How to Stand Up on a Surfboard
One of the reasons to take surf lessons is to learn how to stand up on a surfboard. The focus of a surf lesson is to fight the student’s natural instincts of how to stand up and instill the correct method.
We all know how to stand up. We have been doing it all our lives. What works on land to get up off the floor, doesn’t work in the ocean. Our instincts are wrong about how to stand up on a surfboard. The process called a pop up is foreign to our brain and many have difficulty with the communication process from brain to body.
Overcoming Our Long Term Muscle Memory
We have deep built in muscle memory of how to stand up. We have been doing it since we learned to walk. None of it works on a surfboard in the water. It is very difficult for an instructor to overcome a student’s long term idea of how to stand up.
In surfing, we use a pop up which is the surfing method for standing up. It has a sequence that beginners have difficulty following. They get it on the beach, but abandon it in the water when their mind goes “gaga” and instructs them to follow their instincts.
The beginner and advanced pop up focus on getting the front foot in the right spot and the body in the correct stance to ride the surfboard. Failing either of these results in a wobbly ride or falling in the water. Failing to learn the proper process prevents advancing to bigger waves.
Starting Out in Small Foam Waves for Safety
Beginner surfers start near the beach in small foam waves that have less size, weight, and speed than bigger foam waves and real waves. The idea is not to be overwhelmed and hurt. The fundamentals learned are the same used to ride big waves.
I give the students a count to say out loud to accompany a process to overcome thinking and instincts. I say don’t think, just count and do the process. The process is paddle hard to get in front of the foam wave after rolling over as it approaches. Then when the nose of the surfboard comes up level on the water, place hands in a man’s pushup position next to the rib cage and relax for a few seconds. This is a most difficult step for beginners to grasp in the water.
Students want to prop themselves up in an already pushed up position with their hands in front of their shoulders. This causes all sorts of problems. It pushes the nose down into a pearl. It causes the board to tip to one side or the other. It prevents the surfer from getting their feet underneath their body.
After resting in what I call the stop position after paddling to gain poise, the surfer pushes up and brings one foot under their butt and places it flat on the board. If they don’t place it flat, they can’t stand on it. It requires some flexibility. They have to stand up for the next step of releasing their hands to give room for the other foot. If the surfer doesn’t release their hands before the front foot moves forward, they will wind up with both feet on the back of the board and fly off the front.
Students are Often Afraid to Stand Up
Many students are afraid of standing up so they hold on until both feet are on the board. Then it is too late. There has to be a leap of faith to stand on one foot for a second so the hands can be released. Failure to do this results in failure to stand up and ride.
The correct stance is crucial. The surfboard is designed so weight is equal on both sides of the middle stringer. To do this, the hips and shoulders have to be square to the front or parallel to the beach. Snowboarders and skateboarders and beginners like to surf with one shoulder back and an arm trailing. This puts the butt over one rail, the weight on the heels, and the surfer falls off the back of the board. This is why most beginners can’t surf.
The surfer is upright as he stands on the back foot and squared to the front. His weight is equal on the back and front leg. The hands have to be BOTH out in front where they can be seen. Having the hands in front will correct most problems.
As you can see there are lots of pieces and lots of places to go wrong. Relying on instincts takes beginners to all the wrong places. This is why it takes and hour to an hour and a half to often get the students to accept the process over their instincts.
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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