Surfers Have to Ride in Correct Stance

Surfers have to ride in correct stance to remain on the surfboard. The surfboard is designed so that a surfers weight will be equal on both sides of the middle stringer. In this posture, the surfboard will go straight and the surfer does not need great balancing.

For some reason, beginners and intermediates transition to riding in a snowboard fashion in which one arm is facing forward and the other is trailing their body. This places their butt over the rail and their weight on their heels. This causes surfers to fall off the butt side.

The Fundamentals of a Good Surf Riding Stance

The correct stance has the feet shoulder width apart. The front foot at a 45 degree angle forward. Weight equal on both legs. The knees slightly flexed so legs are like shock absorbers. The shoulders and hips are square to the front. Most people don’t understand this sentence even in surf lessons. If the shoulders are at an angle with one facing the rear, the shoulders are not square.

One problem many surfers begin with is they have experience snowboarding or skateboarding. As a snowboarder, I know that we are accustomed to riding with one shoulder back. Consequently, when snowboarders and skateboarders pop up, they will immediately fall into the muscle memory of one shoulder back.

The pop up is important to lead to the right stance. If the pop up is executed with both hands always staying in front of the surfer’s body, he is likely to arrive in the correct stance. In the beginner pop up, I have students place a back foot under their butt flat on the board, stand on it as they raise their hands and move the other foot to the front of the surfboard.

Advanced surfers move both feet at the same time. The forward foot should move under the chest and land between the hands without the shoulders ever turning sideways. Many instructors teach new surfer to twist sideways. Students learn to stand up, but they can’t stay on the surfboard.

When I get these students and correct the situation, they immediately see the improvement. Many intermediate students come for lessons and say they have various problems. It is always the same thing. They pop up into the snowboarding position. Once corrected, they are good to go.

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