Learn to surf: 11 tips by Natural Surf Lodge

Learn to play in the waves, learn to slide, get to know the rip, enjoy a peaceful beach (even in midsummer), develop your marine sense so that whatever the aquatic activity (swimming, surfing, bodyboarding…) you feel safe: a surfing lesson for a discovery or a surfing course to go a little further are ideal for trying out this aquatic practice rich in learning, wonderful and frustrating at the same time.

Because, let’s face it, surfing is also about pushing yourself to the limit, fighting against the foam to do it again and again, to automate the righting movement and achieve a relative stability on the board, and to get the “adrenalin rush” that can make you “addicted”. You’ll know it by the end of your surfing lesson or course, guaranteed! To continue or move on with no regrets is not to miss out on one of your dreams, or simply on an activity that’s both invigorating and tiring. In short, an activity full of contrasts and surprises, increasingly rare these days.

In concrete terms, here are the essential tips in learning to surf and the advice for a successful introduction to surfing:

1/ Take the time to learn how to slide

This means not being too impatient to move into the standing position. Feel the foam (breaking wave) carry you towards the shore… A feeling of speed, of floating above an elusive, gentle element.

This first sensation of sliding while lying down is crucial to learn. Indeed, if you don’t manage to “catch the wave”, i.e. keep the same speed as the wave, you’ll miss the speed that enables a certain balance – a relative balance, but an essential condition for straightening up (transition to the upright position).

Catching a wave in the stretched-out position also means finding the right “balance”, or stretched-out equilibrium position, so that the board is flat on the water, i.e. neither too far forward nor too far back, so that as much of the surface as possible is in contact with the water and you can ride for as long as possible.

2/ Working on the plank position

It’s not about becoming a stiff stick on a board, or a sack of potatoes slumped over on the board’s deck. Plank position is the sensation of strength emanating from the center. To visualize a starting point, you can try to bring your navel closer to your spine, thinking about tightening your abdominal girdle and perineum. You can imagine a rectangular block between the pelvis and the sternum. The plank position will prevent you from clinging to the board during the “start” in the instability of the foam, so you can keep your arms free to balance yourself and paddle, which is one of the most important actions in surfing.

In fact, it’s all about keeping your body on the board thanks to the anchoring points of the ribs and the upper peaks of the pelvis, and the plank position of the core and quadriceps (thighs). Imagine the “Titanic at the bow” position, but lying down. This gainage position will give the plank drive, even when lying down. You can also practice changing direction slightly by putting more weight on the left or right.

3/ Looking far ahead

In our opinion, this is the key to success. Just like on a motorcycle, you have to look far ahead if you want to turn, otherwise you’re bound to fall or crash! Our instinct is to look where we’re going, but to succeed in getting up and acquiring a certain balance, we have to go against this reflex and force ourselves to look where we want to go. This will have the effect of naturally placing your feet vertically, with your shoulders aligned above your pelvis and heels. This distributes weight evenly, giving you better balance on the board. On the other hand, if you look at your feet, you tend to dive forward and not be able to put your front foot far enough out in front, which has the effect of stopping the board because there’s too much weight on the back of the board: it’s mathematical! It’s therefore very important to “force” yourself to look at a reference point far ahead (the dune, for example). This automatism can then be transferred when catching a wave that hasn’t broken, by looking at the face of the wave rather than straight ahead. This vision will enable you to have a “project” of action, of more or less radical “top to bottom” curves, and of progression.

4/ Explosiveness and release

We are often full of paradoxes. Paradoxes are no exception when learning to surf. Indeed, the quality of a sit-up is a skilful blend of explosiveness and release. Explosivity is needed to slide into a semi-upright position on the board, rather than jumping off, because an overly dynamic, muscular righting will have the effect of throwing you off the board by reaction. We use the image of the cat, which combines suppleness and precision, because it’s important to engage the front foot (whether you’re a goofie or a regular) to replace the weight of the upper body (lungs, brain, which have a major influence on your balance when you start out lying down) as quickly as possible. This front foot must arrive between the hands, which must simultaneously lift off the board to make room for the foot and take over in the search for upright balance. Release to make gentle contact with the feet, and to make yourself “heavy” on the supports, as if you wanted to pierce the board through and through. You also relax your knee and ankle joints to manage the instability of the foam (wave breaking) and ride for as long as possible.

5/ Lower your center of gravity to maintain balance

It’s all about lowering your center of gravity through relaxed knee flexion. It’s also a way to get a better feel for your board, and so be able to act consciously to change direction, for example by shifting your body weight from the front foot to accelerate, or from the front to the back foot to slow down. If you remain frozen, even in a good position (i.e. shoulders aligned above the pelvis and heels), it won’t be long before you lose your balance.

6/ Multiply trial and error

Mistakes are the key to progress. This principle is valid in many fields, and surfing is no exception. That’s why, despite the frustration inherent in this activity, which is objectively a complex one (cf. change of position, timing, “foamy” instability and versatility of the environment (each wave is unique and it’s up to the surfer to adapt to it). The repetition of the righting movement, i.e. the many successive but never identical attempts, will automate this movement, enabling the surfer to concentrate on other parameters necessary for catching a wave in the “opening” (surfing the green wave). We’re talking here about peak placement, wave reading, respect for priorities, timing when taking off… other elements essential to progress in surfing.

7/ Patience and perseverance

These are two essential qualities in surfing, which allow us to strive for expertise based on the theory of 10,000 hours of practice.

8/ Taste for effort

This is another essential quality if you want to make significant progress, because, as mentioned above, frustration can be so great that it can lead you to think about giving up surfing altogether, cursing the ocean and/or crying your eyes out. In short, you have to like to hurt yourself, like to push your limits and get out of your comfort zone. Confronting physical barriers (often the head knows what to do, but the body can’t keep up) and psychological ones (e.g. the fear of the wall of water, or the “vertigo” of taking off in a hollow wave).

9/ Appetence for moving water and intrinsic motivation

It would be absurd to want to learn to surf if you didn’t feel an attraction and a sense of well-being in contact with the element of water. How many parents push their children to try surfing when they have no desire to do so, and plenty of time ahead of them to have the opportunity of a pleasurable experience. It’s a big risk to take, which can result in a firm and definitive refusal to repeat the experience. What a shame…

A love of water must go beyond the simple pleasure of sliding through the water, as can be experienced when swimming in a pool. To have a chance of progressing, i.e. of multiplying falls and washing machines, you need to take pleasure in being heckled head under water, sometimes feet over head!

10/ Let yourself be surprised and adapt

Surprise is one of the emotions that is becoming increasingly rare in a society governed by the desire for mastery to reduce apprehension and evolve in an increasingly anxiety-provoking environment. Surfing offers just the opposite, and this is one of the magical and major characteristics of the activity. Every wave is a surprise. It’s impossible to totally anticipate the outcome of a wave catch. You have to be agile, not just physically, but also and above all in your head. Adaptation is a sine qua non of survival. If you want to progress in surfing, you have to work on your ability to adapt. Progress is made in stages and clicks, in good or bad surprise mode!

11/ Don’t compare yourself, live in the moment

This last bit of advice is of the utmost importance, because generally speaking, it’s not useful or even deleterious to compare oneself, and what’s more, in the case of surfing, it’s “counterproductive” and unsuitable, firstly because each individual has his or her own rhythm of progression (like little children, some walk early, some talk later, but in the end, everyone talks and walks!), and secondly because the energy spent comparing oneself should instead be focused on one’s own sensations, on the personalized advice given by the instructors, in order to increase concentration. We hear a lot about anchoring and centering, and surfing is an excellent exercise in refocusing and experiencing the present moment, because if your mind is elsewhere, the sentence is immediate, but fortunately the water is magnanimous and the fall is gentle most of the time…

How can I put myself in the best possible learning conditions?

The surf camp is the most effective option, not to mention the chance to share your experiences with other surfing apprentices. Each day is unique, as the environment changes with the tides, swells and surfboards adapted to the day’s conditions. It’s also an opportunity to discover a lifestyle that’s often talked about, but can be far from reality. Meet passionate surfers who share their experience and their way of life.

Finally, it’s an exceptional opportunity to enjoy an almost mystical experience in the middle of nature, because when you find yourself “at the peak”, i.e. exactly where the wave is going to start breaking, during an early morning surf session, with a light easterly wind bringing the scent of the nearby pine forest, you feel like “star dust” in the middle of “the great whole”, you commune with the water element and emerge reassured.

The Natural Surf Lodge is one of the region’s leading and most historic surf camps, having been the first 20 years ago. Don’t hesitate to come and visit us for a surf lesson, surf course or surf camp on the Atlantic coast of Landes.