hands. As you are raising your hands, you are moving your front foot to the nose and lifting your torso into an upright position.
Students often put their front foot on the board before they have raised their hands because they want the security of holding on. This results in flying off the front of the board when your head is in front of your toes. You cannot have your feet and hands on the board at the same time.
The students have to have their hands in the air before their front foot is on the board. Often they also have their head leaning forward with too much weight on the front leg. Without being upright, the body follows the head and the surfer flies off the front of the board, as said.
The Surfing Posture on the Board
The proper posture for surfing is to have the feet shoulder width apart. A wide stance gives stability. The hips and shoulders have to be squared to the front. Snowboarders and skateboarders ride with one shoulder slightly to the back with a trailing arm. This does not work for beginner surfers.
With the right timing and posture, I have many students ride the surf board to the beach on the very first time. With the right posture, the balance is just what the board wants.
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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