Many beginners seem to feel bad about that, especially if they see other surfers catching plenty of waves. But once out the back hunting your first green waves without a coach to help you position yourself, you may only catch 1 or 2 waves in a session. In the whitewater you can expect to catch around 50 waves within one session and that is why the whitewater is the best place to perfect your pop up technique and stance initially. I do this because many beginners do things that slow their progress or they have unrealistic expectations that lead to an unnecessary feeling of failure.Ī key thing to keep in mind is that when you first attempt surfing out the back as opposed to in the shore-break, your wave count will go right down and that is OK, it’s normal. Understand the process of learning to surf and have realistic expectationsĪnyone that’s been on the beginner’s surf course at UP Surf Coaching will know that I outline the process of becoming a surfer on day one. Not a newbie, but a knowledgeable surfer that can make the most of good waves at a range of surf spots in New Zealand or around the globe. Tick them off and the odds are that one day soon you will feel like a surfer. Unfortunately, many would be surfers don’t make it through this phase so I thought I’d identify a few key actions that you can take to boost your progress and understand what’s to come. This phase of learning to surf involves going through the beginner level to the point where you are successfully riding unbroken waves nearly every time you surf and generally growing addicted to the whole surfing lifestyle. Your coach may even paddle out with you to provide moral support and vital advice on positioning and timing as you attempt to catch your first ‘green’ waves.īut the moment of truth and deciding factor on whether or not you will become a competent surfer happens after your surf lessons have been completed. They provide a suitable board and wetsuit, read the weather forecast to set the best lesson time, assess the beach upon arrival and then take you to the most suitable and safe area.Īs long as the instructions are of a good quality, you can expect to stand up, enjoy some long rides and when ready, paddle further out the back to where the unbroken waves are. In the somewhat sheltered environment of a surf lesson, you start off making steady progress, but, this is partly because your coach makes many of the critical decisions for you. There’s no escaping the fact that learning to surf requires a good amount of effort and commitment, especially if you want to transform yourself from a whitewater warrior to a competent ‘intermediate’. If you’re one of these surfers, I hope this article will help you make a break through and realise you are more ‘on track’ than you think. Yet some part of them really wants to get good at surfing.īut, at this moment, they are immersed in the beginner phase and are doubting themselves, wondering if maybe they lack the necessary ‘talent’ to get to a higher level. These people have generally started learning to surf later in life, often live away from the beach and have busy professional lives. I can see it in their eyes as they watch more experienced surfers glide across wave after wave, apparently without effort. ….I feel for them because I can sense their confusion and at times frustration. Nearly every time I’m at the beach, I’ll see a particular kind of surfer doing the hard yards….
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