Surfing Tips for Beginners: How to Maintain Balance on The Board

There are tons of beautiful beaches around the world, and surfing is one of the best ways to enjoy it. Aside from that, surfing and other watersports are best for fitness.

Surfing is a unique and fun sport but mastering it’s not easy.  Beginners need to understand what surfing is about and must be prepared to go out and get that perfect wave. If you’re a beginner, balancing your body on the surfing board is the number one challenge you’ll face.  If you want to learn the basics of the sport, you can watch the videos on youtube to learn more.

But if you’re too excited to start balancing on the board, you need to know some fundamentals and understand why balance is critical to master the sport.

How to Maintain Balance on A Surfing Board

The main aim of surfing is to balance one’s body movements while moving across the surface of the water. The feet, hands, and arms’ movement are coordinated with the paddle’s forward and backstrokes. The movement of arms, hands, and feet are coordinated with each other and with the paddles’ direction.

Balancing the body in surfing requires you to have a lot of flexibility. It also requires you to maintain your balance for long periods. Your balance will deteriorate if you don’t exercise this ability. Therefore, you should spend quality time surfing as much as possible.

Here are some essential things you need to practice to maintain the right balance on the surfboard:

1. Put Your Feet on The Right Position

To improve your balance when surfing, you must first get your body in the right position. Most surfers don’t know how to do this and will often end up with a stiff upper body when they get out of the water.

To do this, stand on your tiptoes or bend your knees slightly, then slowly move back towards your center until your entire body is in one straight line. To allow your spine to work correctly, do this slowly with each knee bent. Doing this will help your body remain in proper alignment when in the water and keep your weight evenly distributed for you to be comfortable.

2. Align Your Hips Parallel To The Deck

Another important aspect of balancing is to remember that your hips need to be parallel to the deck. If you’re not aligned correctly, you’ll likely end up with a lot of sway in your upper body. It would help if you weren’t bending the knees to get the hips parallel to the deck. This will only cause problems for your lower body and could even cause injury.

Instead, if your knees are bent, try to turn your elbows and knees simultaneously. Doing so will help you get the hips in proper alignment. If you’re unsure of the right body positioning, you need to ask a trainer or find amanzi surf coaching online to teach you the basics before practicing.

3. Practice Proper Breathing

Practice regularly and pay close attention to your breathing. Ensure that your breathing is consistent throughout your body and mind. It’s essential to remember that all positions are meant to be smooth and flowing. Don’t feel the need to be rigid while surfing, and make sure that your breathing doesn’t become labored or complicated as it can take a toll on you, causing your body to be imbalanced.

4. Practice with Props

Another thing that you can do to improve your balance and gain momentum for surfing is to make sure that you have a great surf workout. To help you with this, try carrying a massive surfboard over your shoulder or trying to balance a pail on your foot while holding the board. You can even use an empty spray bottle or a tennis ball to help get your legs going.

5. Do Core Exercises

Surfing is a very strenuous sport that requires your core muscles to be extremely powerful. Core exercises can strengthen those muscles and help prevent injuries.

The first workout that’ll give you a good workout is to sit on a surfboard. This is an excellent way to tone your muscles without getting into trouble or putting your body in an uncomfortable position. When doing this exercise, you must keep your legs and back straight. As you lower yourself, try to do it slowly so you won’t stress your neck or back. It would also help if you tried to keep your knees slightly bent when you do this exercise. Lastly, use your entire body to stabilize yourself.

Another core workout for surfers involves standing on your head and holding onto the board with one arm. Make sure to keep your back straight and use your legs to help propel yourself down to the water. This will burn a lot of calories and strengthen your legs, shoulders, and core.

If you cannot find a surfboard to practice on, you can find other ways to incorporate core workouts into your workout routine. For instance, standing on a towel can provide you with a similar level of exertion as a board while still providing a low impact workout. Stand with your legs apart from your body by using both arms to support your body. Slowly push yourself forward until your feet are almost touching the floor and then lower yourself to the ground while keeping your body in motion.

Summary

Before you visit the best surfing spots in the country, you need to learn the basics of surfing to fully enjoy the sport. Maintaining balance on the board is a critical skill in surfing. To do this, you must master the basic postures, feet and body positions, and breathing. Having a strong core helps maintain balance, so you need to work on those as well.

If you’re unsure about your proper positioning, you should find a trusted surfing trainer to teach you the right execution and body positions. Hiring a trainer will also ensure you don’t get injured while practicing how to maintain balance on a surfboard.