WALK ON WATER: It?s just a question of balance

Okay, you have your board under your arm and you?ve chosen a relatively unpopulated spot to do some surfing. Now you have to paddle into the sea with the board. Paddling sounds simple. However, remember that this is moving water and you are also balancing your body while being knocked about by breaking waves. Go out when there are little to no waves coming in.

Learn to paddle

Your first step is to walk your board out until you are in waist-to-chest deep water. Make sure that your body is on the deck of your board, and keep your weight centred on the middle of the board. The natural tendency is to lean back towards the tail of the board, but this causes the nose to rise and create resistance when you?re trying to get moving. It would serve you better if you keep your chest just above the centre point of the board. Once you feel stable, lean forward and let your nose and tail level out. Alternately paddle your arms with cupped hands. The more resistance you feel, the faster you?ll go. As you hit choppy waters, lift your chest slightly and lessen your weight on the board.

Catching a wave

Right. You have managed the paddling part well, and are out in the sea. The waves are coming at you. Sit up and straddle your board with your butt situated just below the centre point of your board, so that you can easily swing the nose left or right. You should choose a wave that has not broken and be sure to sit far enough out among the sloping swells, not where the waves are standing up straight. As a wave approaches, turn the nose of your board toward the beach, lie down and begin paddling. As you feel the wave lift you and your board, paddle as hard as you can and lean your weight forward. The natural tendency is to lean back to keep the nose from going under water, but that will only slow your momentum which is not conducive to wave-catching. Lean forward but raise your chest so that your weight is just above the centre of the board. You should now be sliding down into the trough of the wave. The first phase of surfing will entail that you wait until you are in the flat water in front of the wave before you stand up. However, the ideal is to begin standing just as you feel the pull of the wave. Now you are ready to work on standing.

Standing up

If you made it this far, then you must be able to adequately paddle, and catch a wave. The place to start is the beach. Lie on the sand and do a basic push-up quickly. Once your arms are at full extension, pull both knees toward your stomach and hop to your feet. Do this repeatedly to programme your subconscious to be ready for what you will do in the water.

Paddle for a wave and just as you feel the momentum of the surfboard flow faster than your paddling speed, you are ready to hop up. With your hands firmly grasping each rail, push up quickly. Simultaneously, extend your arms completely and pull your knees quickly up to your chest. Be sure to keep your weight centred with just a little slant forward (you will see that you tend to lean back but avoid doing that as that can be detrimental for your balance). Place your feet firmly on your board, one foot near the tail and one foot just above the midpoint. Don?t stand up completely erect. Keep a low centre of gravity by crouching down and focusing your weight on the midpoint of the board.

Balancing on a surfboard is no different than balancing on a skateboard or even a bicycle. Just keep your arms out and your eyes looking forward. Remember: your board will always follow your eyes and head, so focus on forward motion.