Riding Correctly on the Surf Board
Riding correctly on the surfboard is important to enjoy surfing and prevent falling. Most of the beginners and intermediates that come back for a tune up are making the same errors.
Matching the Surfboard Design
The surfboard is designed to have a surfer’s weight equal on both sides of the stringer that runs down the middle of the board from nose to tail. If the surfer puts pressure on either rail or off center, the board is designed to carve. If there is too much pressure, the board will tip and surfer falls off.
The correct riding posture is front foot across the stringer near the nose and the rear foot three feet back and perpendicular to the rails. The torso should be upright with knees flexed. The body weight should be equal on both legs. The shoulders and hips have to be squared to the front so that both hands are in front.
3 Main Riding Posture Problems
Most of the problems surfers have in riding the surf board stem from a few problems. The most common is what I call “snowboarding” where on shoulder is back and a hand is trailing the body. This causes the butt to position over the rail putting pressure on the surfer’s heels. This causes the board to flip on the surfer’s butt side as soon as he is standing.
A second problem is the surfer rides on the back of the board because he is not driving his front foot. The surfboard misses the wave and the surfer falls off the back. If the pop up is not performed correctly, the surfer might ride the back. Corrections on the fly are moving the front foot forward or shuffling forward.
A third common mistake is the surfer leaving his hands on the board until his feet are on the board. If hands and the front foot are on the board at the same time, the surfer will fly off the front of the board. In the pop up, when the feet are moving under the chest, the hands are rising. When the feet hit the board, the arms are in the air and the torso is in an upright position.
After the pop up, if the board rides straight to the beach and it is no work staying on the board, the riding posture is correct.
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
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