Learning To Surf, How To Prepare?
Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 10:55 am
I’m in my early 20s and I’ve been wanting to learn to surf for a couple years now. I’ve been out surfing only twice so far (once with a friend, once taking a lesson at a surf school), but I haven’t actually stood up and caught a wave yet, so I still have to get the basics down. I just graduated from college and I’m back in Santa Monica, so I’ve decided to get back to trying to get this done. My question is, what should I do to prepare so that the next time I take a lesson I can actually stand up and get the fundamentals down? The last time I went I was having problems sleeping so my stamina was bad and I could only last out there like 30 minutes, but I’ve been starting to swim regularly again, I can swim a mile pretty easily, I’m slow, but I don’t get the least bit tired or out of breath, swimming a mile seems relatively easy for me, so hopefully my stamina will be good enough this time around. I already skateboard, so hopefully that takes care of the balance issue, and I plan on bodyboarding a few times before my next lesson so that I can get a feel for the waves and the ocean since my last lesson was in May. Is there anything else I should do before I sign up for another lesson? I don’t really care about getting good at surfing (at least not right now), I just want to be able to surf whenever I want and enjoy it, I mean, do I really have to become good at it, or do I just have to know what I’m doing and have fun?
Category: Learn to Surf
August 7th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Right now, I’m pretty fat, and not in great shape, but I have decent amount of stamina, and I have been swimming and surfing for so many years that it sort of comes naturally to me. I think that swimming is the overall best conditioning for surfing. I strongly recommend swimming in the ocean. There is a huge difference between pool and ocean swimming. I think you have the right idea, with the skateboarding and body boarding thrown in. It sounds like a good routine.
I am 56, and I am only good for a couple of hours of surfing, most of the time, although there were a couple times this summer I did two three hours sessions one day. I am sure that a person in his/her 20s should be able to whip themselves into good enough condition to keep up with that in a month or two.
August 7th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
daniel w is right. keep swimming too because that will get you better at paddling
August 7th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
to surf you do need allot of stamina and good arm muscles. You need stamina to get you out thew back where all the waves are and you need good arm muscles because paddling does get hard after a while of it, your arms just feel like jelly. I had this problem, my arms where like two long twigs till i started to swim allot (like you) and do weights to get my arms more big. i used to be able to last about 30 minutes, now i can last as long as i want out there thanks the the swimming and weights i have been doing. once you have got good stamina and muscles you will be the best surfer you can be.