Surfing is a fun water sport and is easy to pick up if you are really keen on learning. You need a good quality surfboard that you can buy or rent. It is advisable to get a funboard as a beginner because it is the easiest board to learn with. The other available boards are the long and the short board. The long board might be too hard for you to maneuver because of the length. The short board might be too short and it is slower than the fun board which is about seven to eight inches in length. You will also need a good wetsuit and a leash that will tether you to your surfboard.
When you get to the beach, practice on the sand first before attempting to get into the water. This is so you can get used to the feel of your surfboard. The correct position is that you should lie on your stomach on the board. Your feet should touch the end of the board and the nose of your surfboard should be level with the sand. If it is pointing upwards then move towards the nose and if it is pointing downwards to the sand, move lower on your surfboard so that you are perfectly centered.
While you are lying down, your hands should be parallel with your shoulders on the rails of the surfboard. These are the edges of the board. To catch a wave, you will need to stand on your surfboard; this is known as pop up. When you want to stand on the board, position your arms as if you are about to do pushups while you are still lying down and make sure your toes are at the end of the board. Do a pushup and then put your feet beneath you quickly then put your lead foot at the center of your board in a crouched position. Practice these movements until you can do them naturally and fluidly.
Now enter the water and get on your surfboard in the pop up position. Center your body squarely in the middle of the board and paddle into the water using the crawl stroke with your arms. The nose of the board should be at least an inch above the water. If it goes under water, you can lift your upper body so that the nose is above the water. Keep doing this until you are comfortable and confident. If you are finding it hard to paddle, spread your legs a bit until you can find it easy to paddle. Now paddle straight into a wave, start with smaller waves then move to bigger ones once you have gotten the hang of it.
To catch a wave, your surfboard should be facing the shore and paddle, the wave will pick you up and push you forward. Once you have learnt this you should be able to move to the next stage which is learning how to stand on your board without falling while still on an unbroken wave.
