There are no shortcuts. Surfing is a strenuous sport, especially at the beginning. It takes time, perseverance, training, but all your efforts will be rewarded by the first wave that you will be able to take and it is unlikely, after having experienced that sensation, that you will be able to do without it.
So here are the 5 fundamental steps to learn to surf , with some useful and concrete advice for each stage of learning. The only step that can possibly be skipped is the first one, the surf course, but if you are allergic to courses entrusted to at least some expert friends, or risk leaving the surf before you even managed to get on the lineup!
N.1 THE SURF COURSE
Starting with a good surf course is the first step, but it is also the only one that is not essential. However I highly recommend it because a good instructor is able to teach the basics and provide the basics to progress in surfing faster. But be careful with which surf course you choose. Very often, especially abroad, we see surf instructors with dozens and dozens of students left to fend for themselves in the presence of currents and foams, sent into the water in unlikely conditions. I personally believe that these schools are more money-oriented than surfers … try to observe your future surf instructor at work, before starting the course and prefer not too crowded surf courses. (In the photo our friend and instructor Gianni diSurf Coaching Service Lanzarote )
N.2 THE RIGHT SURF BOARD TO START
Get the right surfboard to start with: a nice Mini Malibu about 8 feet long is ideal for learning to surf. To learn more about which surfboard is right for a beginner, I recommend reading this guide on choosing a surfboard to start with or on softboard surfboards for beginners
N.3 THE TAKE OFF
The take off, getting up on the table, is the key movement of surfing. The ability to surf the wave depends on its correct execution. If the take off is well executed, with the right timing, you will be standing with the whole wall of the wave unrolling in front of you. With your new Minimalibu you can finally go to the beach and train in the take off on the foams just a few meters from the beach. The more you will do the better. The goal is to make it become an automatism, an instinctive movement to do without thinking and in the most natural and fast way possible. When the take off is well acquired you can start thinking about moving around the lineup and … start surfing!
Have you no idea how to take the take off? Try giving aand go in the water to try.
