Before learning any fancy skills on your board, first you need to catch a wave. With experience, you will be able to identify a wave on the horizon that is relatively easy to catch, then it is a case of paddling hard to match its speed. You will feel the wave carrying you forward, then stand on your board (‘pop-up’) and keep your balance! Usually you aim to ride the wave just ahead of the white water, the ‘curl’. Catching waves and getting to your feet are the fundamentals and can take considerable practice.
Once you feel you have mastered the basics, it may be time to try out a few moves like turning and carving. If you’re a beginner, you’re most likely using a longboard, which are great for tricks like ‘hang five’ – one foot at the front of the board with your toes just over the edge - or ‘hang ten’ / ‘nose riding’ – both feet at the front and all toes over the edge. Other board stances include ‘goofy foot’ – left foot at back of board or ‘hang heels’ – facing backward with your heels over the edge.
Probably the most common maneuver is the ‘cutback’ which is basically turning back towards the breaking part of the wave. To ‘fade’, aim toward the breaking part of the wave, then turn sharply and surf in the direction the wave is breaking towards. Try a ‘floater’ – where you ride on top of the breaking curl and the come down with it – or ‘off the lip’ – where you bank off the top of the wave. ‘Pumping’ is an up and down carving movement that helps build speed or you can ‘stall’ by shifting your weight to the tail of the board or putting a hand in the water to slow you down.
You need to watch more experienced surfers to pick up these moves and be prepared to wipeout (perhaps MANY times) on your first attempts. The best way to learn is through experience so get out there!
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Have you ever wanted to know what it was like to surf, but didn't have a beach near you? Now there is actually a way for you to do this. What you need, basically, is a cylinder and a board. You place the cylinder on the ground, put the board on the cylinder, and then get on the board and balance yourself in mid air. It sounds a little crazy, maybe even a little too simple, but there's actually a product available for this, and it's called an Indo Board. By standing on this board and balancing yourself in the air, you can learn to balance yourself just like you would need to do on a skate board or a surf board. You can use one of these indoor balance boards to improve your current skating, your current surfing, or to prepare to learn one or the other.
Balance Boards Offer Tons of New Tricks
However, people who have an indoor balance board are discovering that while it does enhance their skating and surfing, it's also a fun sport all on its own. There are many videos online that show people of all ages doing all kinds of tricks on their indoor board. From hanging ten, walking from one end to the other, to ollying, or popping the board up in the air and then landing on it - still balanced on the cylinder - there are many tricks that can be learned.
Improve Skating and Surfing Balance
The indoor balance board is great for everyone who wants to have some fun on a board, whether you already skate or surf, or if you just want to find out if you have what it takes to get started in those sports. With this board, you can now learn to balance a skate board or surf board without getting scraped up on pavement and without even getting wet. The indoor board can be mastered right in your own living room, and it's a lot of fun to play with even on those days when the surf is flat or when it's too rainy to skate.
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Discover more about surfing and the Indo Board and how it can help your balance!
If you are a water sports lover and want to try out something you have haven't done before, stand up paddle boarding is the best option for you.
The watersport involves standing on an extra large surfboard and directing it through a long paddle that is held by the hand. The game was initially started in 1960s but the modern incarnation of the sport came in 2002. The larger size of surfing board in comparison to the regular ones and an extra speed gained by paddling helps in getting through a lot more waves and facing more exhilarating turns.
The sport is actually targeted at the windsurfers who are used to stand up on a board and want to get out of water when the wind is down. If you are using the surfing paddle with an increased length, it would be extra buoyant and you will be able to catch long rides, no matter what the conditions are.
In case you are just a beginner who is not able to surf, stand up paddle board surfing is ideal for you. It is also a great exercise for legs and arms. The moment you get the balance and a hang of the sport, surfing canals and rivers will not be a difficult thing for you. Learning a sport is not difficult but you need to practice a lot to get mastery on it. Here are some tips that will help you to surf on a stand up paddle board:
• You should always get into your surfing gear, even if it is a dry suit for cold water or a wet suit for the ocean. Ensure that the gear is comfortable and provides you flexibility in moving.
• When you are buying a paddle, make sure that it gives enough space to stand with your feet apart comfortably.
• You can practice stand up paddle surfing by placing the board on the ground or sand. It is always better to practice this a few times before hitting the water. Once you get used to stand on the board, you are ready to enjoy the sport. The paddle should be placed on the board.
• The next step is placing the board in shallow water. Try to float and sit on the board for sometime to get used to be on water. Now, it's the time to push out onto the water.
• One should always climb on the board by pulling the chest up first and then moving a foot on the board. Then slowly move the other foot on the board and make sure it's shoulder length apart from the first foot.
• Start paddling the moment you stand on the board. Focus more on balance and good body posture. Then move slowly at the beginning and go at your own pace after sometime.
• If you will keep the steps in mind, you will soon be able to ride off the high tides and enjoy stand up paddle surfing.
