6 Mistakes New Surfers Make and How to Avoid Them to Improve Faster

Learning to surf is a journey filled with challenges and learning curves, but there are common mistakes that many beginners make that slow their progress. In this resource, we'll reveal the five most common mistakes and, most importantly, how to avoid them so you can improve your surfing faster and with more confidence.

1. Poor Peak Positioning

  • ERROR : One of the most common mistakes is paddling too late or too far from the wave, losing the opportunity to surf it.
  • How to Avoid It : Learn to position yourself correctly by watching the waves and paddling in good time.

Watch these two videos to help you position yourself and ride the wave :

Position yourself at the peak

How to look at the wave while paddling

2. Getting on the Board Incorrectly

  • MISTAKE : Getting up incorrectly or hastily can destabilize you and cause you to fall.

  • How to Avoid It : Later in this course, we'll include a complete resource on how to practice pop-ups on land. But to get you started, check out this video on how to improve your pop-up on waves.


Check out our video on how to improve your Pop-Up for Beginners.

3. Positioning Your Feet Wrong and Not Using the Board's "Controls"

  • MISTAKE : Placing your feet incorrectly can seriously affect your control on the board. Not knowing where to place your feet is a common mistake that limits your ability to turn, brake, or accelerate.

  • How to Avoid It : The surfboard has key zones, like "buttons" that activate different functions. Knowing where to place your feet at the right moment will give you greater control over the wave.

Check out this image and learn how to position yourself correctly to achieve what you want in each wave.

  • Accelerator

    To gain speed, we must shift our weight towards the front foot, "press the button" to accelerate and we will notice how our board picks up speed.

  • Brake

    If we want to reduce speed, we must move our hip to support the weight on the back foot, in this way we will notice how we will reduce speed.

  • Short Turns

    The short-turn buttons are located on the front foot's extension toward the edges of the board. Therefore, with extra pressure from the toes or heel, we can achieve small directional variations.

  • Rotation

    Extending from our back foot toward the edges are the buttons for powerful rotations. To press these buttons, your weight must be on your back foot, to lift the nose of the board and facilitate the rotation.

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4. Not looking where you have to go

• MISTAKE : Novice surfers tend to look at their feet or the nose of the board, losing direction and control.
• How to Avoid It : Always look in the direction you want to go. This helps maintain balance and anticipate your movements. Learn more in our Video on Control and Direction in Surfing.

5. Choosing the Wrong Table

  • MISTAKE: Many beginners choose boards that are too small or unsuitable for their level, making paddling and stability difficult.

  • How to Avoid It : Opt for boards with greater buoyancy and stability, that combine paddling and maneuverability. We'll go into more detail on this later in the course.

6. Getting discouraged by falls

  • MISTAKE : Falls are part of surfing, but many beginners get frustrated and lose motivation quickly.

  • How to Avoid It : Accept that failures are a learning experience. Every mistake brings you closer to improvement. Learn how to stay motivated and enjoy the process in our

Bonus Tip: Don't Surf Alone

  • ERROR : Surfing alone can affect your motivation and hold you back in those decisive moments of launching yourself to improve.
  • How to Avoid It : Surfing with others, especially someone better than you, will keep you motivated and allow you to learn from others.

How many of these mistakes do you make?

Don't worry, we've all been there. The important thing is to identify your flaws and focus on correcting them one by one. It's not about being perfect overnight, but rather about fine-tuning every detail.

Make a mental list of 6+1 mistakes, and approach them as an opportunity to improve , and you'll see how your surfing evolves in incredible ways!

See you next time!!