A GUIDE TO SELF SURF COACHING

FOR NEW AND DEVELOPING

SURFERS
Understanding surf techniques and surfing how tos for new and
developing surfers. Gain insights into common errors,
misconceptions and all the best surf coaching tips you never
knew you needed.

C O R N I S H WAV E
 Contents
Chapter 1 Chapter 6
Understanding how your surfboard Understanding a good surfing stance
works Regular or goofy
Positioning and paddling your surfboard Forehand & backhand surfing
Paddle posture
Conserving energy
Chapter 7
How do you know when to pop up
Chapter 2 How to pop up
The three areas of the surf zone How to gain extra speed when paddling
How to assess the surf zone
Chapter 8
Chapter 3 Angling your take off
Surfing top to bottom
How to read & assess a wave
How to generate speed
How to increase your wave count
How to understand wave quality
Assessing a wave - The set menu Chapter 9
Trimming
Chapter 4 Carving
How to push up over a wave Bottom turns
The turtle roll
Duck diving

Chapter 5
How to sit on a surfboard
Spinning your surfboard - Pivot turns
Corking your surfboard
How to duck dive
Surfing smart

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 Introduction
Our self coaching guide to surfing starts at the very beginning of a surfers path,
covering basic how tos, good surfing practice and giving understanding to the
common errors and misconceptions that all new or developing surfers face,
taking their surfing to new heights.

If you have ever wondered:

How to accurately describe surf conditions?
When is the best time to paddle for a wave?
How to generate speed in surfing?
The importance of a good stance?

Then this is the guide for for you...

Our surfing advice and guidance is drawn from over 14 years of coaching and
instructing in the outdoor adventure activity industry.
All of what is contained in this guide is what we pass on to our guests who join
us at our surf school in Newquay Cornwall.
We use the iAM Bands Independent Ability Measure to help our coaches and
guests place a mapped timeline on their surfing. This guide will be most useful
for Explorer up to Skilled surfers.
Enjoy!

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 CHAPTER 1

Body Positioning & Paddling

Your Surfboard
Understanding how your surfboard works

Positioning and paddling your surfboard

Paddle posture

Conserving energy

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Please note this first section of the guide falls under surf science, it is only
with understanding some of the science behind surfing that it becomes easier
to understand some of the fundamentals in surfing.

Understanding how your surfboard works

There are three main forces that when combined result in a surfer travelling
forwards in the direction of the breaking wave. Buoyancy, Gravity and the
Hydrodynamics of the wave.
Buoyancy -
This is the amount of volume in your surfboard, the greater the volume in your
surfboard the stronger the force of buoyancy pushing you upwards and keeping
you afloat.
The smaller the board or lower the volume in the board, the faster the board
will need to move in order for the board to plane across a wave.
This is the fundamental reason behind why a shortboard is harder to surf than a
larger board, as the surfer will need to actively generate speed to keep the
board afloat due to the low buoyancy.
Gravity -
As the surfer drops down a wave face he / she is gaining speed through gravity
pulling them from the top of the wave to the bottom of the wave, converting
potential energy into kinetic energy that is then stored within the surfer as he
/ she compresses their body as they reach the trough of the wave.

Speed through gravity - Have you ever noticed that your board speed picks up
as you drop down the wave face but will slow down if you do not project
yourself back up the wave face?

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Hydrodynamic forces -
These are the forces that are applied on the surfboard by moving water.
The water in the wave is moving both forwards (towards the beach) and
upwards (as the wave face forms into a curl)
As these two forces are in action, gravity is then pulling the surfer down, at the
same time the buoyancy of the surfboard is then pushing you up.
As water moves up the wave face and comes into contact with the surfboard
rails, this water is deflected and creates the spray we can see when surfers are
plaining down the line.
Another force included in the hydrodynamics of a wave and the affects on your
surfboard is the drag that a board has on the wave face. Drag is how water
grips your surfboard and then channelled along the underside of your board.
The less drag the faster a surfboard can go and is the reason why there is so
much technology and design that goes into surfboard shaping.

Forward force -
Forward force is the result of buoyancy, gravity and the hydrodynamic forces of
the wave combined, pushing a surfer forward in the direction the pealing wave.
This can be manipulated by the surfer when travelling up and down the wave
face (bottom to top) through compression and extension of their body,
ultimately generating speed. (converting potential energy into kinetic energy)
Newtons Law of Action and Reaction states that:

"for every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force"

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How your surfboard holds onto the wave face

The design of your surfboard affects how all of these forces manifest when
riding a wave.

Rails - The rail of your board cuts into the wave face, and it is the rails of your
board that predominantly keep your board positioned on the wave.
As the wave is constantly forming and your board is moving in a forward
direction, it is the mixture of water wrapping around your inside rail and the
energy in the wave moving upwards and forwards (hydrodynamic forces) that
combine to hold you in place on the wave and allows a surfer to trim down the
line.

The bottom of your surfboard -

The underneath or bottom of a surfboard is designed to maximise the flow of
water along the length of the board creating upward lift and forward thrust.
(less drag)
Various design features such as concave and convex channels push the water to
different areas of the board, ultimately affecting how the board reacts in the
wave face.
The less of the underside of your board that is in the water the faster you will
be able to go.
For optimum speed a surfer will need to have the least amount of rail in the
wave face at a 90 degree angle in the steepest section of the wave. This will
allow more water to flow quicker under the board, generating more lift which
generates more forward momentum. (more speed)

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The wave face and generating speed -
Building speed through compression and extension of your body generates a lot
more speed than simply trimming along the wave as you are manipulating the
shape, energy or effective flow of the wave.
The further towards the trough of the wave a surfer is, the less angle or
curvature in the wave - this results in slower forward force because:
- too much of the underside of your board is in contact with the wave
- there is less angle in the wave
In exception to this, bottom turns will generate the most amount of speed in
your surfing as your surfboard will typically be on the minimum amount of rail
at the time where your board will have the most amount of speed through
gravity having pulled your board down the wave face.
A lot of emphasis is put on a surfers ability in producing a good bottom turn as
this will give them speed to project up to the waves face and into a
manoeuvre.

Positioning and paddling your surfboard

Mentally dividing your board into three distinct sections, front, middle and
back will help you understand the forces in play and the reactions that your
body weight and wave face positioning will have as you surf.

Front of the board -

The front of your board acts like an accelerator and although speed is king, too
much weight over the front third will result in the nose sinking when paddling
or pearling when taking off on a wave.

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When paddling on flat water, too much weight over the front will cause drag as
your head and shoulders are too close to the water, sinking the board slightly
making you plough through water that you don't need to.

Middle of the board -

This part of the board is the sweet spot and where you want your trunk weight
(stomach & chest) to be when paddling.
Surfboard thickness is shaped into the middle of a surfboard, this is the best
place to consolidate your weight as this keeps the board level and displaces
your weight evenly across the board.

Back of the board -

The back third of your board acts like a break, too much weight on the back
third, your board will be sluggish and slow to paddle.
With the nose of your board too high out of the water youll be paddling at half
speed as you create a mini bow wave under the nose of your board.
As well as loosing lots of paddle speed youll tire yourself out quickly.

Action: Try to position yourself so that when you lean forward and paddle the
nose dips under water slightly, or if you arched your back to paddle, the
underside of the nose just kisses or touches the surface of the water. This can
be applied to any size surfboard.
Make a mental note, even mark your board with a sticker or marker pen with
the rough positioning that your chin should be over when your board looks and
feels evenly balanced.
Recognising that your weight isn't quite right is an easy adjustment to make
that will have a huge benefit on both your paddling and ability to catch waves.

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Each time that you lie on your board, your first thoughts should be is my
weight evenly distributed over my board? Am I too far forward or too far back?
Making tiny alterations can be a matter of inches and is a constant adjustment
each and every time you lie on your board.
Taking the few seconds to asses this and adjust your weight can mean the
difference between catching a wave or getting no where near it.
Make sure that you address how your body position is lying both, across your
board and along your board. Are your hips in the middle, legs straight and
stomach flat?
If you feel especially strained or uncomfortable when paddling often a small
tweak in how your body is positioned on the board will help.

Paddling posture

Once you have your body positioning correct on the board youll need to think
about your paddle posture and how you can use your body most effectively to
paddle your surfboard.
Your body posture on the board should be neat and inline within the confines of
the rails. Make sure your hips are straight, keep your legs together and your
feet on the back of the board.
As you start to paddle, arch your back slightly to help engage your shoulder
muscles - This posture will also help you to pivot the board and allow you to
reposition quicker.
Lying flat on the board promotes the use of your arm muscles which will
become tiered very quickly. With flat body posture you will also find it hard to
swivel your head to see what happening around you.
Do your best to make long drawn out paddle strokes and to control your
breathing just as if you were jogging.

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Hands -
As you paddle make sure that your thumbs enter the water first, keep your
strokes close to the board and draw the water under your board slightly, with
your stroke finishing just above your hip.
Leave tiny gaps between your fingers so that water can circulate around your
fingers creating a larger overall affect on your stroke.
If your paddle strokes or hands enter too wide of the board this will reduce the
depth and power of your strokes and cause strain on your arm muscles.

Conserving energy - How to adjust your paddle speed?

When you start to paddle its a good idea to slowly increase your paddle speed
and to find a happy medium where your strokes are efficient and keep you
moving, but not so much so that you become strained or tired after a few
meters and lacking in energy to catch a wave.
Having a gauge of your minimal paddle speed and top paddle speed allows you
to conserve your energy and save it for when you need it most.
Action: Make sure you use your gauge to maximise your energy levels by only
paddling at the speed that is required for the situation, resulting in a longer
surf session.
You can relate your paddling to setting off in a car and how you use the gears
to progress your speed. Just like a car you cant set off in top gear, slowly work
your way through the lower gears of your paddling to reach your desired speed
or top gear that is needed for the situation.
Apply this method of thinking to your approach through each part of your surf
for a more successful surf session.
Knowing when to switch between gears is a mark of a surfer that is aware and
adapting to the surrounding surf to use their energy accordingly.

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 CHAPTER 2

ASSESSING SURF CONDITIONS

The three areas of the surf zone

How to assess the surf conditions

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The Three Areas of the Surf Zone

When looking out to sea you are faced with three sections of ocean in front of
you. White water waves, the Impact zone and the Outback.
Surfing and navigating your way through these distinct sections can be difficult
for those not understanding the cycle and role that each section plays.
The White Water - This area is where your fledgling surfing days begin. White
water waves are the first waves that you will notice when looking out to sea
and typically are the first waves you will catch when learning to surf.
These airiated white water waves resulting from larger waves breaking further
out to sea provide consistent uniform lines of water perfect for getting to grips
with the basics of board control, popping up and basic steering.
Here in the white water, surfers will feel safe and within their perceived
comfort zones as they practise catching waves from waist height in towards the
beach - Perfect for an easy and enjoyable introduction to surfing where new
surfers need to form muscle memory through repetition.
With beginner surfers only needing the broken section of the wave, local
weather conditions do not have as much of an affect on the quality of waves,
making this stage of learning to surf a great deal easier to put in the time and
practise.

The Inside or Impact zone - This section of the surf zone is where all waves
turn from green unbroken waves into white water waves and is a place surfers
do not want to spend much time.
Giving birth to the classic surfing phrase - When the wave breaks here, dont
be there
The dangers here are obvious as crashing waves breaking into shallow water,
finish a surfers green wave or land on top of an unsuspecting learner surfer that
has ventured out to far.

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Always aim to spend as little time in the impact zone as possible!
Outback - The outback is the terminology given for the area of the sea where
surfers sit and wait to catch on coming waves from behind the impact zone.
Otherwise know as the back line, the line up this is the optimum area to sit
on your board and catch waves.

How do you asses the surf conditions?

Knowing how to read the surf conditions will help you decide on what surf is
suitable for you and your skill set. Its important to push your boundaries in
surfing - but not so much that you scare yourself or worse feel like you are
being in the way of other surfers.
Ideally, surfing with a friend that is a further advanced surfer than you will help
to build your overall surfing knowledge base and confidence in the surf through
providing feedback and coaching tips on your surfing.
When making the decision whether to surf or not, use these questions below to
help you assess and remember what the surf conditions are before each surf
session.

Paddling out (from the white water to outback)

In this stage it is important to take some time to assess what the waves are
doing and to not just listen to friends or guess.
Building up a memory bank full of different surf conditions and being able to
descriptively compare one surf session against the other gives you a very useful
mental tool to use each time you head out for a surf.
If put into practise before you venture out for a surf - even if this process takes
a matter seconds for you to do, its an important process that you will use for
many years to come in your surfing life.

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1) How big are the waves? / How to judge wave height?
Taking a good look at the size of the waves and being able to give them an
accurate measurement is possibly the most important question to answer and is
often the first question on surfers minds when arriving at the beach.
More experienced surfers will use the measurement of feet to describe wave
height. This method when used by new or developing surfers can create
unnecessary confusion and incorrect wave hight guesstimates.

Keep it simple and use your body as the measure for realistic wave size guide

Example: From the trough of the wave to the top of the wave - What height
would the top of the wave realistically be level with? Waist high, chest high,
head high, over head? Remember modesty is a virtue.
This method of describing wave height is far more accurate than using feet, as
one surfers interpretation of a 3ft wave can be very different from the next.
Much like fishermans tails, surfers love to exaggerate.
Further reasoning for using body height to measure wave height is that most
new or developing surfers will typically only surf waves that are head height or
under and will find describing waves within this range more practical to their
personal surfing.
The benefit of accurately describing wave height allows you develop a set of
standards and understanding of what size waves you are comfortable in and
what you are not comfortable in. Something that will mean a lot to you as you
progress through your surfing career.

2) What is the tide doing?

Knowing what the tide is doing is vital for many reasons. For this section we are
concentrating on how the tide will affect the form and shape of the waves.

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i.e
High tide waves are generally fatter and more rolling.
Low tide waves are generally steeper and faster.
(Check out more about tides and how they affect waves in our Guide to Tides)
Understanding what kind of waves you might expect because of the current
tidal state or expected tide prior to being in the water is often something that
is overlooked by new or developing surfers.

Example: If it is high tide, waves are fuller or fatter and so you may need to
paddle a little harder to get into the waves, maybe there is less of surf zone at
high tide and so you will expect to fight for your waves more.
Thinking of the effects that the tide may have on the waves is useful for
judging current surf conditions and expected conditions that may change as
your surf session progresses.

3) What is the wind doing?

As you look out to sea try to place the wind direction, its strength and how it
is affecting the waves.
When describing the wind and its affect on the sea surfers use the wind
strength descriptive followed by the wind direction.
Wind strength: How strong is the wind? Light, moderate, strong or even
gusting. Give the wind a strength description to help you build up a pattern of
conditions and how they affect the surf.
Cross shore - This means when looking out to sea the wind is blowing across
the beach from either the left or the right.
Depending on the strength of the wind this will have a ruffling affect on the sea
and the tops of the waves as they begin to break, causing them to deform or
break uncharacteristically making waves harder to read and surf.

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Cross shore wind may also have an affect on your positioning in the line up. A
cross shore wind may blow you out of position whilst waiting for waves. If the
wind is moderate / strong, is this worth factoring into where you will position
yourself in the surf?

Onshore - This wind direction means that the wind is blowing into your face
when looking out to sea. Not particularly favoured by the majority of surfers as
a moderate onshore wind will force the waves to break sooner than they would
naturally, pushing the waves flat before they can break than if there were no
wind, making surfing very hard or not possible.

Offshore - Perhaps the most favoured wind direction for surfers, offshore wind
will be blowing from behind you as you look at to sea. Offshore winds will have
positive affect on the waves by grooming or smoothing the wave face and
holding the waves up due to the opposing directions of the wind and the waves,
making waves easier to read and to surf.

Once you have some good answers to your three questions you will be able to
describe the waves accurately, have a good level of expectations and draw
some meaningful conclusions for your surf session.

Example: (How big are the waves, What is the tide doing, What is the wind
doing)
If the waves are head high, its high tide and strong off shore you can expect to
be on the edge of your wave height comfort zone, will need to sit closer in to
the inside as the waves are fatter and paddle hard to over come the strong off
shore wind.

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Action: Repeating this exercise so that you build up a memory bank full of
different surf conditions will give you a confidence boost and is a great mental
tool to use when faced with a particular set of conditions that you know will
challenge you.
By having the memory to recall similar or more challenging conditions will give
you assurance and settle your nerves when paddling out.
Combine the answers to these three questions along with commonly used surf
terms and youll be able to give an accurate descriptive of the surf conditions
in a way that makes sense to your surf session and other surfers.

The waves are around waist to chest high, its mid to high tide, the waves are
little bit fat with a light onshore wind

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 CHAPTER 3

Reading Waves
How to read & assess a wave

Right & left hand breaking waves

How to increase your wave count

How to understand wave quality

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How to read and assess a wave?

Learning how to assess or read a wave is the hardest aspect of surfing that new
or developing surfers will face. Like the old saying goes there is no shortcut to
experience and this couldn't be more true when learning how to read waves.
However, knowing that you are asking the right questions, forming a mental
schema or thought pattern for learning and developing this skill will make you
feel like you are progressing in the right direction which can be half the battle.
Below is a basic process to follow so that you can develop and fine tune your
wave reading skills to help you decide on the best course of action each time
you see an approaching wave.

The first two questions that will need answering are:

Is that wave steep enough to land on me?

and
Where is the peak going to break?

As a wave approaches, ask yourself: Is that wave steep enough to land on me?
If the answer is no, you then need to answer the question Where is the peak
going to break?
To answer this you need to guesstimate the distance of where the peak breaks
in meters and watch the wave until it breaks.

19
Here is the process in full:
As a set or wave approaches ask yourself... Is that wave steep enough to land
on me?
Yes - Paddle towards the wave and the safety of deep water immediately. If
you are daunted by the on coming wave or do not wish to attempt to catch it,
the best course of action is to paddle straight out to sea and to the safety of
deeper water where waves will not be able to break.

No - If the answer is no, you have two options.

1. Estimate how far away in metres the wave will break. Watch the wave until
it breaks and calculate how good your reckoning was and fine tune your
estimation for the wave.

*If you guessed that the wave was not steep enough to land on you and that it
will break 6 metres away from where you are sitting, but in fact the wave
broke 8 metres away from you, then you know when you see a wave that looks
a similar shape, size and steepness of that from where you are sitting the wave
should break roughly 8 meters away.

2. Start to paddle towards the peak and to where you think or anticipate the
best place to catch the wave will be.
As you paddle you should be constantly assessing how the wave is forming,
adjusting your guesstimate, paddle speed and position to reflect the changing
shape of the wave.

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How to tell if a wave is going to break left or right?

The next question that must ask is which way a wave will break?
Typically each wave will have a peak or highest part that forms first, this is the
indication of where the wave will break first in a direction - left, right or both.
As a wave approaches pay attention to the angle of the wave from the highest
point down to the water level. Look for which side of the peak has the steepest
angle down or sloping to the flat water.
The side of the peak with the steepest angle down to the flat water is the
direction that the wave will break.
Whenever you speak about wave directions, this is always from the surfers
perspective in the water or as the surfer surfs it.

What is a left hand breaking wave?

As you look at an oncoming wave and the angle sloping down to the flat water
is to the right of the peak - this wave will break left.

What is a right hand breaking wave?

If the angle of the oncoming wave is sloping to the left of the peak this wave
will break right.
Remember - the direction of the wave is as the surfer surfs it and so
confusingly this is opposite to what you would see on the beach.

How do you know when a wave will close out? What is a close out?
You can spot when a wave looks like it will close out or break all at once by
how the peak is forming. If you see a large wall of water covering equal or
similar height either side of the peak (no distinctive angle or slope down to the

21
water from the peak) this is a good indication that the wave will break all at
once or close out.

How to understand wave quality?

Judging wave quality is one of the unique components that makes surfing so
special compared to many other sports and is both an industry and individual
perspective.
Broadly speaking surfers will want a wave that isn't too big or too small, is
smooth on the surface, easy to read, and has good potential to peal gently
towards the shore, without breaking in large sections allowing for a mixture of
multiple linking manoeuvres.
Each wave will contain a mixture of the below aspects that an individual will
prioritise to deem worthy of catching. These aspects of a wave are given more
merit and prioritised differently by each surfer.
Wave shape
Wave height
How the wave forms and peaks
How the wave breaks
Potential to preform manoeuvres
The more surfing ability you possess the more of these attributes you will
require in a wave.

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How to increase your wave count?

Being vigilant in assessing potential waves is an important part of catching

more waves or at least being in the right position to catch more waves.
When surfers look out to the horizon for approaching waves, this is a good time
to rest or reposition yourself, its also the start of the line up jostling
competition for who can spot and assess an approaching set first.
When choosing a wave youll need to give yourself as much time as possible to
figure out what is happening.
Action: As waves come in sets and each set has a similar period of time
between each one, make a mental note of the time between sets and be
actively moving when you estimate a new approaching set.
If there is a set of waves every ten or twelve minutes, pay attention to this and
then after eight or so minutes, start to paddle around slowly seeking in
anticipation of an approaching set.

Whoever can spot, assess and paddle into position (closest to the peak) first,
wins the right to surf the wave.

Action: Spotting a potential wave early and starting to build your paddle speed
as you move towards the on coming peak allows you to have already adjusted
your body position on the board and to have built some paddle speed.
To do this whilst assessing how the wave is beginning to form gives you a big
advantage over other surfers in your vicinity who are still sitting on their
boards, increasing your chances of being the closest to the peak and gaining
priority over more waves.

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A common error that new or developing surfers make is assessing what the
wave is doing whilst sitting on their boards.
This often leads to the surfer only having a small window of time to lie on their
board, adjust their body position, build their paddle speed and position
themselves correctly in the line up to catch a wave.
Only to be out positioned by the surfer that was first on their board and
paddling into position whilst you were staring at the wave trying to make a
decision on what you should do.
By having built up a small amount of momentum whilst making a decision on
what the wave is doing will make switching into your top paddle gear quick,
resulting in you being able easily match the pace of the wave and pop up with
speed.
Putting this into practice for each approaching set of waves will give you a
greater chance of being in the right place at the right time.

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 CHAPTER 4

Paddling Out, Turtle Rolls &

Duck Diving
How to push up over a wave

The turtle roll

Duck diving

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How to push up, over a wave

As a new or developing surfer progresses the call to paddle outback will lead
to be able to either push up over small waves, turtle roll or duck dive through
on coming waves in order to reach the line up.

Pushing up over a wave is the easiest and most convenient method for getting
past small to medium sized waves.

Step 1. Make sure you have good board speed. The faster that you are paddling
towards the wave the harder it will be for the wave to push you back towards
the beach.

Step 2. Ensure that your board is facing straight out to sea and is head on into
the on coming wave. (a slight angle will tip your board sideways)

Step 3. When the wave is 1-2 ft away, grip the rails of your board near your
chest and push your body up using your arms. At the same time use your toes or
one knee to lift up your mid section and to help you keep balance.

*The idea is to let water pass between you and your board. If you simply lean
back, this will just pronounce your chest giving the wave a larger area to hit
and force you backwards.

Once over the crest of the wave, lie back on your board and assume your
paddling.

The turtle roll

The Turtle roll is an action predominantly used by surfers surfing large volume
surfboards that are not suited to duck diving beneath the waves or for those
that have not yet mastered the art of duck diving.

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Preforming a turtle roll correctly is a key skill in progressing outback behind
the breaking waves.

The purpose of a turtle roll is shield your body from the brunt of the on coming
wave, by turtle rolling your body underneath your surfboard the wave then
breaks and rolls over the underside of your board causing less drag on you and
your board.

When to turtle roll -

Turtle rolling can be a very effective method of minimising the impact that a
oncoming wave, surfers should use this technique when faced with a large pile
of white water or wave that is too big to push up over.

How to turtle roll

Step 1. As a wave approaches build up as much paddle speed as you can.

Step 2. Ensure your board is facing straight out to sea and head on to the on
coming wave.

Step 3. When the wave is 2-3ft away grip the rails of the board, take a depth
breath of air and roll over on to you back holding on to your board so that the
underside of the board is now facing the sky.

*Once the wave has rolled over the underside of your board speed is key to
ensuring the effectiveness of this manoeuvre.

Step 1. Roll the board over so that one rail is in the water and the other in the
air.

Step 2. Scissor kick with your legs and simultaneously scoop yourself onto the
board by pulling down with your hand on the rail that isn't in the water, tense
your stomach muscles for a quicker result.

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Step 3. Position yourself on your board and start paddling towards the next
wave.

*Speed is key for the second half of the turtle roll. Much time can be wasted
when getting back onto your board, so make sure you focus at getting efficient
at getting back onto your board.

Duck diving

The duck dive technique is used for getting underneath on coming waves. By
ducking beneath the waves surfers make use of the curl of the wave to help
them avoid the turbulent whitewater, allowing them to paddle out effectively
and efficiently behind the breaking waves with minimal resistance.

How to duck dive

Make sure that you have plenty of speed as you paddle toward the oncoming
wave. Start the below steps when the wave is one board length away.

Step one. Just before you place your hands by your chest and start to sink the
nose - press down onto your board through your chest to help the sinking
process.

Start to take a deep breath...

Step two. Grip the rails of your board by your chest (elbows inwards) and
completely submerge the front third of the board.

*You will need to be hunched over with your bum in the air and your body
weight being forced down between your hands at this point.

28
Step three. Place one knee or foot onto the board towards the back third and
apply downward pressure to assist in sinking the board. (It is a matter of
preference whether you use a knee or foot.)

At this point most of your body weight should be hunched over between your
hands, driving the board down and forwards.

The aim this stage is to get the board and your body to sink to its maximum
depth possible. (different volume sizes of boards will react differently)

The trick is timing your upwards accent just as you reach your maximum depth.

As you start to feel that you cannot sink any further, tis is the time to switch the
direction of your board.

Step one. Push forwards with your knee or foot and at the same time recoil your
arms bringing the board close to your chest.
This will change the momentum and direction of your board so the nose of your
board is now being pointing back up towards the surface of the water.

Step two. Your chest should now be close to the board with your back arched
and head tilted back looking up to the surface. If the tail is above the nose at
this point you wont surface properly.

Step three. Keeping your eyes open for judgement and using the curl or
recirculating motion of the wave will to help rotate or suck you and your board
up and out of the back of the wave.
You should come out of a duck dive with speed.

Mastering the duck dive involves a lot of technique - a common misconception

is that bigger surfboards cannot be duck dived. More often than not this comes
down to the surfers poor technique and body / weight placement.

29
How to duck dive a big surfboard - slicing a rail

Larger or more rounded nose boards will be harder to initially force under the
surface of the water due to holding more volume or buoyancy.

Instead of pushing the nose of the board down equally with both hands, slice
one of the rails into the water by applying extra pressure to one side of the
board and force the board down and sideways.

The result is that one rail will dip in to the water first, as this starts to happen
continue with applying equal pressure to both the rails - as the nose of the
board takes on more water the added pressure helps you to force the rest of
the board down to complete a duck dive.

30
 CHAPTER 5

Controlling Your Surfboard In

The Line Up
How to sit on a surfboard without Corking your surfboard
falling off
How to understand the line up
Spinning your surfboard - Pivot turns
Surfing smart
31
How to sit on a surfboard without falling off?

All surfers have been there and when it happens nothing is more embarrassing.
Youve put in the hard work and paddled to the back line to where all the cool
surfers are sitting, as you go to sit on your board or even worse youre already
sitting on your board, suddenly without warning your surfboard rolls from
underneath you.

Nothing highlights an amateur surfer like falling off, sitting down.

The trick that know one tells you until youve embarrassed yourself and fallen
off several times is simply to keep moving your legs.
Step One. Whilst sitting on your board make sure that your body weight is over
the middle section your board so that your board is flat in or on the water.
Step Two. Slowly kick your legs back and forth or in circles to help keep you in
balance and gently moving with the motion in the ocean.
Thats it, say goodbye to falling off your board!

How can I spin my surfboard quickly? Pivot Turns

Preforming a pivot turn means to quickly spin your board in any direction on
the spot, being able to do this then allows you to get yourself out the way of
on-coming waves and into more waves with speed.
Pivot tuns are one of the very few useful physical skills that are easy to master
in surfing that can be practised without needing to ride a wave.

32
Depending on the size of your board will affect how extreme the pivot turn will
be, but the method applies to all surfboards.
Step One. In the sitting position on your board, place your hands to the inside
of your thighs, slide your bum backward towards the tail of the board, keeping
your hands in place on the rails.
*If you slide too much weight towards the back you will tip past your balance
point and fall in.
Step Two. Your body will now be partly submerged in the water (around waist
depth) with your legs gripping the side of your board release one hand, reach
either in front or behind you with your free hand and sweep the water in a half
circle.
Step Three. Look over your shoulder in the direction that you wish to rotate.

What is corking your surfboard?

Like many parts of your surfing that becomes common practice an autonomous,
corking your surfboard simply makes use of the volume or buoyancy in your
board to aid your surfing.
If the surfer is wanting to move quickly from the sitting position to lying down
to begin paddling, corking the surfboard will help to initially build speed and
shave a few seconds off reaching your goal.
For surfers using higher volume surfboards, the movement of corking flows
seamlessly from when preforming a pivot turn from the sitting position.

Step One. From a sitting position reach your hands as far as they will go up the
rails of the board. (or on the top of or nose of the board if riding a shorter
board.)
Pull the board down into the water between your legs using your arms.

33
Step Two. Once the board is submerged, extend your body and release the
energy held within your arms of the submerged board at the same time.
For added affect kick your legs in a frog like motion to gain extra momentum.
The idea is to use the potential energy stored by holding the board submerged
to propel you forwards as you lie down - allowing the surfer to begin paddling
at a greater initial speed.

How to understand the line up? Understanding the

game of surfing?

Understanding and making the distinction between a good and a bad wave,
when to paddle for it, how to catch it and when to pop up, all whilst jostling
around other surfers and respecting surf etiquette is the greatest challenge
any new or developing surfer will face.

How to surf smart

As well as assessing each wave, assessing the ability and common traits of the
surfers in your immediate vicinity will give you a great advantage. Being able
to make an educated guess on your fellow surfers movements is all part of the
game that is being played.
Ask yourself the following questions and more when youre checking the surf,
entering the line up and waiting for waves.
1.Who / where are the local surfers taking all the waves?
Sitting next to or paddling for waves that the local surfer is going for may put
you in a good position for the best waves but this will also diminish your
chances of catching waves. The local surfer is quite likely to be able to read

34
the waves better, be applying the same tactic but in reverse and ultimately will
take waves away from you.

2. Where is the long boarder or SUP surfer?

With bigger volume boards, long boarders and SUP surfers are able to sit
further out, spot and catch waves much earlier than most other surfers. Sitting
next to these surfers is asking for frustration.

3. Where are the surfers who are of a similar skill level as you?
Give yourself a fighting chance and position yourself within the group of surfers
that are of a similar skill set to you.

Making a note of every surfers habits and using this information to help you
decide where position yourself and what waves are worth paddling for is a
great technique used by all intermediate or advanced surfers.

Coupled with methods previously mentioned, such as anticipating a set or

assessing a wave whilst paddling, this recipe will help you catch more waves.

35
 CHAPTER 6

The Importance Of Stance

Understanding a good surfing stance

Regular or goofy

Forehand & backhand surfing

36
Understanding the importance of a good surfing stance

Developing the correct stance whilst surfing is of course one of the most
fundamentally important parts of learning to surf.
Surfing as a sport is seen as a cool, stylish and even na arty pastime, often
people commenting on how easy the professionals make it look.
Much of looking good on a surf board can be attributed to a surfers stance
which in turn is related to every movement the surfer is able to make on the
wave.

Feet and Knees -

The surfers role is to manage their weight up and down their board causing the
board to react on the wave.
Moving your feet up and down the board and within this, your weight between
and either side of your feet is an integral part of a surfers stance.
In relation to other wave riding crafts and what makes surfing so dynamic is the
surfer being able to transition their weight around the board through standing
up. Of course a key aspect in this is your stance and how your feet are
positioned on the board.

Feet -
Your front foot will need to be either in line with the stringer or slightly at an
angle so that your toes are just over one side of the stringer and your heal the
other side. (Regular or Goofy footed)
Your back foot should be placed at 90 degrees across the stringer line. Overall
you should aim to have your front foot in the middle of the board and the back
foot over the back third of the board. This foot placement allows you to keep
the board level and plaining.

37
Knees -
Positioning your knees slightly bent in towards each other gives
manoeuvrability in your hips and allows you to adjust your weight up and down
the board easily and quickly, without needing to move your foot positioning.
Within this keeping your back knee loose and bent forwards ready to absorb,
push and drive the board provides a good platform to .....

What is a pooh stance?

The term used for surfers whose knees face outwards as they stand on the
board is called the pooh stance.
Although this stance in many other sports is a very strong and functional
position, it limits a surfer in how they are able to move their hips and shift
weight up and down the board, as they are only able to move their weight
easily from side to side over their toes and heals.
Surfing requires a vast amount of balance, by having your knees outwards your
body assumes a squatting position. Once in this position it is very hard to adjust
your weight up and down the board.
This leads to another common error as the surfer uses their head to counter
balance over their toe side rail and to stick their bum out with a bent back
over their heal side rail to compensate. The result is an awkward looking surfer
finding it hard to keep their balance.

Head positioning -
The Importance of looking where you are surfing & where you want to go.
Like any thing in life looking at what you are doing and where you want to go is
important. In the world of surfing a common error for new and developing
surfers is concentrating on everything but where they are going.
Having your eyes focussed on where you want to go and not at your feet will
help you to keep balanced whilst the body positioning of looking ahead allows

38
for you to naturally hold a straighter back and projects your body language
towards the direction of travel.

Leading Arm -
Based on whether you are a regular or goofy footed surfer will decide on what
arm becomes your leading arm. The main functions of your leading arm are to
help guide you, provide balance and un-weight your surfboard and body
through your turns and manoeuvres.

Your leading arm should never be over your toe side rail

The position and use of your leading arm plays an important role throughout
surfing, and especially so in the beginning years of a surfer.

Common examples of when a surfers leading arm will be used is when,

generating horizontal speed
initiating turns that require a directional and angled rail turns:
bottom turns
carving turns
cut backs

Without your leading arm initiating and guiding you to the direction that you
wish to go, you will only be able to trim the surfboard before loosing balance.
Further advanced manoeuvres require incorporating with many other body
movements a lifting of the leading arm, such as forehand re-entrys,
roundhouse cutbacks etc...

39
Action: Emphasise your turns with your leading arm and over exaggerate this
until movement until you develop a muscle memory and naturally become
comfortable.

How do I know if Im a regular or goofy footed surfer?

When you first start out in surfing one of the questions that will need
answering is which foot should be your leading foot. Simply this should just be
the foot that naturally feels a tendency to creep forward.
There are several methods and theories for testing which foot should lead, our
favourite comes from a good friend Michelle Raven who has written an article
on Stance Anatomy of a Surfer 102: Stance in this Michelle quotes David
Anderson, PhD. SFSU, Department of Kinesiology,

March in place blindfolded. If you turn clockwise, your left leg tends to
dominate during stance and locomotion; counter clockwise your right leg
dominates.

The out come of this may help you decide if you are a regular or goofy footed
surfer.
There is an argument or topic of discussion that your weaker foot should be
your leading foot, although this discussion maybe suited for bog post and
ultimately the decision comes down to what feels comfortable to the
individual.

40
What is forehand surfing? What does forehand surfing
mean?

Surfing a wave on your forehand describes the surfer as facing towards the
wave face whilst surfing. (toes, chest is pointing towards the wave face)

Whilst surfing a wave where your back is closer to the wave face is described as
a surfing a wave on your backhand. (heals, back etc... is facing the wave.)
For regular footed surfers (left foot forward) a right hand breaking wave will be
their forehand. A left hand breaking wave will be their backhand.
Dont be afraid of your back hand - For new or developing surfers riding a wave
on their back hand can be difficult and daunting.

Step One. Keep your shoulders open and parallel / inline to the board as you
surf.

Step Two. Twist and rotate your trunk so you can easily view the waves face -
dont turn your back to the wave by looking at the beach.

It is important that you dont have your body language facing the beach, this
causes you to strain over your leading shoulder to look at the wave.

41
 CHAPTER 7

Pitfalls Of Popping Up
How do you know when to pop up

How to pop up

How to gain extra speed when paddling

42
How do I know when to pop up?

Gauging the timing of when to pop up is possibly the most difficult and crucial
few seconds in each of your surf sessions. Popping up requires good upper body
strength, strong core muscles and an understanding of timing within surfing.
Being flexible and agile will certainly help you as well.

The first indication that it is time to pop up will be as the nose of your
surfboard dips down the wave face, this means you have matched the pace
of the wave and gravity is starting to pull your bodyweight down the wave.

Once you feel your board become weightless this is the time to pop up!

Popping up too soon

Popping up before the nose of your board dips down the wave face will result in
you missing the wave.

The movement of transitioning from your paddling position to getting up to

your feet will cause your board to loose speed.
Without the forward momentum of you paddling and without gravity pulling you
down the wave, your board will slow down too much and continue to roll
underneath you towards the beach.

43
How to pop up?

Step One. As the nose of your surfboard starts to dip, paddle two, three or
more extra strokes to force your board down the wave face.

Step Two. Place your hands by your chest and your toes on their toe tips -
ready to spring!

Step Three. Simultaneously arch your back and twist your leading hip down in
preparation to lunge forward. (same side as your leading foot)

*It is imperative that you twist your leading hip down before attempting to pop
up as this opens up your truck and allows you to push your leading foot
forwards easily.

Step Four. Push off the board and pop forward with your back foot, at the
same time thrust your leading foot in between your hands.

Make sure that you are looking up and in the direction that you want to go.
Keeping low in your stance once on your feet but with a straight vertical back -
your hands should be the last thing to leave your board.

44
Popping up too late

There are two common scenarios that can occur from popping up too late:

1. Pearling - Not having enough board speed or being in a critical part of the
wave will result in the wave lifting the tail of the board up and over towards
the beach or breaking on top of you.

2. The surfer will race down the face of the wave out into the flats (calm
water just past the trough) as the surfer pops up there is a loss of speed
making balancing hard. Often the wave will break directly behind the surfer
and surges forward knocking the surfer off balance.

Timing is everything with surfing, so when catching a wave remember

Never take your eye off the peak!

Action: The most basic skill that needs to be applied when paddling for a wave
is looking over your shoulder to see how the wave is forming.
By keeping a constant eye on the wave you are able to assess how the wave is
forming and changing as you paddle yourself into position.

If the wave is moving quickly and beginning to look too steep you may wish to
slow your paddling down and get ready to pop up.
If the peak is still forming then you may wish to paddle harder to get ahead of
the wave to where you anticipate the peak to break.

45
Only by keeping a constant eye of the ever changing and forming peak will you
be able to asses how to direct your surfboard and adjust your speed.
The more that you analysis and adjust your assessments of how steep a wave is
the quicker you will learn.

Common misconception when catching a wave:

If you have not matched the pace of the wave but are in the correct position
often new surfers will find the back of their surfboard being picked up by the
wave, throwing them forward head of heals.
This is called pearling - If this is happening quite often to a new surfer, logic
tells them that they were too far forward on their board for that wave, thus
moving back on their board.
This isnt always the case and can often result in a surfer moving further back
on their board needlessly.
Over the duration of a surf session the knock on effect is not being able to
paddle into position or build up enough speed to catch a wave - ultimately
repeating the experience of the wave lifting up the back of the board and
pearling once again.

How to gain extra speed when paddling for a wave?

Once you have reached your top paddle speed there are still one or two
techniques that you can utilise to make sure you get yourself onto the wave.
A common misconception when paddling for a wave is to keep your back
arched as you attempt to paddle into the wave. Although this is recommended
when paddling in general this isn't beneficial in the last few strokes in your
attempt to catch a wave.

46
Action: Once you have reached your maximum paddle speed and the wave is
immediately behind you, lower your shoulders and push your trunk weight
through your chest forcing the nose of your board down the wave face.
For a final last ditch effort to get onto the wave push your chin down onto the
board and kick your legs.
Contrary to your instincts forcing the nose of your board down the wave as
early as possible will save you from pearling.

47
 CHAPTER 8

Angled Take Offs &

Generating Speed
Angling your take off

Surfing top to bottom

How to generate speed

48
Angling your take off

Angling your take off allows a surfer to drop in on waves that are steep. On
larger surfboards the curvature of the wave is too steep for the length and
rocker of the board and often results in a nose dive.(pearling)
By angling your board as you paddle for a wave this will set the line that your
board will take.
The benefit of this technique is that you no longer need to trim as your board
as aggressively once standing up and dropping down the wave.
Trimming your board when at the bottom of the wave is hard as you will need
to lean heavily in the direction that you wish to travel.
Without your weight over the correct part of the board (fins) a surfer will
simply fall forwards over their toes, landing on their face.
Turning a surfboard at the bottom of a wave is considered a bottom turn which
is in effect a carving turn. (a turn that requires weight over your fins and use of
the surfboard rail)

How to Angle your take off?

Step One. Once a potential wave is spotted and you have built up your paddle
speed, slightly angle your board in the direction that the wave will break.
*Too much angle can result in you missing the wave due to paddling away from
the peak - here timing and positioning is very important.

Step Two. In your final stages of paddling, start to lean with your chest on the
side of the board that you wish to travel, whilst doing this paddle with one or
two sweeping strokes with the arm opposite of the direction you are wanting to
go.

49
Step Three. As you pop up, keep your head and body language pointing in the
direction that you wish to travel, apply slight pressure on the inside rail of your
surfboard so that this rail digs in to the wave face.

Step Four. Make sure that you place your board in the top third or middle of
the wave face. Surfing on the wave too high up at an angle can lead to you
surfing off the back of the wave. Too slight of an angle will lead to surfing
towards the beach.

Surfing top to bottom

Many new or developing surfers will often find themselves either surfing off the
back of the wave or more commonly finding themselves with no speed at the
bottom of the wave.
Ideally a surfer should be surfing from the top of the wave to the bottom of the
wave to maximise speed generation and execution of manoeuvres in critical
sections of the wave.

Try to imagine a wave split into three parts.

Top, Middle and Bottom
Each section of the wave provides the surfer with different opportunities to
generate speed and place manoeuvres.

Top: The top section the wave is the fastest part of the wave and is where all
the speed can be found.
Middle: This section of the wave can be somewhat of a no mans land for surfers
and can be viewed as an area of transition between bottom turns and
manoeuvres in the the top third of the wave.

50
Bottom: This part of the wave is known as the trough and is the slowest part of
the wave.

Generating speed

Generating speed gives a whole new lease of life to your surfing and is a
definite sign your surfing is reaching its next level.
Generating speed means making your surfboard move faster through
manipulating the wave face, your body movements and parts of the board -
combined, and in rhythm you will generate horizontal down the line speed.
Compression and extension - The most basic movements when generating speed
on a surf board come from compression and extension.
As you drop into a wave your body becomes compressed - potential energy
gained from this is then transformed into kinetic energy and eventually forward
momentum.
Releasing this energy in the direction of travel by combining arm throws and
extending your body will un weight the surfboard making it jump horizontally
(forward), repeated over and over your board will gain more lift and more
speed.

How to generate speed in surfing?

Step One. As you reach the trough of a wave extend your body so you are
nearly standing straight, at the same time lift your arms up to shoulder level.
Step Two. Project your body language in the direction of travel and place your
board in the top third of the wave.

51
Step Three. Drop down the wave face once more and compress your body
slightly, bringing your arms back down to your side.

Action: A great warm up exercise or land based way to practise the movements
needed for generating speed can be to practice standing start arm throws.
Arm throws - to give yourself a good idea of the power and movement needed
for generating speed you can follow the below exercise:

Step one. Stand two feet together with your arms by your side, look over one
shoulder and swing your arms simultaneously in the same direction that you are
looking.

This should result in the momentum of your arms leading and the rest of your
body following.
Step two. Add a slight leg compression and at the same time, throw your arms
extend your legs. Youll notice a big difference on the amount of momentum
and distance that you can cover.

It is this compression and extension movement that are part of the

fundamental movements required to transfer potential energy into board
speed.

52
 CHAPTER 9

Trimming, Carving & Bottom

Turns
Trimming

Carving

Bottom turns

53
What is the difference between a trimming turn &
carving turn?

There are two basic ways of turning a surfboard in surfing. Trimming turns and
carving turns.
Having learnt to trim your surfboard, the more radical and advanced
manoeuvre of carving turns will follow naturally.

Trimming -
The phrase trimming in surfing can be used in two contexts.

trimming through the positioning of your weight over a particular area of the
surfboard

&

trimming along the wave face

Trimming your surfboard or moving your weight to a certain area in order to

cause a reaction from the surfboard can be applied to all four corners of the
board, resulting in either slowing down, speeding up and trimming left or right.

An important skill to practice and hone quickly in your early stages of surfing is
learning how to control your surfboard through moving your body weight in all
directions.

Speed up - Lean your trunk weight forwards over your front knee or foot. The
more pressure that is applied the more board speed you will gain. If too much
pressure is applied the nose of your surfboard will dig into the water.

54
Slowing down - Applying pressure over your back foot or leg by leaning back
will cause your surfboard to slow down.

*When a long boarder is Hanging Ten this is very advanced trimming. Another
example of extreme trimming is when a surfer stalls their board by placing a
lot of their weight over the back of their board, this is often used when
wanting the wave to form ahead of them.

Trimming turns

Trimming turns are when a surfer gently leans their weight over one side of the
board causing the board to trim or travel in a particular direction.
Preformed correctly the surfer will feel an increase in speed as the board will
now match the natural pace of the breaking wave.

Applying weight in a particular area of the surfboard causing the board to

angle across the wave face

If a surfer adds too much angle to their board the effect will be to either trim
off the back of the wave (too high on the wave face) or travel towards the
beach (not enough angle)
Trimming along the wave a surfer should aim for their board to be up on the
top third of the wave face. This part of the wave is where you can gain the
most speed.

Linking Trimming Turns - Linking trimming turns from one direction (left) back
towards the beach and then trimming in the other direction (right) is the first
sign of a basic carving turn.

55
Trimming your board by pointing the nose of your board in the direction of
travel as your paddle and take off for a wave can also be said to be trimming
your board. To keep terminology clear we call this angling your board or an
angled take off.

How do I trim my surfboard?

Once you are up a riding in a straight line towards the beach...

Step one. Lean your body forwards slightly over your front foot to gain speed.

Step two. Apply pressure and rotate your trunk weight gently in the direction
you wish to trim your surfboard.

Step three. Keeping your head level, simultaneously look in the direction that
you wish to travel and point your leading arm in the direction you want to go.

*If you are having difficulty balancing, a great technique is to crouch low
through bending your back leg and to grab the opposite rail of the direction you
are travelling.
Grabbing the rail in this pig dog stance whilst looking and pointing your
leading arm in the direction of travel will give you a strong base to hold your
line across the wave.
*Pulling up on the outside rail gently with your hand will increase the angle
that your board will trim. Pull too much and you will trim off and over the back
of the wave.

56
Carving turns

Learning how to preform carving turns is a big part of developing your surfing
and will open up a wide range of new ways to maximise your time on a wave.
Carving turns allow the surfer to change direction quickly, set up for bottom
turns and other functional manoeuvres, linking their surfing together to create
fluid and seamless wave riding.

How do you do carving turns?

As with everything in surfing the right technique preformed in the correct part
of the wave will result in a functional and smooth looking manoeuvre.
Step one. As you travel along the wave face, position your board in the top
third of the wave.

Step two. Lean your truck weight over your back foot, simultaneously drop
your weight into your hips, compress your body closer to the board and angle
your weight over the side of the board that you wish to travel.

*Make sure you have plenty of speed as you engage in the turn and that the
majority of your weight is over the back third / fins of your board.

Step three. It is important that you stay compressed and guide your turn by
using your leading arm, trunk rotation and head to steer your body language
and surfboard into the direction that you want to go.

57
*Much like riding into a corner on your bike, it is the momentum and speed that
you carry into and through the turn that will allow you to lean over your rail.

Step four. As you start to travel in the new direction, bring your weight over
your front foot once again and begin to extend your body in to your normal
surfing stance.

Bottom turns

Hailed as the most important functional manoeuvre in surfing a bottom turn

will set up and decide the quality and availability of your next manoeuvre on
each section of a wave.
Depending on how the wave is forming ahead of you will decide on what
manoeuvre will be possible for you to preform. This is linked directly to what
type or strength of bottom turn you should aim to preform leading into your
next manoeuvre.
The description below is for new or developing surfers learning and
understanding the basic elements required for how and when to preform a
bottom turn.

How to preform a basic bottom turn in surfing

As you ride down the wave face look ahead and spot a position on the wave
that will be suitable to place your bottom turn.

58
Step One. As you begin to reach the bottom of the wave and your desired spot
to place your bottom turn, simultaneously start to apply pressure on your toes
and begin to lean your body weight over in the direction you wish to travel.

Step Two. As you feel the rail of your surfboard engage with the wave start to
apply lots of pressure to your back foot.

Step Four. Use your leading arm to angle and rotate your trunk in the direction
of travel. Make sure you look where you want to go.

Step Three. In conjunction with step two. Once you have reached your
previously eyed place to preform your bottom turn you will need to start to
extend your body out of the turn and up the wave face.
At this stage the closer that you lean your chest to the wave the sharper and
more vertical reaction the turn will have.
Positioned correctly, a bottom turn will slingshot you into the next section of
the wave and back up to the top third of the wave face ready for further
manoeuvres.

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 CHAPTER 10

Related Guides & Blogs

If you are interested in future guides for new and developing surfers you can
sign up to our mailing list to get guides straight to your inbox.

60
 Forthcoming Guides:

Understanding Surf Hardware for New or Developing Surfers - Getting to

grips with and breaking down all things hardware from surfboard dimensions &
shapes to fins and ding fixes.

The Importance of Surf Science & Theory for New or Developing Surfers -
Understanding the theoretical side of surfing, learn about surf forecasting,
tides and discover interesting facts to help you progress in surfing.

Related Blogs:

A Guide to Tides
Three Things To Do Before Surfing
Surf Priority - The Simple Rules
Learn to Surf Theory Series

You can check out our blog here www.cornishwave.com/blog/

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