What Do Beginner Surfers Learn in a Surf Lesson
When people are going to try to learn surfing on their own, they often wind up in a lesson to learn what beginner surfers don’t know. What Do Beginner Surfers Learn in a Lesson?
It is amazing to me how far off track beginners are who try to learn on their own and it takes a lesson to get them into the right habits and overcome the incorrect muscle memory that becomes embedded from incorrect practice.
So Many Things the Beginner Surfer Does Not Understand
Beginners do not know how to lie on the surfboard, paddle, catch a wave, stand up, nor ride in the correct posture. None of this seems to be instinctual and I find all their instincts are wrong. This hasn’t changed over the years.
Surfers should start on soft top boards and anyone over 115 pounds would find it easier on a 9′ board. They can eventually move to an 8′ board if they master the fundamentals. Because 8′ boards are more readily available, this is what most beginners buy.
The surfer lies on the board with their feet at the very back and placing the balls of their feet on the board. Sliding too far forward or lifting the feet while paddling increases pearling (nose of the board underwater). The surfer lies straight as a pencil with their nose at the center stringer and lifts their chest as they paddle.
Correct Paddling is Essential to Catching Waves
The surfer does not want to take long swim strokes or hand paddle to catch waves. They want a half swim stroke with hands diving to the elbows and pulling with the forearms. Surfers have to paddle hard and fast three times as the foam wave hits the surfboard. The surfer has to paddle evenly with both arms as many have a preference to pull stronger with one. Most beginners are impatient when catching waves and want to pop up too soon.
The pop up is a sequence and beginners think that it is an explosion as they try whatever comes to mind with the result of bad feet placement and bad stance. The surfer places his hands on the board after catching the wave, pushes up, places a foot under his butt flat on the board, stands on that foot alone for a second while he stands lifting his hands off the board. Once the hands are rising, there is room to put the other foot in front of his body. The hands must be off the board when the feet hit and not holding on.
Riding to the Beach in the Correct Stance
The correct stance is what I call pushing the box. The surfer has eyes toward the beach, his hands are in front as though pushing a tall box, his feet are 3′ apart for a stable stance, knees are flexed and not locked, and the hips and shoulders are square to the front. The surfer wants to avoid the snowboard stance with one hand trailing and the butt over one rail.
None of this is instinctual to the new surfer. Each step often has to be micro managed to overcome bad instincts. Once the surfer has learned the fundamentals they can have good practice on their own. If the surfer is riding straight to the beach without falling off, they have mastered the beginning techniques.
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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