Surfing Bigger Boards Makes Learning Easier
Surfing is more technical and tiring than anyone expects. Surfing Bigger Boards Makes Learning Easier.
Volume is measured as length x width x thickness. Advanced surfers on short boards are surfing boards under 30 liters. 8′ Soft tops for beginners are about 60 liters and 9′ about 80 liters. For students over 180 pounds, I like a 9′ that is 112 liters.
Mastering Beginner Techniques
Surfing is tiring. It is the paddling. Advanced surfers will say that a two week layoff is devastating to stamina. Beginners are paddling for the first time. Few people can swim for an hour and paddling is more tiring than swimming.
Building paddling stamina is like building any muscles. The muscles have to grow from strain to absorb more glucose for fuel. It occurs slowly. Weight lifters, swimmers, runners, and surfers all have to exercise to build the sport specific muscles and induce the muscles to absorb and store more glucose. Endurance athletes exercise at a slow pace to train the body to burn fat.
A Larger Board Makes Beginner Techniques Easier
Popping up is the main technique beginners have to learn to stand up on the surfboard. It requires specific muscles, timing, and some agility. The purpose is to land on the board correctly. A surfboard is influenced by where you place your weight. You have to get the feet, butt, shoulders and hips correct. A bigger board is more forgiving.
I give young students around 100 pounds an 8′ soft top. Over 110 pounds to 180 I put students on a 9′ board that is about 23″ wide and under 3″ thick. Over 180 pounds I use a board that is 9′ x 24″ x 3 1/2″ thick. Over 200 pounds, a surfer can sink many of the soft tops.
Learn Before You Buy
A soft top board can last a surfer for a year or their life. The less a surfer is in the water, the more they need volume to float the board and make paddling and popping up easier. Soft tops can ride real waves and manage basic maneuvers very competently.
So many adults buy an 8′ board before they learn and after a lesson realize the 8′ board is too small for a while. The 8′ Wave Storm is what Costco sells and so it is easy to get for many who live near the beach. It is a good step down after mastering beginner techniques in the foam on a larger board.
After the 8′, a surfer might decide to get a hard board. They might go larger to 9′ or stay with 8′ or step shorter. Shorter steps should be 6″ at a time with the same widths of 21+” and thicknesses of 2 3/4+”.
The idea of surfing is to have fun and catch a lot of waves. Looking cool with a small board can result in lots of frustration and quitting.
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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