Top 20 Ways to improve your surfing

1: Go surfing more.

Yep the most obvious and simple way to improve the more you surf the better you will get… If you live in a place where there surf try and go out no matter what “providing its safe” even just a small regular surf will help to reinforce your skill level and wave knowledge. If you live a bit further from the surf, then get in the water as much as possible to keep your body and mind used to the movement and to keep the progression coming. 

 

2: Stretch

If you don’t know already it’s a good time to start. Being flexible is really important for your surfing. Always a good idea to stretch before and after surf to help keep your body supple and lose to help with the flow of your movements and reduce the risk of cramps. If you don’t stretch you will find that your surfing style will become rigid and stiff. If you are really stiff you surf stiff and have a stiff style. Keep nice and flexible and you will have a nice loose style. 5 minutes a day is all it takes. 

3: Improve your Fitness

Specifically surf fitness making sure your training for the right thing by copying function surfing movement patterns that you’re going to be performing in the water improving your strength power and endurance will only help to make more time on a board key areas such as paddle exercise and cardiovascular fitness will help with paddling out and breathing were as increasing strength in your legs and core stability will help with power speed and balance in your turns. 

4: Get the right board/ Boards for the right conditions

Having the right board under your feet can make all the difference and if you surfed a few different boards you will begin to feel the difference how some can turn quicker some can plane quicker and some paddle easier. There is no such thing a perfect all round board great in 1-20 foot waves but you can have a range of boards to cover all the possible condition a quiver of specifically designed boards for 1-4 foot or 4-8 foot surf will all require different styles and shapes of board to get you the optimum performance, surfing different shapes and size boards will help to increase you surfing ability and repeater of skills to get a guide on what board you need check out our guide >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>g.  

5:  Yoga

Yoga has long been associated with the surfing life style, The similarities between yoga and surfing compliments the way that helps surfers to increase manoeuvrability and flexibility of the body, whilst including a lot of balance and core strengthening exercise that are so key to a surfers performance. 

6: Surf different beaches and waves

As surfers you are constantly adapting to your changing soundings so spending too much time in one break or type of wave can dull your senses and seriously limit your ability to adapt and change. So keep it fresh exciting by surfing different types of waves and different sizes of waves. It will make you a better all-round surfer

7: Surf with other good surfers

Surfing with someone who has a higher skill level to you will inevitable pus your own surfing as they will go out in more challenging condition and perform more difficulty manoeuvres so you can watch and learn and push yourself to try to keep you. Hopefully inspiring you to new surf glory 

8: Improve your wave knowledge

Wave knowledge is one of the most difficult things to improve as the majority of most surfers wave knowledge come for spending more time in the water surfing. The better you ocean knowledge the easier you will find surfing, knowing when to paddle out looking for rips and line up indicators as well as knowing were to take off and how to read incoming waves will improve your choice of waves and the amount of quality waves you catch. To improve wave knowledge check out your local surf breaks and watch them for long periods learning the line up or watch surf movies to help see how the pros do it were they sit and take off.  

9: Have a good wetsuit

If you surfing in the UK northern Europe or some of north America a good wet suit will mean the world to you. Having a wetsuit that fits is flexible and warm will allow you to carry on surfing throughout most winters without you toes feeling like they going to drop off. 

10: Travel

Traveling is not only one of the coolest perks of surfing seeing no places meeting new people but it’s going to improve your surfing as well. Surfing more often on a trip with different condition and different types of waves is going to make you better at adapting to the conditions and provide you with some fresh new motivation as well as improving your fitness. Traveling also gives you time to solely focus on your movements and mechanics of surfing without thinking you have to rush off.

11: Enjoy Yourself

It come without saying is the best surfing in the world is the one having the most fun, surfers that are smiling enjoying the waves will be relaxed and creative in the water allowing you mind to relax and become in turn with what the wave is doing. 

12: Do other board sports

As pretty much every board sport have been born from surfing it’s a great ide to use your talent through a variety of trains snowboarding skateboards are a great way of helping your balance and muscle prepare for surfing but also your mind set to be able to and practising certain moves over and over again.

13. Surf with friends

Going surfing with friend is great way to push your surfing  they will keep you motivated as well as  encourage you in to wave and past your limits  as well as providing healthy competition for waves, having a friend that better than you will help you to experience new more challenging conditions as well as someone to look at in terms to technique and style.

14. Video you’re self

Watching yourself can either be the highlight or the bane of your session. Recording your sessions and watching them back will give you new insight in to what you actually look like. To help with the video analysis watch good surfers technique then watch your and see what they do differently or get a friend to give you their feedback. This will give you a better insight in to what you can do to improve and give you a focus to improve upon for your next session.

15. Challenge Yourself

This tip could apply to any sport. Don’t allow yourself to feel too comfortable. Once you master the 2-3 foot mushy beach break, then it’s time to paddle out on the 5-6 foot days. You will be surprised how your instincts and muscle memory will take over, allowing you to make key manoeuvres in critical sections of the wave. A little more size will also provide more speed. This will facilitate your surfing improvement.

16. Surf different Breaks

As surfers you are constantly adapting to your changing soundings so spending too much time in one break or type of wave can dull your senses and seriously limit your ability to adapt and change. So keep it fresh exciting by surfing different types of waves and different sizes of waves. It will make you a better all-round surfer. As confronting as it can be, watch footage of yourself at least once a month. I feel that this has to be the best way to learn. You can.

17. Join a club/team

Depending on where you like this might be difficult but joining a club or a team will defiantly improve your surfing, it can be anything from competitive to a social group, it might not be for everyone as competition can sometimes put people off but surfing with other like minded people will help to push you or using coaches to help show you how to improve.

18. Pick a role model

Whether it be your favourite pro surfer or a local guy at the beach everyone needs a role model someone to look up to and try to emulate in there surfing ability. Watching surf clips or learning how they do manoeuvres by slowing down videos is all part of progressions and learning about your role model with inevitably will help in you improvements.

19. 300 mistakes Rule

If you wanting to try something in surfing go ahead and try it but don’t expect to nail it first time  you won’t be able to just boost a massive air rotation without first falling on a few . Expect and know that you will probably fail or fall 300 times before you make it  this can be used as a great learning tool for just giveing manoeuvres a go and eventually you will have it down  (300 is not a specific goal but a general idea to aim for)

20. Little steps

Looking at something as a whole can be daunting looking at down the face of a wave or trying to figure how to carve a tighter arch or perform a passion pop is difficult. By looking at the steps needed to get there an breaking movements down in to what particular parts of your body should be doing your hand legs in preparation and execution you will have  lot better approach to improving your surfing.