Learning how to surf isn’t easy. Surfing is one of the most complicated phenomenons in the World of Sports, but once you learn the secret to catching wave… it’s just like riding a bicycle.
How to Surf
Step 1: Watching the Water
Too many people go out into the water too early, paddle around like a dog in jelly and the only thing they catch is bad sunburn. You got to know how the Ocean works before you jump in the water with a surfboard otherwise the waves will pass you by and leave you in the flats. A surfer has to know where to be in the water to catch a wave. The best way to learn this skill is to watch the waves and learn where, when and how often they break.
Wave Watching
Step 2: Balance on the Board
A lot of people think balancing on the board has to do with how you stand on the board. Well, that doesn’t come yet. You have to learn how to lie down on the board balanced so that you can paddle properly. If you aren’t balanced properly on your board while you are paddling for a wave, there is no chance you will even get a chance to stand up.
Paddling
Step 3: The Secret of the Pearl
“Pearl” or “Pearling” is the term surfers use to describe the position of the surfboard nose while you are paddling for a wave. As you are paddling, you should be able to see the nose of your board skimming just under the top of the water creating a white pearl.
Pearling
If you pearl too much, the board will nose dive and the wave will flip you head over heels. If the board doesn’t pearl enough, that means the nose is up too high and the back end of the board will sink right into the wave and you will go no where. The secret is finding the perfect pearl and the board will find the perfect balance to chute down a wave.
Step 4: Wave Riding
Once you’ve shot down a wave, the trick is to turn into the wave so that you can keep going along the side of it until it dies. As soon as you stand up on your board, just use your toes and heels to turn the board. If you’re on a big longboard that doesn’t turn easily, it helps to use your hand and drag it in the water to get the board to turn.
Frontside Turn
Soul Surfing
Now that you’re riding the wave, it’s time to realize how amazing it is. Riding a wave is the most unexplainable feeling that no words can describe. You just have to do it, relax, and watch out for sharks.
Water Wonders
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- Surfing - Catchin' the Highest Wave
