How Beginner Surfers Progress with More Lessons
Beginner Surfers wanting to take lessons wonder How Beginner Surfers Progress with More Lessons. There is a lot to learn all at one time to surf successfully even riding foam waves to the beach. Not everyone can assimilate and then remember details.
Surfing is all about the details. Once a surfer learns, he things the details are minor and advanced surfers forget what it is like to begin. They usually make poor instructors. They take every thing for granted, like how to get on a surfboard.
Learning in the First Lesson
In the first surf lesson most people can ride some waves. They are coached after every ride until they develop the right habits and techniques to ride. If not instructed and left on their own to practice, they start sliding into bad habits and falling.
It takes time for techniques to become muscle memory so the surfer does not have to think about them. In between, the surfer defaults to his instincts and they are all wrong. Many intermediate surfers come for lessons because their habits have become detrimental. Correcting them is always the same thing. They have lapsed into a bad pop up and incorrect stance.
The advantage of continued coaching is creating the correct muscle memories. The 10,000 hours of practice talked about to become an expert require correct practice, not just practice. Lessons keep directing techniques or advancing on the foundation that was learned. Those who learn fast, progress fast. Some are surfing real waves in the first lesson.
Learning Timing and Rhythm
The beginner surfer needs to learn timing and rhythm. They need to learn a sequence and to execute it the same every time. A beginner should ride every wave, not just one in five. Some people are proud because they got up once. That is not really the objective.
The first thing that has to occur for beginners to progress is to slow their racing minds and focus on the techniques. On the dry land I tell them their minds will go “gaga” in the water and they will forget what they are learning. When they get pushed the first few times into waves, they laugh that their minds have as predicted gone “gaga” and they default to their incorrect instincts.
Overcoming the Racing Mind
The main teaching obstacle in lessons is to slow down the racing minds and increase the focus. Anxiety is the opposite of “flow”. I give students a count to say out loud that defines each step of the sequence and will replace their thinking as well as slow them down. Most people in the water will resist saying the count out loud and default to their instincts.
The count is paddle, stop and glide, push, back foot, stand, front foot. This is tough to remember when you are anxious. Yet is the exact sequence needed to pop into the right posture. Once students see their instincts are causing them to fall every time, they start practicing the count and find success. That is the transition from failure to success. Some people require more lessons for this transition. This doesn’t mention that being strong, flexible, and having stamina are also necessary.
More Posts
Oceanside Surf Lessons for Beginners
Beginner Surfers Learn the Pop Up
How to Progress to Surfing the Short Board
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