Top 5 Tips for Learning How to Surf

Surfing is not only one of the best ways to have fun; it is also a way of life. To be able to surf you don't need to buy a lot of expensive gear, as is the case with so many other pursuits. When you are just starting out, you need to not only learn the physical techniques to make you a good surfer.
You need to open your mind and let the ocean touch your soul, before you can hop a plane to the North Shore and go surf Pipe, you gotta get the basics down.

Here are the top 5 tips you need to know:

1. Surfboard: Your board is your best friend; it will take you out to the waves and bring you back riding them in. You express yourself through how you ride your board. Making sure that you pick the right board is essential, when you learn how to surf.

If your board isn't stable or easy to ride, you will be missing waves because you are too early, too late or just not be able to catch any waves. After you wax your board, you want to find the reference point to keep it balanced and keep a mental note to mark it with your chin. You don't want to lean too far forward on your board, so the nose is underwater; this is called "pearling". You need to wiggle your body back down a little so that you're evenly balanced.

2. Paddle Out: The best and really only way to catch waves is by paddling hard when you're going after a wave. Paddling is an essential technique and you need to develop the right amount of strength to propel yourself into the wave. You don't want to paddle with both hands at the same time, you don't get enough propulsion and it will tire you out fast.

What you want to do is reach in one arm at a time making a cup with your hand. As you're doing that you want to rotate your body and open your shoulder and dig in with the other hand. Think of it like throwing a baseball pitch you are basically following the same motions with your upper body.

3. Sit up: Once you've figured out how to balance and paddle on your board, you got to learn how to sit up on your board and wait for the next set. When you first sit up on your board it may be a little wobbly, but with a little practice you'll get the hang of it.

4. Poppin up: This is the most important thing you got to learn. You want to do it quickly, but with style and finesse, you don't want to look like a "Boner". The more in shape or athletic you are the easier it will be. Poppin up or standing on your board can be a little tricky, but you'll get it if you keep practicing.

Don't fall into the habit of Poppin up to your knees, it may work know but it is a bad habit to learn and you will regret it later when you're always just Poppin up to your knees and you'll have to break this habit later on.

Once you've caught your wave and you're lying on your board, you pop up by putting your hands on the side of your surfboard and popping up like you doing a complete push up and then hopping to your feet in one sweeping motion. After you're up try to stay low by bending your knees and keeping your center of balance low.

5. Make a Turn: Once you've caught your first wave and you've popped up and you're riding, you want to make a turn either to the left or the right. You can ride straight in but that's boring. After you catch that wave and your riding you want to lean and turn left or right so you can get a longer ride.

Follow these tips to get started, and keep reading up on techniques. Give it about 3 months and you will be surfing like a champ.

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