In today's article, we will discuss the importance of understanding the utility of each part of a beginner surfboard, so that it becomes easier to catch waves and make your first turns.
If you're thinking about learning to surf, it's important to learn basic movements in the water, as these movements will help you maintain balance on the board, catch waves, and turn.
But first and foremost, it's essential to thoroughly understand the board you'll be using to know which part to use for each movement. You'd be surprised how much the surfing experience changes with the choice of a good beginner surfboard and understanding the board itself.
Beginner Surfing: The Best Beginner Board
The best surfboard for beginners is a long and stable board; however, everything will depend on your personal preference. In general, longboards are easier to control than shortboards, making them ideal for beginners.
Some types of surfboards that are good for beginners include:
- Longboards: Longboards are the longest and most stable surfboards. They are an excellent option for beginners who are learning the basics of surfing.
- Funboards or evolutionary boards: Funboards are a bit shorter and narrower than longboards. They are a good option for beginners who already have some experience and want to start learning more advanced maneuvers.
- Mini longboards 8.0: This option can be great for people looking for a beginner surfboard that is a middle ground between an evolutionary board (around 7 feet) and a longboard (a 9-foot board).
Next, we'll explain how beginner surfboards work!
Beginner Surfboards: Basic Board Instructions
Whether you're a beginner surfer or an experienced one, these tips will help you continue your learning process. Let's talk about how a beginner's board works in the water.
Do you know the control buttons on a surfboard? To have perfect control over our board, we must use our board like a remote control with buttons.
The surfboard reacts differently depending on which "button" we press. This means that depending on where we exert more pressure or where we shift our weight, it will react by doing one thing or another. If we understand how these "buttons" work, it will be much easier for the board to do what we want.
- Accelerator: To gain speed, the point where we place our front foot acts as an accelerator. If we lean our weight forward onto our front foot, we "press the button" to accelerate and notice our board gaining speed.
- Brake: The brake is located in the area where we place our back foot. If we want to reduce speed, we must move our hip to put weight on our back foot, and in this way, we will notice our speed decreasing.
- Rotations: The buttons that allow us to perform rotations or powerful turns are found along the rails where we place our back foot. To press these buttons, it's not enough to apply pressure with your toes or heel; your weight needs to be on your back foot so that the nose of the board comes out of the water, making rotation easier. Once this is done, we must use our shoulders and hips to put pressure on the buttons while maintaining balance. This type of turn is especially useful for maneuvers like the "cutback."
Conclusions
Don't despair if you feel like you can't control your board and make it do what you want. Apply this small beginner surfing tip and you'll see how you start to notice changes in your control over your surfboard!
If you're thinking of buying an evolutionary surfboard, we recommend you take a look at our guide based on the most frequently asked questions you have before buying your surfboard.
