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So You Want to Learn to Surf?

So You Want to Learn to Surf?. Five Steps for the Beginning Surfer . Step 1: Choosing the Right Board. Resist the temptation to go out and buy the newest, best, pro board available, they are nearly impossible to learn on, plus you are going to give this board a pretty good beating.

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So You Want to Learn to Surf?

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  1. So You Want to Learn to Surf? Five Steps for the Beginning Surfer

  2. Step 1: Choosing the Right Board • Resist the temptation to go out and buy the newest, best, pro board available, they are nearly impossible to learn on, plus you are going to give this board a pretty good beating. • The best beginner boards are known as the Morey Doyle or BZ Board, which are soft boards made of the same material as a boogie board. • In general, for beginners big and thick boards are the easiest due to their buoyancy, which also allows easier paddling. • For now, don’t worry about the number of fins it won’t make a difference for at least a couple months.

  3. Step 2: Choosing the Right Spot to Surf • Get Away and Get Some Space! • Don’t head out to the local hot surf spot. • Look for small rolling waves with deeper waters. • There is nothing wrong with learning on small, unpopular waves, in fact, others will be thankful. • Find yourself a mentor who will ride along with you and be able to give little pointers here and there as well as teaching by example. • Check the beach conditions by way of flags located on the beach, green flag, safe conditions, yellow flag, possible hazards, yellow flag with a black dot (“blackball flag”), no surfing allowed, and red flags which mean the beach is closed due to hazardous conditions

  4. Step 3: Learn to Paddle • Start small, go out when there are little to no waves coming in. • Walk your board out into about waist deep water, then lay your body on the board. • Keep your weight centered in the middle of the board, not too far forward, back, or to the side. Try and keep the nose and tail about level in the water. • Now alternately paddle your arms with cupped hands (about elbow deep in the water). The more resistance you feel, the faster you will go. • Make sure to keep your head up so that you have total awareness of everything that is going on all around you. • A double armed paddle may be necessary when you are pulling that last bit trying to get over the hump of a wave since both arms create more power than alternating.

  5. Step 4: Getting Through the Waves • There are three methods for getting through the waves. • Push-up – This should be used for smaller waves. As the wave reaches you, push yourself up and the board down so that the water rolls over your board and under your chest. • Duck Dive – This is used for more powerful waves. As the wave comes towards you, get as much speed as possible, then about two feet from contact, grab both sides of the board and push all you weight down so that you feel the board go down. Put your head down and let the rest of your body follow. Once you are under the wave, use your dominant knee to push down and bring the tail of the board under. Your momentum should push through to the other side of the wave.

  6. Step 4: Continued • Turtle Roll – If your board is too big and buoyant to push under the waves, turtle roll is the better option for you. Right before contact with the wave, grab both sides of the board well in front of your shoulders and roll the board over so that it sits on the surface fins up with you underneath it. Frog kick will help push you past the wave. The turtle roll is also an excellent tool to protect yourself from a loose surfboard or out of control surfer. If you see either coming your way, just turtle roll and get out of the way.

  7. Step 5: Catching the Wave • Start out by surfing in the close to shore whitewater, then you can eventually move farther out as you become more comfortable. • Sit up and straddle your board with your butt just below the center-point of your board. This will allow you to swing your board around and get you facing the right way quickly and easily. • As a wave is approaching, scoot back on the board a little since it will push you up a little, and make sure you and the board are facing straight towards shore. • As the wave takes you, arch your back and push up as your feet come up beneath you in one motion. • Avoid looking down as this will leave you hunched over, try and look straight ahead.

  8. Step 5: Continued • Your stance should be just a little wider than your shoulders. Your knees should be bent without letting your midsection stick out. • Your front foot should be sideways, turned out a little bit, with the arch of your foot centered over the midline of the board. • Your back foot should also be sideways, but not quite as turned out. It doesn't matter what foot you put forward, but you should pick one and stick with it if you want to learn faster. • Figure out what feels most natural and go with it. If you stick your left foot forward, you're a regularfoot -- the stance of six-time world champion Kelly Slater. If you stick your right foot forward, you're known as a goofyfoot.

  9. For Additional Help • http://surfing.about.com/cs/surfinstruction/ • Surfline.com

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