The Major Mistakes Made by Beginner Surfers
Learning to surf is instruction on techniques on dry land and then correcting The Major Mistakes Made by Beginner Surfers in the water. Beginners are not conscious of what they are doing with techniques and it has to be pointed out to them.
I tell beginner students that after hearing and practicing the correct techniques on land, they will default to their instincts in the water and all their instincts are wrong. This is the hardest part of getting a beginner to competence.
It All Comes Together with Timing and Rhythm
Surfing is about timing and rhythm. The surfer catches the wave, executes a pop up, and rides to the beach. How many things could go wrong? Lots of things. Timing of the wave is important. The idea is to roll over onto the surfboard in waist deep water when the foam wave is approaching and start paddling.
The mistakes made are the beginner often jumps up as soon as he feels the wave touch the tail. The surfer should paddle easy when the wave is 20′ away and then paddle hard when it is going to touch until the board takes off. This is a feeling the surfer has to develop for both foam and real waves.
Slowing Down the Racing Mind Pays Dividends
Most beginners have to fight the urge to hurry. As soon as they feel the wave touch the board, they want to stand up immediately and they become a tangle of feet and arms. It is a much slower process although it looks fast. It has segments.
The surfer feels the board take off on the foam wave. He puts his hands next to his rib cage and glides for a few seconds. The mistakes surfers make here is going from paddling to a pushed up position immediately with their hands in front of their shoulders. This makes it difficult to get the feet underneath their body. In this position with their nose in front of their toes, they fly off the front of the board.
The Pop Up is a Sequence
It is important to place the hands flat on the board next to the ribs and glide for a few seconds. This gives the surfer poise for the next step. Then they push up and place one foot flat on the board under their butt. The foot must be flat so they can stand on it and release their hands. When they release their hands they rise to an upright position as the other foot moves to the front of the board.
If the foot is not flat, the surfer can’t lift his hands off the board. Then he has feet and hands on the board at the same time. This causes him to collapse or fly off the front. This is a hard process for many to time. The surfer needs strength and flexibility to get the foot flat and lift his weight. Overweight people usually can’t do this.
The Correct Riding Stance is Crucial
The final point is getting the stance correct on the surfboard. The surfer should be in a “push the tall box” stance with both hands in front. The feet are separated with weight equal on both legs. The hips and shoulders are square to the front.
Most beginners want to ride with a hand trailing and their butt over one rail instead of it being centered over the middle stringer with it being equally on the right and left side of that stringer. Riding in what I call the snowboard position, the surfer falls over that rail.
If the surfer rides straight to the beach without having to do any work, he is in the right posture. This is also issue with many intermediates who are falling off the board. They have started to pop up with their butt over one rail and they can no longer stay on the board.
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