Learn to surf with Actionpop!
Learning to surf is by no means a piece of cake so we thought we'd offer a few pointers with our very own man on the inside, Actionpop!
With years of surf experience and a couple of big wins behind him on the Figurine World Pro Tour (FWPT), Actionpop will take you through the basics from riding your first wave to ripping it up in the big stuff.
Surf tips written and edited by BSA qualified surf instructor Olly Daglish.
1. Proning
Difficulty rating - easy
Proning is quite simply catching broken waves and riding them on your front to the shallows. It’s a useful exercise to a) learn how to catch a wave and b) find your *'sweet spot' on the board.
1. Wade out to waist depth, board by your side with the nose of the board facing the oncoming waves. For each oncoming wave, push down on the tail of the board to lift the nose over the wave.
2. At waist depth, turn the board around facing the beach.
3. When the wave is around a foot from the tail of the board, push off towards the beach, holding the board by the rails and jump on. Make sure hands are in line with your lower ribs and ride to the shore. Push up to slow down, or lie flat for optimum speed. As long as your feet are just over the tail edge of the board and your hands are correctly positioned, you should find your sweet spot quite quickly.
*Sweet spot - point where your hands and feet are correcly positioned to allow the board to be perfectly balanced.
2. Paddling and popping up in the white water
Difficulty rating – medium to tricky
Paddling for the wave and learning to pop-up is a crucial skill to master if you’re to progress as a surfer.
1. As with proning, wade out to waist depth and turn the board around, nose facing straight to the beach.
2. When the wave is about a board length away, push off, holding the board firmly by the rails. Jump aboard and immediately check position – toes over the tail, body straight and central.
3. With hands cupped, start paddling, reaching out as far as your finger tips will go. Dig deep, paddle faster as the wave approaches…
4. The board will accelerate as the wave hits, don’t give up paddling, count 1,2…3, toes placed on the tail and go for the pop.
Check out pop-up tips for detailed popping tips.
Don't forget you can practice your pop-ups on dry land with the help of your very own Ollypop! Regular practice on the Ollypop should help correct all of the above.
3. Basic Turning
Difficulty rating - medium
Turning is something that all surfers continually strive to improve. Whether you're a pro trying to make your forehand snap a little sharper, or a beginner just trying to avoid running someone over in the white water, turning is a surfers eternal quest for perfection. Here we look at basic turning, nothing flash, just a way to steer your board in a different direction and feel more in control.
1. In the standing position with plenty of speed, lean on your back foot to transfer the weight over the fin.
2. Keep leaning back but as you do, either a) lean onto your toes for a forehand turn, or b) lean onto your heels for a backhand turn.
3. Simultaneously, look where you want to turn and twist upper body in direction of the turn,your shoulder should lead.
4. The board will eventually turn (Swell boards don't respond immediately!).
5. Now un-weight from the toes, twist your body back into the original position and lean forward to gain speed again.
4. Paddling out the back
Ok, so now you're pretty competent in the white water, it's time to step it up a level and paddle out the back to the lineup (where the waves begin to break). This is usually in water out of your depth depending on the swell size or slope of the beach, so you need to be confident in your fitness and swimming ability.
Your main obstacle is the oncoming wave, and on bigger swell days you may have to overcome quite a few to reach your goal of the lineup. In order to achieve this there are three main methods at your disposal - the push up, the turtle roll and the duck dive (the latter being the hardest to accomplish)...
First of all, wade out as deep as you can, watch the oncoming waves and wait for a lull (break) in the waves. As soon as you spot a lull, jump aboard, position yourself in the prone paddling position and paddle like crazy! Inevitably you will come face to face with an oncoming wave, determined to put you back where you started. Don't panic, increase your paddle rate as the wave approaches, you'll need as much momentum as possible...
Push Up
Difficulty rating - easy
1. When the wave is about 2ft from the nose of the board, place hands firmly on the rail in line with lower ribs, toes on the tail and push up.
2. Keep body straight as you would in a push up and allow the wave to pass between you and the board.
3. As soon as the wave has passed, drop back down onto the deck, adopt the prone paddling position and start paddling again.
Turtle Roll
Difficulty rating - medium
1. When the wave is about 3ft from the nose of the board, place hands firmly on the rail, hook toes on the tail, take a deep breath and lean over to one side flipping the board upside down.
2. Hold on tight, keeping the board as straight as you can, allowing the wave to pass over the board.
3. Once the turbulence has subsided, give one big push to flip the board back onto its bottom. As the board flips over, your body should follow with it, returning to the original prone paddling position.
4. Start paddling as soon as possible and be prepared for the next wave!
Duck Dive
Difficulty rating - tricky
1. When the wave is about 2ft from the nose of the board, place hands firmly on the rail, push down to sink the front of the board and take a deep breath. At this point your bum will be in the air, with your back sloping downwards.
2. Place your knee (regular footers tend to use their right knee, goofy footers use their left knee) just above the tail of the board. For deeper duck dives you can use your foot.
3. Push down on your knee/foot to sink the back of the board.
4. As the wave passes above, lean back to allow the front of the board to rise to the surface. Hold on, use the board's buoyancy to pull you to the surface.
5. When you brake the surface, transfer your weight to the front of the board to avoid stalling.
6. With body returned to prone paddling position, start paddling again - paddle hard & fast.
5. Sitting in the lineup and taking off at an angle
Difficulty rating - tricky
So you've finally made it out the back and suddenly you're in a completely different world. The continual rumble of white water is no more, instead there is an eary calm.
1. Sit on your board, facing the horizon. You may like to use other surfers as a rough marker for the best place to sit. Relax, get your breath back and scan the horizon for the next set of waves.
2. As they approach (20m away or so), decide which way the wave is likely to break (this can only come with practice, but a rough guide is to look for the dark and light part of the wave - it should peel from dark to light). Spin your board around, angle in the direction of the breaking wave - i.e. if wave breaking to the left, angle nose to the left. Lie down and start paddling.
3. Increase paddle rate as you feel the wave approach, check left and right for other surfers already up & riding (don't go if they are!). As the board angles down the wave, pop up and lean forward.
4. Keep knees bent, lean into the wave and enjoy the ride!
6. The Bottom Turn
Difficulty rating - tricky
If you don't take off at an angle, you will need to turn off the bottom of the wave in order to set you up for the rest of the ride.
1. As you drop down the face of the wave, transfer weight to your back foot, lean on your inside rail and angle your body toward the face of the wave.
2. Keep knees bent, hips low and even out your weight on the inside rail.
3. On completing the turn, centre your weight back over the board and either enjoy the ride or get ready for the next manoevre!
7. The Top Turn
Difficulty rating - tricky
A top turn in basic terms is a turn off the top of the wave that sends you down the face again, usually after cranking a big bottom turn.
1. On reaching the top of the wave, transfer weight to the back outside rail and turn your head and shoulders in the direction of the turn.
2. Bring your board round with you and as you complete the turn, centre you weight back over the board.
8. Surf etiquette
Wherever you surf it’s always important to show a little respect to other surfers, especially when surfing a new break for the first time. You’ve also got to obey the rules of the waves which most surfers try to adhere to in order to keep a safe and happy environment. Occasionally though, these rules are broken and tempers can boil over very quickly.
Above is a simplified guide, produced by Cornwall College students, to help more people understand the rules.
The most important rule of all is not to drop in. The surfer nearest the curl of the wave has priority so if he/she is up and riding DON'T paddle for the wave - this will be classed as a drop in and is a heinous crime amongst all surfers!