Beginner Surfers Learn to Ride Waves
Beginner Surfers Learn to Ride Waves by learning some fundamental techniques. Surfing lore is passed down and it is difficult to learn on one’s own because our instincts are all wrong.
I give new students a sequence to follow for catching waves and doing the pop up. I give them a count to say out loud in the water as they do it. This is to over ride their own thoughts which have them doing everything wrong.
Surfing is About Rhythm and Timing
Surfing is about timing and rhythm. The first key of success is to slow down. Most students say, when I slowed down it got easier. Most new students are in a bit of a panic mode in the water. Its a new experience, the wave is behind them, and all of a sudden they are going fast. It is unnerving.
First students need patience to catch the wave. Most are in a hurry to put their hands on the board and rush to stand up. There is no need to rush. As the foam wave approaches, the surfer paddles easy. Then when it is close to the board they paddle hard to get the board in front of the foam. The tail remaining in the foam makes for a rough pop up.
Riding the Foam Wave
After the board takes off which can be felt by the surfer, the surfer puts his hands in the man’s pushup position next to his chest and rests there for a few seconds. This is crucial. The main mistake beginners make is putting their hands in front of their shoulders in an already pushed up position. This causes the nose to go under or turns over the board and also makes it difficult to get one’s feet under the body.
The surfer then pushes up and puts his back foot flat on the board under his butt. This is about 3′ from the back of the board. Most beginners don’t have the flexibility to put their foot flat which is necessary to stand up and release the hands. As the student stands on that foot they are balance for a second on one leg.
The student stands raising their hands and then places the front foot on the board. The action is continuous and smooth. The proper stance for the landing is feet shoulder width apart with the hands in front of the body. Snowboarders and skateboarders ride with on arm behind the body which doesn’t work for beginner surfers.
The Right Stance on the Surfboard
A surfer’s weight should be equal on both legs, head upright and eyes facing forward, and knees flexed to absorb the bounces. If the board goes straight to the beach without work, the surfer is in the right stance.
This is a lot to learn and usually takes close supervision because the surfer is unaware of what they are doing or where they are making mistakes. A fairly athletic person that can learn is riding waves in one lesson. A person who hasn’t learned new physical feats in a long time has trouble getting their brain and body to communicate.
Good exercises for beginners before taking lessons if they are not physically active are pushups, squats and dead lifts. Each can be done without weights. These build strength and flexibility for surfing. Students that are over weight have more difficulty because they probably have not been exercising and may not have the strength in their upper and lower body to lift their weight off the surfboard.
For good training read my book Get Fit to Surf ( below) or see my website https://GetFittoSurf.com
More Posts
Oceanside Surf Lessons for Beginners
Beginner Surfers Learn the Pop Up
How to Progress to Surfing the Short Board
For Surf Lessons in Oceanside, see the Home Page
To in surfing shape see my website Get Fit to Surf
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