Short Board Surfers Are Athletes

Most anyone can learn to surf, but short board surfers are athletes for several reasons. Short board surfers have the strength to paddle a low volume board, time a real wave, pop up on an unstable platform, and ride with technique.

The Physical Attributes of Short Board Surfers.

Paddling a low volume board that can be under water takes specifically developed muscles and great stamina. Catching the real wave with perfect timing requires judgment gained by months and years of practice.

Popping up on a short board comes with time invested in the technique practiced on longer boards and in the living room. The technique is easy to describe on paper, but when moving down a vertical wave, the landing and body posture have to be perfect.

Short boarders ride in the pocket of a wave. Waves are pretty easy to drive, but the maneuvers of ripping the lip, cut backs, and other tricks require talent. Practice is necessary, but innate physical skills are also crucial.

Improvement Requires Patience and Persistence

Surfing looks so easy most people underestimate the skill required. I hear it every day in teaching new students to surf on soft top boards. “This is more difficult than I thought” they all say.

Learning to surf on shorter boards than the soft tops requires gradually stepping down six inches at a time. It is wise to maintain the width and thickness of a soft top to keep the surfing fun. A short board is minimum 6’10”, so stepping down from 8′ requires time.

It will be time well spent. In the process the surfer is building stamina to paddle shorter boards. He is learning the timing of real waves and popping up on boards he can ride. He is learning each maneuver one at a time. He is learning to catch bigger waves.

Learning How to Learn

In learning how to learn and how to teach, I used all the opportunities. I read about surfing techniques. I watched a lot of videos. I observed surfers. I practiced each new maneuver and asked surfers a lot of questions.

One thing I learned about advanced surfers is they often don’t know what they do, they just do it. They can’t break down for other people how they perform maneuvers. They have forgotten what they had to learn.

The aspiring surfer has to be dedicated to building strength, stamina, and flexibility. I watch competitive surfers do yoga before surfing and they are masters. Short board surfers evolve to spending a few hours in the water which requires fitness, nutrition, and proper rest. They are masters of their bodies.

Surfers become very spiritual. This is a bonus. They love just sitting in the water to feel the ocean and connect. Riding a wave is like flying. You are harnessing a natural resource to move at high speed. Mastering the techniques is self-expression of your potential and experiencing a great passion.

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

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See How to Catch a Green/Real Wave video

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