I'm new to surfing. Could I start on a shortboard?

[grom]

I just got started by catching a few waves in Hunington Beach. I was riding my friend's soft-top longboard and found it easy to get the hang of.
Then, I thought of saving my cash by skipping the purchase of a longboard and buying a shortboard instead.

Would any of you reccomend this?
Have any of you first learned on a shortboard?
Please tell me anything I need to know

Thank You

[Sillysausage]

Wouldn't recommend it. Have done it. It will be hard but possible depending on size of you and board you're buying and age etc

[jon.biarritz]

And fitness level and how often you're in the water. If you're surfing every day it should be OK.

[esonscar]

Would any of you reccomend this?
Have any of you first learned on a shortboard?

Yes
and
Yes

I learnt on the board in my avatar - no regrets and it’s okay if the board is right for you in the first place.

I messed about in the white water too much to start with so try for the green stuff as soon as you can (without getting too battered !).


However, don’t try to stand until you can paddle and ‘body board’ on nearly every wave you go for – once you can do this, you will not get bothered about falling off from standing ‘cause you know you can just catch another wave and try again.

This method is better than maybe being able to catch a wave and maybe standing up – you wont do either well and surfing becomes a chore and not a pleasure.

Trust me, I have been there.

Have a good one and stick with it – one day it will click and whhhoooeeeee !

[grom]

ok man. good advice

[HJ236]

Blah,

Seriously been surfing for 4 days! Yeah starting out on a shortboard is tough, wanted to do the longboard, but wanted to save a few bucks and craiglist my board.

Seemed like my efforts were futile, but guess what>? Stood up for the first time ever today! Yeah was up for long, but I stood up.

So here are some tips form my personal experience, PLEASE feel free to correct me in any way since I'm still a noob working my way to be a pro. (Obviously the tips are not going to really help if you just read them, you have to get in the water and practice one thing at a time)

1.) Paddle- You really have to be in the sweet spot, so your not wasting all your energy. Find your center of balance, your shoulders arched, your nose should be about 3 inches off the water. Not to far forward, not to far back*. When you paddle, use your arms next to your board taking nice long strokes. Follow through. Use your board as a guide. Then when your on the verge of catching a wave, paddle like mad! So far paddling has been the most important thing for me. Needs a lot more improvement.

2.) Duck Dive- Why waste energy? You can figure out how to do it yourself (google)

3.) Reading the waves- I feel like your really have to be in the right spot, the breaking point. Still learning a lot about this. But form my experience watch other surfers catch waves, it helps a lot.

4.) Practice pop up- Practice the pop up on the beach, I know you might look like a noob. O well you have to start somewhere.

Where I am at... I can stand up, but I'm not learning forward enough. Going to practice tomorrow some more. From Southern Cali, pm me if your near Redondo.

[grom]

Blah,


Where I am at... I can stand up, but I'm not learning forward enough. Going to practice tomorrow some more. From Southern Cali, pm me if your near SC.

i live in socal as well brah! that's really cool you live in this paradise too!

[HJ236]

nice, brah!

Good luck with the learning!

Facing some more difficulties, this being my 6th day.

I'm usually just not in the right spot, not reading the waves correctly.

Thats the major thing I have to work on.

[grom]

nice, brah!

Good luck with the learning!

Facing some more difficulties, this being my 6th day.

I'm usually just not in the right spot, not reading the waves correctly.

Thats the major thing I have to work on.

where do you surf?

[puddypaws]

Get longboard first... please don't do what I did 6 years ago ..........

[HJ236]

I surf in Redondo Beach

Been out everyday, and its frekin hard .

But I think I'm progressing and that is what matters.

Having a little fun, I choose to take this path and I'm not giving up.

Didn't know paddling was such a huge part of surfing, I mean I thought I was in shape and all. But when it comes to paddling my arms are tired. Any recommendations? Are you supposed to cup your hands or hands open?

Where do you surf at? Send me a pm if you ever want to go surfing.

Good luck man!

[esonscar]

Guys, don't be hero’s in big surf - big surf is easy to catch once you have mastered smaller stuff.

Paddle with fingers together - long and strong.

Remember - don't try to stand all the time - make sure you can actually catch plenty of waves first - white-water or green, it don't matter.

Reading the waves - if it is 6ft face or under I would say try for the ones that look like they are going to land on your head !

You will get tumbled a bit at first, but the wave needs to vertical for you to be able to paddle down it - yes I wrote it correctly - you have to paddle down the face to catch the wave !

MOST IMPORTANT THING - keep paddling - just keep paddling even when you think the wave has got you - keep paddling ( I got fed up of shouting that to the folk I have taught to surf !) YOU HEAR ME ? KEEP PADDLING !

That is the biggest mistake surfing noobs make actually – when the wave kinda surges under you, you think your away – but nope, you seriously have to paddle soooo much more than you think.

It is very tiring too at first.

Good luck with it all guys.

[HJ236]

Thanks for advice, helped lot!

Man I got my stuff jacked yesterday, pretty lame :*(.

Careful guys if your from redondo.

[raekwon chef]

Good advice esonscar. I will also add that it's been said many many times here: its hard, but not impossible. I won't suggest trying to catch small 2-4 footers unless they're clean. 2-4 crashing mush will leave your arms tired and yourself frustrated. 5 and up is where its at. Get worked!

[heychief]

You'll also want to surf someplace with a channel. Otherwise the first thing you'll be needing to learn is a duckdive

[SirDanley]

Ehh, I'll chime in...

Couple Summers ago I was less in shape, bought a battered longboard from some dude peddling on the street in Riverside (!) for the purposes of learning... It always felt unweildy to me, and I had trouble catching waves, so quit it after a couple times out (did stand up a few times though). Later on, I lent it to a cousin who promptly snapped it in half, lol.

...Then I broke up with my girlfriend, resulting in me getting in shape and trying again, this time with a shortboard.

...What's occured to me as a 5'5", 107lb Asian, is that a shortboard to me is, pretty much identical to what a longboard is for most people; it floats well enough with me on it, and I've gotten to the point of, after only a couple times out, pretty much being able to catch most waves that are thrown at me.

Not that I might not now have an easier time with the longboard, but my point is that it at least seems to be possible with the short... Of course, standing is less of a deck-of-the-Titanic feeling, and more comparable to balancing on the tip of a vertical baseball bat, but I'm getting used to it. I was just surprised that it was actually not... Difficult, in an absolute sense, to catch waves on the shortie as a beginner (which I still am, btw, so grain of salt).

[HJ236]

So, been surfing for about 2+ weeks since I got my board, and its definitely been a challenge.

Key points,

1. I've been out EVERYDAY, even on bad days, to practice my paddling.

2. I am really in shape, 128lbs and about 5'4.

3. My arms hurt like hell when I go out. (No matter what shape your in, In my opinion you have to build your arm muscles, not conditioned to paddle)

4. Been working on building my triceps ( triceps extensions )

I've watch tons of surfers and try to watch what they are doing, some even gave me advice.

So after all that, I can say.

I can catch a wave on a short board. Really it was a lot harder than it seemed, but I still have a long way to go. I have a pretty short board, bout 5'7(but it floats well and is kinda wide, which probably has given me an advantage)

How I did it?
Persistence
Reading paddle techniques
*Being in the right spot
Not afraid to look like a fool, you gota start somewhere
Just practice, luck

Good luck guys!

[drowningbitbybit]

2. I am really in shape, 128lbs and about 5'4.

You're not in shape, you're a dwarf

Sorry
But seriously there is a point here. To answer the question 'can I start on a shortboard?'
The answer is 'Yes' if you're a kid or lightweight.
For the normal sized amongst us, or the lardy, its not just a matter of for every inch taller add an inch of board. It really is much much harder to get 80kg (whether its lard or muscle) moving in the water.

So if you're a lightweight, and surfing somewhere with relatively powerful waves, then go ahead and start on a shortboard.
If you're, say, 75kg or above then there are much easier ways to do it.


(someone will come on now to say they're 105kg and started on a 6'1 - well, good, well done - but Im generalizing here).

[esonscar]

(someone will come on now to say they're 105kg and started on a 6'1 - well, good, well done - but Im generalizing here).

Yeah, good point.

I was crap on a longboard because I'd bang my head trying to duck dive it and smack my ankles kicking to catch waves !

Moral of the above sentence ?
Each to his own and good luck to all who surf on her (her = anything you try and ride – erm, in a non sexual sense, or maybe........ awww shut up esonscar ! )

[HJ236]

thanks for the compliment ,

I'll use it to my advantage. And I think I've grown an inch, for 5'5

So now that I'm standing up, I tend to see myself riding towards the beach. How do you do the first turn(is it called a bottom turn?)

What are some key things for position?

Movements? for the turn?

Stance?

What are the fundamentals? The basics that new comers like myself have to master?