Surfing Basics
What are the basics of Surfing? What are the most important things to understand about Surfing? Get ready to learn the basic rules of Surfing.
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Surfing Basics
Surfing is a sport where athletes ride waves in the ocean. The goal of any surfer is to stand up on their surfboard so they can ride the wave for as long as possible. Bodysurfing is where athletes use only their body to ride the wave. Both can be difficult to practice because of the unpredictability of the ocean. That is why it is advised to get lessons before paddling out by yourself. Lessons can range from about $50 to $125, depending on whether or not you are by yourself or with a group. Lessons will typically teach people how to pick a board, how to maneuver with it, and how to spot the perfect wave to ride. Professional organizations such as the World Surfing League hold competitions that display the talents of the best surfers around the world.
The Most Important Things To Know About Surfing
When getting into surfing, you should understand some concepts before deciding to paddle out. You should first decide what board you want to ride. Next, you should learn how to paddle, sit, and stand up on your surfboard. Finally, you should know some basic safety tips.
- Picking your surfboard is the first step to get you in the water. For beginners, it will be easier for you to ride a longboard because they are easier to balance on because they are boards larger than seven feet. Although shortboards are easier to maneuver on, it is much harder to balance if you do not have the experience.
- Now that you have picked your surfboard, it is time to paddle out! Paddling can be difficult at first because you may find that the tip of your board is either tipping into the water, or way to far out. To fix this, you should move back and forth on your board to find the perfect spot to paddle on. Then you can paddle by moving one arm in front of the other.
- When waiting for a wave, it is not uncommon for surfers to sit on their boards. To do this, you will have to push yourself up with your arms and try and find your best position by moving back and forth on the board until you feel more stable.
- Standing up will be the most difficult part, but most fun! To do this, you should place your hands by your board and do a push up while sweeping you legs out from underneath you to stand up.
- Safety is also a huge factor when learning basics. The main safety concerns for beginners is to keep your distance from other surfers and always surf with a buddy.
List of Surfing Basic Rules
Surfing competitively means that there are rules and regulations that you are going to have to follow. The World Surfing League is a professional organization that holds competitions and places these rules to ensure the safety of their athletes.
- Judging: This is a surfers score from a scale of 0-10 on their run. Judges score based on degree of difficulty, innovative and major maneuvers, and speed. After your run you will get ranked.
- Interference: You are prohibited from interfering with another surfers run. If you do this twice you will be disqualified.
Surfing Basics Summary
Surfing is a sport of leisure and competition. Today you learned how to pick a surfboard, how to paddle out, sit, and stand on your board; as well as a few safety tips. You also learned some basic rules for competitions that are held by the World Surfing League. Some of these rules, such as interference can help even if you are not in competition. What you should do now is head out to your closest surf shop and try to get some lessons. This will help you learn the techniques that are necessary so you can paddle out by yourself in the near future!