Who Excels in Learning to Surf?
Many people with surfing ambitions wonder Who Excels in Learning to Surf? The snowboarders, skateboarders, wake surfers, and wake boarders all think they would be good at surfing. Usually that is true with a few caviats.
Surfing is different than all sports. It is the only board sport where you have to get up from a lying down position. It is the only board sport where the surface you ride on is moving. It is a board sport that requires different balance than other board sports.
Natural Athletes Make Natural Surfers
Natural athletes, of which there are few, excel at all sports including surfing. They have athletic bodies because they are active and have good eating habits. Most importantly, their brain and body work well together which we call coordination and agility. They would be good soccer players because they could perform all the tricks for handling the ball. Coordination between brain and body is necessary for surfing because it is new to the brain.
Lean weight is a big bonus. Professionals try to get lean because surf techniques are easier with lean bodies. There is also the power to weight ratio which measures whether a surfer has the strength to lift their body off the board. Overweight people suffer big in this category which often prevents them from standing up on a surfboard.
Overcoming Our Incorrect Instincts on How to Stand Up
We have instincts about standing up since we have been doing it since we were toddlers. Those instincts don’t help with surfing. The stand up process is different. The surfer paddles to catch a wave. Then he places his hands on the board in a man’s push up position. Then he pushes as he places a foot flat on the board under his butt. As he stands on the foot he raises his hands so his body is upright with head high and looking at the beach, As he rises, he brings the other foot to be placed in front of his body in the middle of the board.
You could get up on dry land like this but it would look ridiculous. On the other hand, beginner surfers should practice this in their living rooms to develop the surf specific muscles for pop ups and a smoothly executed pop up. The pop up will decide if you advance. The pop up delivers the right stance of feet wide apart and the hips and shoulders parallel to the beach with hands in front. If the pop up and resulting stance are correct, you will be a surfer.
Many are riding on the first wave. Others take time to overcome their thinking and instincts to do something other than the correct technique. Some can’t get their brain and body to learn. For those with physical conditioning difficulties they can begin a program of losing weight and getting stronger like I suggest in my books The 3 Week Plan and Get Fit to Surf.
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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