How to Do a Good Push on Your Longboard

Surfing on a longboard is a quick and efficient way to master your water-sport skills. Paddling into the ocean on a longboard presents the most opportune chance to find surfing success. Longboards provide more surface area for the surfer, allowing you to paddle faster and stand up, hassle-free. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced surfer, getting a good push on your longboard is the first step in catching waves all day long.

Instructions

    • 1

      Paddle out beyond the white water in the surf. Lay your midsection and legs onto the board. Paddle with you arms and keep your head up so you can see. "Turtle roll" to allow oncoming waves to pass you. For example, take a deep breath just before a wave crests on you. Grab the edges of the board. Flip yourself into and under the water. Pull the board on top of you. Roll back up once the rush of the wave is gone.

    • 2

      Turn your board so the nose is facing the coast. Sit up on the board with one leg hanging over each side until you see a swell building behind you.

    • 3

      Lay back down on the longboard and begin paddling fast. Paddle straight, with even pressure in both arms. Continue paddling to ensure the building swell catches you and begins to move you forward.

    • 4

      Pop up on the board before the wave crests. Grip the sides of the board with your hands. Push up with firm and even pressure, using both hands. Pull your feet flat onto the board. Position your feet so they are just wider than shoulder-width apart. Land with both feet on the board at the same time.

    • 5

      Lean to the right or left to carve the board along the wave as it crests. Keep your knees bent and your center of gravity low. Bend your rear knee down to the board and rock backward at a 45-degree angle to "cutback" into the surf after the wave shallows and dissipates.