07 Jul Surfing classes: 8 tips how to improve your surfing
As every normal person is interested to grow up, every surfer wants to become better and better – that’s why surfing classes are so popular. If you read this article, you are interested how to improve your surfing as well, don’t you? Yeah, sometimes waves are not so good, but you still can come out for a quick puddle just for fun. But when surf is pumping, except just having fun, it’s the best opportunity to prove yourself that you’re not a kook. Why it’s so important to improve your surfing? Because “life is a progress, not a station”. No matter what you do, just do it with passion. So is surfing, when you surf more, learn more and train more, you discover more surf spots, more surf destinations and meet more people while travelling. If you want to get all of above, follow these 8 little tips and you will improve your surfing!
Be curious
Subscribe on all the famous surf magazines, follow all interesting pages and groups about surfing in social networks, subscribe on the famous surfers, add important websites to favorites etc. Start to study the history of surfing, learn rules of surf competitions, biographies of champions – just welcome surfing to your life. It’s the same like to marry someone you see the first time, to start surfing you should know about surfing! try to ue every second to take some surfing classes, even if it’s going to be like self education. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed!
Trust your instincts
If you’re already sit on your board and waiting for a wave, don’t try to remember all the things you were told by your instructor, don’t try to predict every step, measure speed and other things. Slow your brain down and let it go. Your body will do the rest. Just feel it. Tru to feel what you do, but not to think what to do. Theory is a main part of surfing classes, that’s supposed to introduce surfing to you, so you won’t be like fresh-of-the-boat during the first practice lesson, but when you’re in the ocean, add some instincts to the knowledge, try to become one flowing unit with a surfboard.
Look for inspiration
Who do you like more: Mick Fanning, John John Florence, Kelly Slater or someone else? Just pick up one and read a story of his life, sport career, watch as many videos of surfing with him as possible. Don’t try to copy all his life and surf style, but pick up the most useful moments and advices. And it’s one of the best sources of inspiration to see, how your favourite surfer wins a comp or championship. Keep yourself always inspired.
Find your own guru
Would be perfect if your surf instructor become your friend or if your friend is a surf instructor. But anyway, even if it doesn’t happen, try to be friends with someone, who surfs better than you, go surfing with him more often and after every surf session ask him how was his surfing, in his answer you will always find something useful for yourself. We all nees someone, who will motivate us and push to the limits, show to us our mistakes. Better-surfing-person will always help you to improve your surfing, one way or another.
Don’t be shy
Everyone makes mistakes, everyone started from square number one. No one was born a professional surfer and became a champion out of nothing. For sure you will be upset about missing a wave, but try to imagine feelings of a prosurfer during a surfcomp, when hundreds thousands of your fans are watching you and you do a stupid mistake. Hesitating limits not only your mind, but your body as well. There is nothing wrong to ask for an advice and for help, especially when you’re on a line-up by yourself for the first time. It won’t make you look like a fool at all, because you’re surrounded by like-minded people, who came through same situation and knows what’s like. Surfing classes are created for exploring and learning, so use every opportunity and explore.
Let every surf session be like a little competition
If you feel not enough adrenaline, just try to find a surfer almost same level with you in the line up. Just imagine, that it’s WSL championship and it’s a final competition, and there are only two: you and him. You will get this feeling of giving of the best straight away. The main point is to be careful with it – it has to stay in your imagination, don’t be agressive, because surfing and boxing are two completely different things. It’s surfing classes, not a battle!
Warm up and stretch out!
If you want to have sore muscles, back pain and other problems – just skip this advice. But if you don’t – make sure you have at least 5 mins before and after surfing! Sometimes just because of a lack of simple exercises and stretching out before and after, surfing can become a real painful danger for you and your body. When you don’t stretch out enough before, your body is not warmed up and when you do want to make a turn or whatever you’re physically not ready. And of course, if you don’t stretch out your back, sooner or later you will regret it while laying in a bed with severe pain in it’s low part. So if you don’t want to waste your time (at least a week) on rehab, just spend at least 5 mins on doing simple exercises!
Every move is a step to improve your surfing
Be active: go jogging, sign up to a gym, cross-fit, yoga classes, go to a swimming pool – anyway will improve your surfing! Even better if you like skating or snowboarding, because even it’s not the same as surfing, but some parts of it are. Those who live by ocean could think that surf everyday is already more than enough, but adding some other types of sports will make you “harder, better, faster, stronger”. Always keep your body in tonus. And, for sure, if you live far away from the ocean, after reading this article go and grab some weights! 🙂
Watch this video of John John Florence fails compilation and you’ll see that noone is perfect