Getting Essential Beginners Surfing Skills

By Damian Papworth

Surfing is one of the most popular sports done in water because it is a lot of fun as well as being a challenging and fulfilling individual sport. Surfing is more than just a sport to those who practice it, it is a way of life. To get the most out of the sport though you do have to develop some surfing skills.

To be a good surfer you have to have enough power in your upper body and shoulders to be able to propel the board through the water to catch waves. To do this you might have to work on developing your upper body strength through doing a series of weights. Lots of surfers also turn to yoga as a way or building strength as well as balance. Balance is an essential part of being a good surfer and you will develop the muscle memory as you practice until you can easily stand on the board.

It is also very important that a surfer gets to understand how to get the surf before they even set foot in the water. Most surfers will take a few minutes to observe the surf before they go in. One of the most dangerous features on the beach is known as a rip. It is one of the leading causes of drownings for swimmers, but it is also a useful tool for surfers to use to get out the back of the waves.

You can spot a rip by looking for an area of water where the waves are not breaking and a darker color of water due to being deeper there. Sometimes depending on the weather, the water is sandy as well. Swimmers should try and stay away from rips as they are a leading cause of rescues on beaches.

There are some basic skills you need to master in order to become a decent surfer. To get onto a wave you need to be able to paddle fast and strong, but before that you need to get out behind the breaking waves. To do this you will need to use an Eskimo roll or duck dive under a wave to pass through the waves. Eskimo rolls are used on bigger waves or for less experienced surfers who have not yet mastered duck diving.

Essential skills that you will have to master are paddling, turning on the board, catching a wave and then standing up. When standing you have to have good balance, so getting the movement as fluid as you can is important. Practicing this movement on the beach is a good idea beforehand.

By developing your surfing skills and developing your muscles through other forms of exercise you will learn to surf sooner than you might have expected. - 31489

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