7 Beginner Level Surfing Moves You Must Know
Surfing is one of the most exciting sports or beach activities that involves a variety of maneuvers and tricks. Catching waves on the horizon provide a euphoric feeling that will make you want to surf more and more. There are various surfing moves and tricks that not only help you ride your wave in style but also improve your surfing experience.
Learning to surf takes hours and hours of practice to perfect your balance, coordination, flexibility, understanding of swells, and so on. Before you begin any surfing tricks or moves, you must understand the fundamentals of surfing as it will enhance your surfing skills. These tips from Ombe will help you surf with power, speed, and flow!
Once you have jotted down the basics, you can gradually move to different surfing techniques. It is important to note that there are beginner tricks and advanced tricks, knowing the difference will ensure that you have fun practicing them and not just getting frustrated.
So in this article, we will look at some surfing moves every beginner level surfer should know:
Bottom Turn
The bottom turn may not be the most attractive and stylish surfing out there but it is a vital surfing maneuver. Often known as the foundation of surf riding, mastering this move will open the door to many other surfing techniques in the years to come.
It is the first move you make before dropping in on your wave. Stay low, bend your knees, and twist your board towards the desired direction so that you maintain good speed while catching your wave.
Carve
Carving is another surfing move that will help change direction when catching a wave. It is a pretty basic surfing move but it allows you to stay in line on an open wave face.
To do a carve, you must be able to apply pressure on the rail of your surfboard and bury itself in the water. This helps you draw an arc with your movement and remain in the curl of the wave. When doing this move, you can carve out a new line of waves for yourself.
Cutback
The cutback is considered a vital surfing maneuver as it lets you reduce speed and change directions simultaneously. When you learn how to surf, you will be taught about the unpredictability of the wave. So when these waves shift, you can adjust your board accordingly towards the intended direction.
You move from the shoulder of the waves back to the steep side of the wave. First, shift your weight to your back foot and then bring your left hand down. This will help press the left rail into the wave which enables you to change directions by twisting your shoulders.
Snap
A snap or slash is when you surf from a bottom turn up and radically change trajectory by lifting your surfboard half above the crest of the wave. Find a steep wave and perform your best bottom turn at a 30- to 50-degree angle.
When you are at the crest of the wave, use your shoulders and turn towards the waves, this creates flashy buckets of spray above the individual who is surfing.
Air
Air or aerial surfing maneuver is very similar to the ollie. If you are a skateboarder, this move may be easier to learn when on the water.
It is one of the most popular surfing tricks as surfers can launch themselves right out of the water into the air before landing the face of the wave again. If you want to master this move, 2-3 feet waves are the ideal swells as it gives you the ability to launch off the lip easily.
Off the Lip
This is a simple move where a surfer attacks a vertical or steep slope. When you reach the lip of the wave, you must project your surfboard which results in your surfboard sticking out of the water.
Then you quickly drive your board down towards the bottom of the wave or through the face of the wave, without losing any momentum.
Tube Riding
Every beginner surfer wants to tube ride a wave as it is one of the most attractive surfing tricks. The tube riding trick is quite similar to what we see in the movies. For you to tube ride a wave, you need to maintain good speed over the face of the wave.
Remember to get down low or crouch and grab the rail of your board so you remain above the white section of the wave. When you successfully ride a tube, the curling lip of the wave will cover you entirely while you surf through the face of the wave.
Are You Ready?
These are just some of the tricks that you can learn as a beginner-level surfer. Keep in mind that there are different waves suitable for different types of surfers.
As much as you are excited to try out these waves, make sure you are equipped with the right gear before you catch some beautiful waves.
