Surfing Waves

I am a begginer.. i have a 6'6 shortboard.. i wanted to know how long it took some of you guys to stand up perfectly on the board????

I think it depends on the person, and how often you go to surf. My advice is to not worry too much about how long it takes.... just enjoy yourself as much as possible while you're learning.... if every time you try to stand up, you fall, and you're getting frustrated, try just body boarding the next 5 waves, and then try again.... the best advice I can give you (because I'm not a good surfer... if I were, I could surely give better advice) is if you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong.

OK I just read what I wrote, and now it doesn't seem to mke sense, but I'm posting it anyway cause I know what I mean

theres lots of mistakes to make when you start trying to stand. foot placement, weighting, standing to straight, being off balance etc. The only way to learn is to make the mistakes. Everybody goes through it, even the top pros did when they started. keep practising and keep positive.

did you every surf before? i have a 6.6, pretty fat. I mastered the bic 7.3 and in a day i got the hang of the 6.6.

techniqually no one pefects it always room for improvement. How long it takes depends on you everyone is different i was standing fairly confidently on the whitewater on my second day but thats mainly because i came from a dking background.

Theres also a lot to deal with and take onboard so just enjoy it and have fun the rest will come in due time if you very get frustrated you have defeated yourself as frustration is never a good mix. Too many people want to get good too quick well 99.9999999999% of the time it aint gonna happen.

Have Fun

From memory (it was a loooong time ago), I think it may have taken weeks for me to get up and stand for more than 2 seconds.

The key is to keep trying. Also - crawl before walking. Someone mentioned bodyboarding the surfboard. I'd agree.

First, practice catching waves in the whitewash. Prqactice popping up there, as it's loads harder and requires more balance. But it's more forgiving and you can concentrate on form rather than wiping out.

Next, try catching real waves, but I'd suggest bodyboarding them and then popping up once you're at the bottom. Catching waves is a skill in itself, so doing this will help you get a feel for when the wave picks you up.

Next, try popping up when you think the wave has you.

I really think that's the easiest progression, as it tries to break up each individual skill and build upon it.