How to Become a Good Surfer

You long for the thrill and exhilaration of catching and riding the waves, but you know that it's going to take time and practice until you're ready to show off your surfing skills. Surfing is a solo sport, where your success is directly dependent on your own athletic abilities. With the right amount of training you can minimize your wipeouts and take on larger and larger waves.

Instructions

    • 1

      Develop your swimming skills. You need to be a strong swimmer if you are going to paddle out to the ocean to catch a wave or recover from a wipeout. While practicing swimming in a pool is better than nothing, the best training is for you to practice swimming in the ocean. Ocean swimming is different than pool swimming, because you have to fight against tides, waves and currents.

    • 2

      Build up your balance and stability. Surfing requires you to balance on the board as you ride through the waves, which you won't be able to do if you are wobbly. Your balance and stability is related to your core strength. The core muscles in your body include your abdominal, pelvic and back muscles and can be strengthened through workouts such as sit-ups, push-ups and plank poses.

    • 3

      Surf small waves that are close to the shoreline until you become really comfortable with your footing and have your stability down. Move up to medium and large waves once you have your technique down.

    • 4

      Practice your pop-ups in the sand. As a surfer you will have to pop up from your flat position on the surfboard -- after paddling the wave you caught -- to transition to your standing position. If you can't make the pop-up at the right time, you'll wipe out. Practicing popping up in the sand gets you used to the physical movement of it, which relies on core strength.

    • 5

      Identify your strong points and your weak points. You might be really good at paddling and catching the wave, but not so great at balancing on the board. Or maybe you can balance the board, but you can't seem to get the timing right for the pop-up. Whatever your improvement areas are, work on them consistently. With constant training you can teach your muscles and your mind to conquer the weaknesses.

    • 6

      Train with an advanced surfer. Ask for pointers or tips to becoming a good surfer. Go surfing with the advanced surfer and have him assess your skill and give you constructive feedback.

    • 7

      Sign up for surfing instructional classes. The instructor teaches you the basics on dry land and then you move into the waves for real application of the lessons.

    • 8

      Participate in similar sports that involve balance and stability, such as skateboarding and snowboarding. Keep yourself active so that you do not lose the muscle memory you develop from all of your surfing training, especially during the winter when you may not want to be out in the freezing ocean.