Tips on Longboard Surfboard Stance for Beginners

Every time a beginner successfully maintains a standing position on a speeding surfboard, he or she learns a number of things you just can't learn any other way. Like any physical skill, the techniques of surfing imprint themselves into your muscle memory. Suddenly, one day your body just "knows" how to do it. But, for that transformation to take place, you have to put in sufficient stand-up time on the board. And to remain standing, you have to adopt the correct stance – long before it comes naturally.

  1. Best Foot Forward

    • Before you even get wet, or leave the kitchen, find out which foot you put forward. Stand in stocking feet on a waxed linoleum floor, take a few running steps and then slide. Whichever foot you instinctively stick out in front when you start to slide is the one you'll put forward on the surfboard. For most people, it's the left foot. For a few others, it's the right, known as "goofy foot."

    Pop Up and Stay Up

    • Springing up from a prone position to stand on both feet in a fraction of a second is not a skill transferrable from most other sports. Mastering the "pop up" is a major tipping point (pun intended) in surfing's unique learning curve. Paddle to sufficient speed to engage the board with the wave. Place both palms flat on the deck of the board and perform an enhanced push-up. As your arms reach the full extent of the push, draw both legs up underneath you in a single sweeping motion and plant your feet on the board. Rock your weight backwards on your feet. Without even thinking about it – the less you think, the better – you're no longer lying down but in a hunkering crouch with knees bent. That's just where you want to be.

    Around the Clock

    • It ought to be sufficient that you're on your feet at all, sliding down a liquid wall on a fiberglass plank. But it actually matters a great deal exactly where your feet wind up after the pop up. Beginners often land in creative postures, everything from standing at military attention to assuming the crossed-feet, fifth ballet position. Here's the right way: feet spread shoulder-width apart with the forward foot pointing at a 2 o' clock direction and the rear foot at a right angle to the edge of the board. You're standing roughly sideways, with your leading shoulder pointing approximately toward 10 o' clock. You're doing, not thinking.

    Angling In

    • Riding straight in is a thrill – the first few times. But it wears thin quickly as the wave breaks on you, sending you sprawling into white water. Angling down the wave, away from the breaking part, is the first turning stance you'll learn. Plant your rear foot further back on the tail of the board, add some weight and push that foot in the direction you want the board to angle. There's a sweet spot where planting your foot and weight pivots the board effortlessly. It's a self-guided learning experience: You won't need anyone to tell you when you do it wrong. The board will either instantly spin out from under you, to the delight of observers on the beach, or just stubbornly refuse to budge at all. When done right, 100 years of surfboard design and development are at your service and the board angles neatly and locks into the incline of the wave. Away you go!