The First Technique in Learning to Surf is a discipline most new people have difficulty executing because they can’t focus in the water. When beginners get in the water, their minds go “gaga”. They don’t really know how to surf so they think their instincts will get them through. Those not taking lessons and renting boards can be seen violating most every principle possible.
The beginner starts with foam waves on a soft top board. My students start in waist deep water and roll over on to the surfboard as the wave approaches. Then they paddle to catch the wave. This is where the most important technique has to occur or the rest is useless. The surfer has to place his hands on the surfboard next to his rib cage and rest a second before moving on.
All Surfers Start with the Basics
If you watch video or film of surfers, the first three things they do are paddle, stop with their hands in the man’s push up position, and then push up. What beginners tend to do is throw their hands in front of their shoulders in an already pushed up position. This causes three problems. They push the nose under water called pearling. They push up placing uneven pressure on the outstretched hands causing the board to tip over. They cannot get their feet under them in this down dog (yoga) position.
The hands must be placed next to the chest and the surfer rests a second to assess if he is read for the pop up. Then he pushes up and places one foot on the board in the beginner pop up or pops both feet onto the board in the advanced pop up. Resting in the stop and glide position allows the surfer to develop the poise for the steps that follow.
When I observe new students going through the sequence, they are successful most of the time when they start with the stop and glide position. When they throw their hands in front of their shoulders in an already popped up position, they usually fail to stand. I give students a count to say out loud to help over ride their instincts and get them into the right sequence. It is paddle, stop and glide, push, back foot, stand up, front foot. When they say this out loud as they go through the steps, they usually learn to surf quickly.
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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