Surf Lessons Begin with Foam Waves

Oceanside surf lessons specializes in teaching beginners how to surf in foam waves. This is where a new beginner learns the fundamentals and progress to real waves as fast as they are capable.

Learn the Fundamentals

The fundamentals of surfing are balancing the board while catching a wave, standing up on the board and getting the right posture and position on the board to ride. The best instrument to learn these fundamentals is a big soft top surf board.

If a new student listens to the techniques and can get their mind and body to follow them, they can be surfing real waves in one lesson. Students have different learning abilities. In a group, one may get it on the first run and another may not get it at all.

The Four Difficulties of Learning to Surf

Students have four difficulties. They often cannot get their balance right on the board to catch waves. They often cannot get the timing right to catch waves. They man not learn the exact sequence to get up on the board and fumble before they can stand. They don’t get the right posture on the board and fall as soon as they are up.

Few new students realize how many components go into riding the board to the beach. It is not easy. Each step follows in a process. Leave out a fundamental or a step and the process may fall apart. This is where in water coaching is necessary. Most of the time, students, overwhelmed by the environment, aren’t aware of what their body is doing.

Easy to Learn Surf Method

I give students a count to say out loud that takes them through each step so they don’t have to think. All they have to do is remember the steps in the count and say them out loud as they proceed. Everyone who does it says it works.

The Easy to Learn Surf Method is the fastest way for beginners to learn to surf. It is a simple process with four steps. Yet, if students have a hard time learning new dance steps, new aerobic routines, or any new physical movements, they may have difficult.

Surfing is the only board sport where the participant begins lying down on the board. To get to the proper position on a nice designed product for performance in surfing waves, the new student has to be precise in their movements. The surf board is a delicate instrument that reacts to the placement of weight on the rails or any place on or off center.

The advanced pop up begins as all pop ups with paddling to catch a wave, placing the hands on the board in a man’s push up position, pushing up, and the popping both feet to the right spots on the surf board.

Almost 50% of students can’t accomplish the first three things in the water: paddling until they catch a wave, placing their hands on the board in a man’s push up position, and then pushing evenly. Without these three processes, what happens next is of little consequence.

Catching a Wave

Catching a wave takes patience and power. Most beginners want to pop up as soon as they feel the foam wave impact the board from behind. They are not willing to paddle the three or four paddles necessary to get the board in front of the wave. Secondly, they want to go a pushed up position with both hands on the rails instead of putting them next to their chest and pushing up evenly.

The beginner pop up requires the first three steps. Then the surfer puts their back foot on the board flat and under their butt. They stand up on this leg as they raise their hands and drive the front foot to the front of the board. Most students like to keep their hands on the board until both feet have landed. This places their head in front of their forward foot and they are leaning over toward the nose. They immediately fly off the front of the board.

The proper riding posture is feet shoulder width apart with the front foot over the middle line and at a 45 degree angle facing forward. The torso has to be upright when the front foot lands. The weight has to be equal on front and back legs. The shoulders and hips have to be square to the front. Finally the knees need to be flexed so the ride is soft.

It sounds simple, but it is difficult to execute in the water and impossible if students can execute the steps in order.

Learn More

For Oceanside Surf Lessons, see the Home Page

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