What You Can Learn While Taking Surfing Lessons

Alyssa Murray

If you dream of catching a big wave, you can get a lot out of taking surfing lessons. Lessons for beginners are designed to teach the fundamentals of surfing, along with safety tips that can help safeguard you in the water. After learning all the essentials of surfing, you'll be able to hit the water and ride the waves with confidence. Here are some things that you can learn while taking surfing lessons.

How to Stand

In order to maintain proper balance on the surfboard as you ride the waves, you first need to learn how to stand correctly on the board. You'll usually be taught to stand sideways on the board with your feet shoulder-width apart and twist your upper body to look forward, while your strongest foot is behind you and your weaker foot is in front. Proper knee bend will also be important so that you can maintain optimal stability while riding.

How to Paddle

You'll be doing a lot of paddling as you try to find your perfect surfing spot in the water and in between waves, so learning how to paddle efficiently will be important. While lying on your stomach, you'll paddle your hands on each side of the board using the crawl stroke swim technique. Your instructor will also let you know where to place your body on the board so that you'll get the most power from each stroke and won't be left just bobbing in the water.

Rising to a Standing Position

When a wave comes your way, you'll want to be able to go from being on your stomach to a standing position on your surfboard as fast as possible. You'll practice drills that involve going from one position to the other so that you can develop the strength and coordination to rise to a standing position effectively.

What to Do When You Wipe Out

Even the best surfers wipe out plenty of times when surfing, and surf lessons can teach you what to do when you lose your balance or are thrown off your board by a wave. You'll learn how to fall in the water away from the surfboard feet-first (or backside-first) instead of head-first and avoid getting hit by your board to avoid injury. Instructors can also teach you techniques on how to keep calm and avoid panicking as you regain control of your body and surfboard in the water.

Surfing lessons can help you get ready to take on the big waves and will also help prepare you to ride the smaller ones better. Instructors who teach surf lessons can cover all the basics so that you'll be able to catch a wave correctly and enjoy your time surfing to the fullest.


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