Learn To Surf: Tips for Beginners

posted by Westbound Boarder
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 5:47pm EDT

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Last week, I took my very first surf lesson from Bill Sharp at the Huntington Beach Surf School (read about it here!) and thought it would be a great opportunity to follow up with some beginning surf tips. Surfing’s tough work, and if you want to get good at it you have to keep at it and constantly assess what you could be doing to improve your skill. Here are a few tips to consider when first starting out:

When waking/paddling out to sea, set your board down and walk it out on top of the water as opposed to carrying it or paddling until absolutely necessary. This will save a lot of wasted energy and arm strength!
Never carry the board in front of you when you’re walking out (ie, never hold your board between your body and the incoming wave.) This could cause the wave to crash against the surface area of your board, bringing you down with it.
Do not paddle with both arms, as this will cause you to speed up and slow down at an inconsistent rate. Instead, paddle using the crawl stroke, with one arm then the other.
One arm is usually stronger than the other, so when you paddle be aware of that and adjust accordingly.
Catch the wave at a completely perpendicular angle (not 45 degrees, etc.)
When you stand on your board, be sure to find your center of gravity. Draw an imaginary line cutting your board in half horizontally, then again vertically; that is ideally where your center of gravity should be.
While standing and riding the wave, bend your knees (as opposed to standing up straight and locking them) - this will ensure maximum balance.

Be sure to keep reading Westbound Boarder for some more Surfing 101 tips down the road!

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Learn To Surf: Tips for Beginners

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