ok guys, i have a dilemma. my friend has decided to take up surfing, he has NEVER tried it before and he is 29 years old. i took him out when it was flat so he could get the feel of paddling, standing up in the whitewash etc... but he CANNOT seem to stay on the board, he cant even sit on it w/o it shooting out from underneath him. i tried giving him tips like, dont lay so far back on the board when paddling, cup your hands, try scooching up on the board and dont let the nose be to far in the air but he cant seem to get it. does anyone have any tips for him? he really wants to get into the sport but i dont seem to have that much patience for teaching.
this guy is full of **** hes using the "i have a friend who" has problems with **** so he can get advice on how to paddle because hes to afraid to ask for himself
dude, i've been surfing for 14 years, i think i can paddle you idiot. damn, can't even ask a question on this forum anymore w/o getting s*** for it. why don't you come down to LBI so we can give you a little island welcome you kook. don't like the thread and or can't help with the ques.... DON'T READ IT!
just keep taking him out if he is willing to give it another try. balance is everything. maybe go into a big swimming pool if that is possible just to work on balance on the board.
ok, will do. thank you for the feedback. the reason im asking for him is, he doesn't have a computer and i didn't really know how to go about teaching him because i dont recall myself having problems paddling when i first started. the swimming pool is a rad idea. i should have thought of that maybe i gave him the wrong board to start with??? he was using my 6'2 rusty piranha.
Yeah, a little longer more stable board would help. If you have one, if not... anything will do but its nice and easy to learn on a big board. Those foam boards make it easy enough to catch a ripple...
I agree on the longer board as well as thicker/wider if you have access to it...just tell him to keep plugging away working on the balance issues, and maybe just more exposure to the ocean and swimming will help.
Every one I have every tried to teach has had that problem. Been so long since I was at that level I never have a clue what to tell them. I love telling them to sit up on the board, that's when you see the fun start . Practice is what it takes but I would bet 95 % of the people who start so late in life will give it up before they ever figure it out. You need to be a kid with nothing to do to want to waist your days trying to learn how to paddle a board. With the shape I'm in today there is no way I would have the time or desire to figure it all out, I'm glad I got it over with when I was a kid.
Practice practice practice.. someone can tell you how to do somthing untill there blue in the face, but you need to get out there and pick up your own little styles. The more he does it he will self-teach himself and get his own little touch.
yeah dawg tell that brotha to keep tryin and he'll get it. it took me about three weeks till i was killin it on my NSP
Pool sounds like a good idea, also I think its just a matter of time and experience and gettin in shape. Theres tiny tiny stabilizing muscles in your core that help you balance sitting and even laying down on your board while paddle that he probably hasn't used or developed. Whacked idea but If he wants a shortcut, try to sit on an exercise ball for a few hours a day instead of a couch or armchair. I actually use one of these in my office for a computer chair, great for your back and core.
yo tell your boy to go to the gym and hop on the paddling machine. It should be next to any of the treadmills or bikes. It's exactly like paddling and you can set your resistance as high or low as you want just by tightning the bungee cord. good luck brahhhh...
It takes time... and if you try to give him too many tips (things to think about) at one time so early in his learning process, he probably won't be able to remember/apply any of them.
Lake Atlantic Probably the best way for him to get acclimated to just being on the board is to take him into the ocean in it's current state (read as ''lack of waves'') because if you put him in a pool you're libel to take somebody's head off or bash the board off the concrete walls (unless it's an indestructible BIC you put him on), and there's very little room for him to actually practice paddling. Leave your board behind and concentrate all your efforts on getting him comfortably situated. It's a lot like riding a bike, #1 having the right equipment- a decently bouyant longboard and #2 finding the right balance. Actually catching a wave should only be attempted after the person finds their center of gravity, and even then it should be a very forgiving wave that breaks evenly and away from any shorebreak. And if it's a novice chic you're dealing with, be prepared to be VERY patient, so much so that you qualify for sainthood.
Put your board in the sand and have him get used to the placement of his head. Be carful with youy fins
yea the other week my roommate came down and i threw him on my 6'4 piranna for the first time and he couldn't sit or anything on it. But after awhile he got used to it. I would recommend a bigger board but if u dont have one hes gonna have to deal with it and just work on it.
