Foreword
Surfing is really fun. It’s one of the first things new students say. Getting propelled by a wave while riding on a surfboard is a very Nature connecting experience. Its like flying.
Most students say surfing is not as easy as it looks. The techniques of surfing are easy to explain, but not as easy to execute in the water. People have much more respect for surfers after they try it the first time.
Surfing is very physical. Yet, most people can do it. Everyone from kids to seniors can surf. You have to work. There is paddling, dealing with waves, and, of course, riding the board to the beach.
Take the time to learn the techniques. Get in better physical shape if you are not there already. The results of learning to surf and being in better physical shape can improve the quality of your life for all activities.
Table of Contents
- Who Can Learn?
- Getting in Shape to Surf
- Learning the Basics in a Dry Land Lesson
- The Beginner Surfing Pop Up
- The Advanced Surfing Pop Up
- How to Catch Foam Waves
- Positioning on the Board
- Paddling
- Advancing to the Next Step
- Catching Real Waves
- The Right Surf Boards
- 18 Wet Suits
Getting in Surfing Shape
Surfing is physically demanding, but remember you start in shallow water and you can get out anytime you want or rest when ever you want. Even people in shape often say they need to get in better shape, but can you ever be too fit?
The best exercises for surfing are those that develop flexibility, upper body strength, and stamina.
Stretching or yoga are great for helping hamstring, buttock, and lower back flexibility. The first test I give students is seeing if they can put their palms on the ground without bending their knees. Flexibility is needed to pop up on the surfboard from a lying down position. Doing burpees includes most of the action of a surfing pop up.
In the water on the surfboard, the surfer pushes his body off the board before moving his feet to the board. Pushups assist in this motion. You should try to do ten pushups and build to twenty. Core strength is also needed as the surfer brings his legs under him to stand up. The two exercises I love most for surfing flexibility at the gym are squats and deadlifts. If you are new to these exercises at the gym, you should be coached so as not to cause an injury from bad form. You should begin with a barbell that has no weights.
Stamina for surfing is needed most for paddling. Most people are not used to swimming and paddling is not a slow pace action but very quick to get in front of waves. Paddling for waves is like doing intervals. You start slow to get momentum and then real fast to catch waves. It’s the paddling that makes students tired, not riding waves. Swimming is obviously good training, but cables and upper body work at the gym can help. Stamina is also about recovery, so any aerobic program that raises the heart rate is helpful. Nothing helps paddling stamina like lots of time in the water…
Learning the Beginner Surfer Pop Up
For beginner surfers, the pop up is the most challenging technique. Many people that dream of surfing think they need great balance. I have rarely seen balance as an issue as long as people learn the correct technique. If you place yourself in the right position on the surf board, surfing is easy.
For beginner students, I give them a sequence that places strength requirements on the rear leg rather than the upper body of the advanced surfing pop up. The sequence has a count that I urge students to say out loud in the water. The count is paddle, stop, push, back foot, stand up, front foot. Memorize this. I’ll say it again. Paddle, stop, push, back foot, stand up, front foot. I’ll explain more…
Advanced Surfer Pop Up
The advanced pop up is more difficult for most beginners because it requires more upper body strength, a good core, and some athleticism. In this pop up, the first three counts we learned as beginners apply to the advanced pop up. They were paddle, stop, and push.
The difference is after the push, the surfer brings both feet under the body at the same time and winds up in the same stance as the beginner. When I first started teaching lessons, I taught the advanced pop up and only 50% of the students were in good enough condition to execute it well. When I moved to the beginner pop up, I found most students could execute it by the end of the lesson. As I said, many get it on the first ride…
How to Catch Foam Waves
Catching waves is the real fun of surfing and something surfers work on forever as they move from foam to real waves. Foam waves mostly look the same The basic techniques are recognizing where the wave will arrive, judging whether it is a good wave to ride, getting momentum before it hits the board, and then paddling hard to get in front of the wave.
As an instructor, I push students into the waves for up to twenty minutes before I instruct them on catching their own waves. I never believe in pushing students for the whole lesson. The real fun is being on your own. This also teaches students how to practice on their own when the instructor is not there. On a foam wave, the surfer wants to see a straight line of foam coming at them. If the wave is not arriving smooth and straight
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