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Surfing "How To" Tips
Since surfing has been around, surfer's have been doing the pop up or hop up. The pop up or hop up is a full range motion that takes a person from lying down in a prone position (face down) to standing erect (upright) in a surfer's stance over your feet. More and more surfer's who learn on their own, and many younger surfers practice the incorrect technique for getting up on their boards (owned or rented)...
So you want to surf? Got your first surfboard and nobody to teach you, or your current instructor did not teach you correctly? Here are a few tips and techniques that will help you with this endeavour and challenge that you will face, being new to the sport that made Kelly Slater Famous.
You go on a surf trip and the airline damages your favorite surfboard(s). Packing your board(s) can make the difference between being ready for the first day's surf or having to see the local ding repair specialist. Most surfers don't understand that the airline baggage monkeys, who get paid a low wage, don't care about your boards. I've heard stories about one traveler had his longboard being stood on so they could load the cargo hold on the plane.
You now have your first board and you need to get it out into the lineup so you can catch waves and surf. Here's some valuable information that will help assist you in getting your board into the ocean and through the surf. First is to make you hand into a paddle shape like the paddle on the canoe. Reach forward towards the nose and push your hand down in the water and pull back along the rail. Midway the pulling motion will become a pushing motion to complete one paddle cycle. Repeat with the other hand many times to get the board moving.
Waxing your surf board properly is very important to maximizing your surfing skill. A well waxed board can be the difference between standing and slipping, glory and defeat, wellness and injury. Surf wax is sold in many different brands, but all are water temperature based. Wax for winter is not the same as wax for summer. Read the label and use the correct wax for the different water temps.
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