Beginner Surfer Pop Up

The beginner surfer pop up is simpler than the advanced pop up because it doesn’t require the surf specific muscles. Many beginners do not have strong upper bodies or core muscles and can’t perform the snap required for an advanced pop up.

The beginner surfer pop up relies on the muscles of one leg, which most people from ages 8 and up can manage. The only hindrance for beginner surfers is being over weight and lack of flexibility. Lack of flexibility can result for adults from too much sitting and no stretching.

Training for Advanced Pop UP

The best three work outs I have found for developing surfer pop up muscles at the gym are squats, dead lifts, and chest presses. These develop legs, back, shoulders, arms, and the core. Then adding cable pulls develop the triceps and lattisimus dorsi for paddling.

Beginner Pop Up Count

I give beginner surfers a count and ask them to say it out loud in the water as they move through the sequence of catching a wave and standing up. I have found a high success rate for those who count out lout and a high failure rate for those who don’t. Those who count say it really works.

The first count is the paddling. After I push students into their first waves, they need to paddle three times hard. When they have caught the wave, I use the word “stop” for putting their hands on the board in a man’s push up position. It is so hard to get students to slow down in order to get the poise for the next move. This position needs a few seconds rest.

Getting the Back Foot on the Board

The next two moves I combine as though one word. I say “push” and “back foot”. In these moves, the student does a push up and puts their back foot flat on the board under their butt. Failure to put the back foot flat and under their butt won’t allow them to stand up on it.

The next counts are “stand” and “front foot”. Even though there are separate counts,there is a flow and momentum to the sequences. Once the back foot is on the board flat, the student is standing and moving the front foot to the nose of the board. Then the student is in the right position on the board if he is also in the right posture.

The Surfing Posture

The posture is the next important point. Hips and shoulders have to be squared to the front. If the student is in what I call the snowboard posture with one shoulder back and a trailing arm, they will fall off the butt side of the board. If the student still has his hands on the board when he puts his front foot on the board, he flies off the front of the board.

It is important to land soft with the knees flexed. Locked stiff legs cause the surfer to lose balance and topple off the board at the first bump. Hands should be in front where they can be seen.

Many students are riding on the first wave. Those who don’t count out loud and follow the sequence struggle. I also find that too much thinking interferes with the natural flow of the pop up. The count slows student down from a racing mind and takes their attention off the ocean. Sometimes when I release students to catch their own waves, they stop thinking and get into the natural rhythm allowing their lizard brain to control their body as Nature intended.

Learn More:

For Oceanside Surf Lessons, see the Home Page

See the Post Surf Lessons Begin with Foam Waves

See the Post What You Learn in a 2 Hour Lesson

See the Post How to Progress in Surfing

See My Dry Land and In Water Demo video

See How to Catch a Green/Real Wave video