Friday, December 14, 2007

How to Surf

Surfing is a popular sport. It's great because anywhere there are waves, chances are people surf them in one form or another. This blog focuses on stand-up surfing, not body boarding!

So you want to learn to surf?

First off: equipment. What will you need to start surfing?

Depending on the climate and water temperature in your area, you may need a wetsuit. Test the water first, you might be able to get away with board-shorts, but I would recommend a rash vest also. Wetsuits come in two main varieties, short-sleeved and long-sleeved. Short sleeved wetsuits are commonly known as "spring-suits" and long-sleeved are commonly called "steamers". The arms of the suit generally are thinner than the rest, allowing the freedom to paddle the board. Spring suits give greater freedom, as the sleeves only come down to just above the elbow. Make sure your wetsuit fits well, otherwise you could get rashes in all sorts of places!

The next piece of equipment you will need to learn to surf is a surfboard. I know you probably already have one, but chances are it's not quite right. Everyone wants to ride a cool-looking short board, but for learning to surf you should try and find yourself a longer board. The ideal boards to learn to surf on would be 8-9 ft, and wider than usual. This allows greater stability. You can also find soft-top boards which are even more ideal. Often you can hire these boards near your local beach, but if not, try and borrow someones mal. In case you don't know, a mal is short for "malibu" - a long board with a rounded nose, usually around 9 ft long. I also recommend a leg-rope, because sooner or later your going to need one, and you don't want to be chasing your board around all the time when you could be catching more waves!

Unless the board you are using is a soft-top, or fully covered in deck-grip, you will need some surf-wax. Surf wax can be purchased at your local surf-shop. Be sure to get wax for your water temperature, as otherwise the wax can melt off or become slippery.

Ok... so your fully decked out in your wettie, got your board and it's all waxed up and ready to go!

So where to begin learning to surf? Out the back?

Not quite. When learning to surf you have to begin where everyone else does. In the whitewater. In the early stages of your surfing career this is definately the place to be. It is where everyone starts, even Kelly Slater or Andy Irons.

Before you hit the water, draw an outline of a surfboard on the sand, and lay on it. Practice paddling the board and jumping up quickly, all in one motion. You will notice that it is more natural to have one of your feet forward than the other. By forward, I mean closest to the nose of the board. If it is more natural to have your left foot closest to the nose, you are called a "natural-footer" whereas if your right foot is forward, you are deemed a "goofy-footer". Practice this motion over and over again. Paddling the board, and jumping straight onto both feet as quick as possible. This is the key to surfing, and where many beginners fail. It may seem easier to jump up on one knee first, but this is NOT ideal. This method will be too slow when your surfing advances, and you will have to learn to stand up all over again. It's like learning to walk.

Once you are confident, you can advance to the water. Please, know your limits. DO NOT go out too far, even if you are a confident swimmer. You should always learn to read the water before you even start surfing. You should be a confident swimmer, and know the dangers and how to spot them.

Start in the whitewater, practice paddling your board and catching waves to start with. When paddling, try and get the board "planing", that is, not having the nose of your board either under water, or sticking out too far. The nose of your board should be out of the water, just enough so the board sits nicely on the water. This makes the board easy to paddle, and you can get more speed, making it easier to catch waves. Once you are confident and can catch waves easily, you can attempt to stand up on your board. You WILL fall off, and that is ok. Practice jumping up in one motion, standing side on and keeping the board planing if possible. This is the best way to fast-track your surfing and have you ripping out the back in no-time!

You will need to do this many times before you get it. Also practice paddling for waves, getting as much speed as possible, and jumping up as quickly as you can. Another great thing to do is to practice sitting on your board when your in the water... you'll need to do a lot of this later on, and it also improves your balance.

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