The Steps of Learning to Surf

The steps of learning to surf take students through the elementary safety protocols to balancing on the board, then catching waves, popping up on the surf board and riding the surf board.

When I am teaching in the foam waves and observe people trying to learn on their own, it is evident how they don’t understand the timing nor the techniques that make the process very frustrating. Most don’t get up one out of ten times when they should be riding every wave.

The First Surfing Steps

The surfer student learns how to roll over on the board so their feet are always at the tail. This helps keeps the board from pearling (nose goes underwater). Then the student lies straight as a pencil in the middle of the board and balances the board by moving their butt, not their head and shoulders.

Catching waves is three steps in timing. When the foam wave is 20 feet away, the student rolls onto the board and begins paddling. When the wave is a few feet away, the surfer paddles hard as the wave hits the board. Then the surfer paddles at least three more times until the nose of the board is planing on the surface. Most beginners pearl because they stop paddling too soon.

I teach a sequence to pop up. The student paddles 3 times after the wave hits the board. Then he puts his hands in a man’s push up position next to his chest. Then he pushes up and places his rear foot under his butt flat on the surf board. Next, he stands on that rear foot as he raises his hands and torso and places his front foot on the board.

The proper posture on the surf board is the feet shoulder width apart with the front foot on the center line at a 45 degree angle forward. The hips and shoulders are square to the front. The knees are flexed and the hands in front of the body.

If the surfer is in the correct posture, the board goes straight and there is no work necessary to stay balanced. Everything is timing and sequence.

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

See My Dry Land and In Water Demo video

See How to Catch a Green/Real Wave video

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