How to Progress in Surfing

There are steps on how to progress learning to surf. Learning to surf requires patience with slow steady progress. Surfers learn to build competence with techniques, conditioning, and courage.

The First Fundamentals

The first fundamentals to progress in surfing serves surfers from beginners to advanced and have to be mastered. They seem simple to say, but are not as simple in the water. The first is getting positioned on the board. Most beginners take this for granted and when they are not on the board properly they turn the board over before they begin.

Surfers have to have their feet at the back of the board every time or they pearl the board (nose goes under water). They have to be straight as a pencil and equal weight on both sides of the center line or the board tips over when the wave pushes it. Chest has to be up and paddle hard or the wave takes over and pearls or turns the board sideways.

Progress Faster Starting with Foam Waves and Soft Top Boards

New students need to start with foam waves and 8′ or 9′ soft top boards. Catching waves takes timing. When the foam wave is 20′ from the surf board, the surfer rolls over on the board and starts paddling easy. He looks back and when the wave is 5′ from the board he starts paddling harder. When the wave hits the board, he needs to paddle three or four times to get in front of the wave.

Standing up is a process that has to be smooth and in the right sequence. I teach a beginner pop up that starts with catching the wave, putting hands on the board in a man’s push up position, pushing up, and putting the back foot on the board flat and under the butt. This step is where many people falter. They may not have the flexibility. They don’t take the time to do it right. They put their back foot on the board with only their toes and then they can’t stand up.

The next step is to stand on the back foot and raise the hands. The front foot is then pushed to the front of the board and the surfer assumes the correct posture. If the surfer is not standing when the front foot hits the board and still has his hands on the board, he will fly off the front.

The Correct Posture on the Surf Board

The correct posture is feet shoulder width apart, shoulders and hips squared to the front, knees flexed, and hands in front. This makes the body’s weight equal on both sides of the center line.

After learning these fundamentals, the surfer can paddle out through the waves and turn around to catch the next wave. The better the surfer becomes at this practice, the bigger the foam waves he can ride.

Then its time to try some real waves. Real waves can be ridden down the face or caught at the corners. Once the surfer has learned to catch real waves he can learn to get into the pocket, pump for speed, and try some maneuvers. I have other posts that cover these techniques.

Learn More:

Progress in Surfing with more instructions:

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