Is Surfing Like Other Board Sports
In lessons, my students often say they do another board sport and want to know if Surfing is Like Other Board Sports. I do a few like skateboarding and am an active snowboarder. Surfing is much different to be competent.
The two major differences are surfers start lying down on the board and the surfing stance is very different from other board stances. Popping up on the surf board from the prone position is a challenge that requires physicality other board sports do not require.
The Pop Up is the Major Barrier to Learning to Surf
Just the pop up and not considering the environment make surfing a sport in its own. In the beginning stages, the pop up may be the barrier that keeps many unfit types from ever surfing. Overweight people can skateboard, snowboard, and ski, but when I go to my local mountains, I do not see many overweight people.
The pop up requires upper body strength, core, and lower body strength. The power to weight ratio might be a better explanation in that it asks if you have the power to lift your weight off the board. The surfer laying on the board puts his hands in a man’s push up position and then pushes and places a foot flat under his butt to stand up. Flexibility is needed to get the foot flat and he must have the strength in his back leg to lift his body for a second on one leg.
The Stance for Surfing is Important and Different
The other major difference is the stance. The surfer is squared to the front to ride foam waves while the snowboarder and skateboarder have a sideways stance with one arm trailing. Beginning surfers seem to have an instinctive nature to ride on the board with an arm trailing, but that is a bad stance. The surfer should be like pushing a tall box with both hands in front and hips and shoulders squared to the front.
All board sports share balancing and feeling the board with their feet. Snowboarding is moving the body back and forth over the center line to carve and hold an edge in the hill. Surfing carves are made by turning the upper body in the direction of the turn and then using the toes or heels to execute the carve as the torque runs down the body.
Surfing is the opposite of tennis, boxing, or baseball where the movement begins at the bottom and then torques up the body to supply power to the arms and hands. Surfing torque starts at the top by moving the eyes in the direction of the carve and then everything else to deliver pressure to the feet.
When people come to surfing, it is good to forget the other sports but bring the athletic abilities and capability of learning to a fresh canvas. Learning to surf requires coodination and the ability for the brain to communicate with the body and the body to follow. People who are active have the easiest time learning to surf.
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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