Surfing is one of the physical and mental activities that require endurance, balance, flexibility, power, speed, and mental toughness. If you want to overcome the bigger waves, you must be willing to commit to strict training and follow the instructions in this article. Even experienced surfers spend most of their time in training to boost their athletic capacity.
Do you know how to stand up on a surfboard properly? Mastering this stance will help you jumpstart your surfing prowess in no time. So, it is essential to know how to properly do it, as well as to avoid suffering from injuries.
Standing still in a surfboard can be tricky. You must learn the correct techniques to achieve the right position of your body while overcoming the waves. Fortunately, this article is here to discuss the seven easy steps on how to stand up on a surfboard.
Table of Contents
How to Stand Up on a Surfboard
#1. Practice your proper position on land.
Before hitting the ocean, take time to practice your standing technique on land.
Lay your toes touching the tail on the board. Afterward, put your hands near your ribcage, lift your stomach, and place it like you are doing a push-up. Place your thumbs in line with your lower ribs.
Always remember to look straight up. Refrain from looking down or from moving your head. You should also avoid using your upper body strength to launch and take off.
#2. Slide your knees.
Without changing your hands’ position, slide both of your knees up. This step means that you are now kneeling at the center of your board.
#3. Shift your palms up and rest them on your fingertips
Shift your palms to rest on your fingers. At first, you will always look down at your board to check whether your hands are in the right position. But remember that this is only fine when you are practicing on the sand. When you are already in the water, you must be confident, keep your chin high, do this step, and look straight ahead.
#4. Bring your dominant foot forward.
Now that you’re resting your fingertips while in the kneeling position, it is time to bring your foot forward.
If you have a surf coach, he will teach you which foot to bring forward. If you don’t, you can choose whatever is comfortable. After putting it forward, place it flat at the center of your board. Make sure that your foot has a slight angle for balance.
Additionally, make sure that both of your feet are in the right position. If they’re too far from each other, your board won’t be able to speed up. Otherwise, your board will lean out and collapse.
#5. Twist your hips, then stand!
After putting a foot forward, it’s time to twist your hips to the side and crouch your body. Keep your knees bent and face forwards since it will help you keep your balance.
#6. Ride the waves.
Keep your knees bent at all times. With this position, you will help your body to maintain its balance and lower your center of gravity.
Keep your arms up and look straight forward. When your arms are always in the “surfer’s position”, you can keep your momentum going.
Push your hips forward so you can transfer some pressure on your front leg. Additionally, you should also dip your back leg slightly to give you a more comfortable position.
When you want to paddle, make sure to arch your back slightly so you can easily engage with your shoulders. Plus, your thumbs should be the first ones to enter the water. Afterward, close your fingers and draw the water under your board slightly. When the wave is getting close, paddle as fast and as strong as you can, but if you feel the wave pushing your surfboard, stand up.
#7. Catch the broken waves.
You wouldn’t want to be rolled over by big waves. However, you should not also insert yourself into them right away. Instead, practice catching the waves on shallower water near the shore.
While you are doing this, never turn your back on the waves since they can seriously injure you. Face the waves while waiting for the perfect one.
Practice this technique in shallow waters. If you can do it at least half of the time, then you will be ready to pull through the bigger waves.
How to Stand Up Like a Professional Surfer?
#1. Practice angling your board.
If you want to experience the longest ride possible, you must ride it parallel to the shore. To do this, you must continue to bend your knees. Afterward, lightly put pressure in your desired direction. This way, you can elicit a kneel impact that breaks into the water and direct your board.
#2. Take time to study the waves.
For professional surfers, observing the waves and their behaviors allows them to become better. It will take some time, but eventually, you’ll get there. With committed learning, you will be able to tell the best wave to ride on.
Additional Expert Tips
- Try to stand up on your surfboard as soon as the wave hits you. When you wait too long, you’ll eventually get to your knees before you decide to stand up because it’s too woolly to do so. Aim to get up right away.
- When you start to stand up and surf, keeping your head looking straight forward is crucial. When you notice that you are slipping off your surfboard, you will probably look down. Trust yourself and keep looking up.
- If you have experience in boarding like skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, and so on, you may quickly learn how to stand comfortably. But if you haven’t, you must place your most muscular leg at the back. This way, you will find it easier to maintain your balance while standing up on your surfboard.
Common Mistakes While Surfing
#1. Positioning your push-up hands in front of you.
Some surfers unconsciously put their hands in front of them, trying to protect themselves from the big waves. However, it is impossible to achieve a pop-up position if your hands are in front. Keep them under your chest instead.
#2. Bringing your knees in front of your surfboard.
This mistake is one of the common among beginners. They tend to slide their knees in front of the surfboard instead of their feet. Apart from adding unnecessary steps to your launch, it’s a bad habit for steeper waves since it will not give you much time to pop up.
#3. Not positioning your dominant foot first.
You must position your other foot first before the dominant one. This way, you can have a more natural approach to maintaining your speed and catching up with the wave.
Check out our in-depth article on common surfing mistakes.
Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Q: What is the most important surfing tip to follow?
Q: Should I start with a shortboard or a longboard?
Q: What is the ideal age for surfing?
Related Resources
- Surfing Tips for Beginners
- Gun Surfboards
- Mini Mal Surfboards
- Removing Surf Wax
- Repairing a Surfboard
G’day, my name is Rach Taylor and I’m the proud Founder of Surf Hungry. I am a former Australian Olympic athlete and Australian representative surf sports athlete. I’ve worked in the surf industry and lived at many of Australia’s best surf spots, sparking a life-long love of the ocean and a passion for surf sports which also rubbed off on my two young sons! I am also lucky to spend a lot of ocean-time in my favorite second home, Indonesia. In addition to SurfHungry I have founded several other websites in my areas of passion, namely coffee and rock climbing, and am also a regular rowing content contributor.
