Need some advice

[LamaSurf]

Hey everyone, so I want to head out to the beach often to practice, but it can be a pain driving out around 1 hour and 30 minutes to get there. Also the swells in New Jersey aren't very beginner friendly. I have a hard time staying balanced and keeping my back arched on the board while paddling. Not sure if it's because I'm not that strong or that the swells are too chaotic.

Anyways, there's a reservoir much closer to my house and I was wondering if I have a board that's a high enough volume, can't I just practice there instead of the beach? I'm just wondering whether a board will float well enough there. Thanks for reading!

[jaffa1949]

Paddling on a reservoir is sort of ok, freshwater different buoyancy, and no waves so no learning of timing on wave avoidance or catching.
It will be good for developing paddle fitness, so in order to advise on the board we need your weight, height.
Forget about volume specifically, look at what you will need to surf!

I am concerned about your level of stoke when you are ready finding reasons not to hit the beaches, too long a drive, to strong a surf ( as a beginner everything is) you’re too wobbly. Every long time surfer had to endure and pass these natural tests.
If you are not totally stoked your desire will fade with every set back!
You are more than welcome here, there is the full range of experience from all around the world, kooks and experts of every nationality.
Some from the deep recesses of countries with many hours travel just to fill their stoke glands, but they do it!

[BaNZ]

I used to drive 2 hours to a surf spot. It's hard getting the motivation but you should find someone to carpool. It gives a boost in motivation. Paddling on a reservoir won't be fun, you will get bored and it is not the same as the beach. You also need to pick the right condition to go out or else the wave will be too messy. This week it will be windy and choppy so I don't even bother.

[IB_Surfer]

You need to do what most of us do as beginner: stick to the whitewash.

I started on a thick wide 8ft funboard. Many a times as a newbie I would get to the beach and it would be too big, too rough, too windy, etc... I would just stick to the inside and practice my popups closer to shore. No paddling, no duckdiving, just bobbed around until the right wave came along and thew myself towards the beach, stood up for 4 seconds then got off in time to not break off the fins. You'd be surprised how much fun standing up in whitewash, and how many you ride.

Keep driving to Jersey, have fun regardless of the conditions, come home stoked and smiling.

[waikikikichan]

Hey everyone, so I want to head out to the beach often to practice...............I have a hard time staying balanced and keeping my back arched on the board while paddling. Not sure if it's because I'm not that strong or that the swells are too chaotic.

1) I would think you "staying balanced" part is trying to keep straight on the deck and not swinging side to side. Good paddlers are not only strong but smooth. In time you will develop this Suction Cup Stomach technique. And it only comes with experience and time in the water.

2) Who said "you need to keep you back arched when you're paddling ?" Yes, there are times you do, and times you don't. Don't be locked in to rigid forms. " Be like water " is what Bruce Lee said.

3) "Because I'm not that strong". Can you beat a little kid at arm wrestling ? Well that little kid can maybe out paddle you and catch more waves. You need at least 2 out of 3 things to catch a wave, Power, Position and Timing. But Position ( the where on the board and the where on the wave ) and Timing ( the when to go ) are most important, NOT power.

4) You don't need to go to the beach to "practice", just surf. The more you surf, the better you'll be. I used to do Triathlons and it was hours, weeks and months of training for a few hours of actual racing. The hours of training sucked and the race was fun. Surfing is different, it's the "training" that's fun and the contest that sucks.

Sure if you can't go to the beach and want to work on your rail to rail turns, then you might want to "train" on a surf skateboard. But you won't get any better at paddling by lifting weights or pulls ups. You just got to do it. ( and do it right , since most do it wrong )

[SnakePlissken]

Just to practice paddling that would probably be cool. Lots of people put their board in the pool and tie the tail off and practice paddling.

I think you might be where I am though. Got a little experience under your belt and now frustrated with your rate of progression. What my friends keep reminding me is that the beach doesn't take into account that you're a beginner. If this were baseball you'd be in a league with other beginners. But the beach is 100% no matter what and it will humble you. Just keep at it and Chase the awesome ride that makes it worth it. I also drive 90 min each way

[BoMan]

I am concerned about your level of stoke when you are ready finding reasons not to hit the beaches, too long a drive, to strong a surf ( as a beginner everything is) you’re too wobbly. Every long time surfer had to endure and pass these natural tests.
If you are not totally stoked your desire will fade with every set back!

So true!

I also live inland and can only surf once or twice a month. To maintain my stoke and fitness, I practice turns on a long skateboard and swim at the local community college. There's always time for a little fun every day.

You can make paddling on the reservoir more interesting by sprinting then practicing your popup, working on turtle rolls/duck dives and setting distance goals.

[LamaSurf]

Thanks for the replies everyone. You all make really good points. I'm 5'9" and 190 lbs. As for the back arching thing, the surf school I did a lesson at told me that. They said I should keep my back arched and core engaged while paddling.

Did you guys take lessons when you first started off? I'm sure it's safe to say that I should probably surf with a buddy to be safe in the water (rips, jetties, etc.) I don't have any friends that surf. They all rock climb actually haha. Paying $80 just to have someone make sure I don't get hurt while surfing for an hour seems a bit much.

I think I might just buy a surf skateboard for now at least. Just found out there's a marina around the area and that I can practice paddling there. At the end of the day, I wanna progress as much as I can while staying safe. Thanks again guys

[waikikikichan]

They said I should keep my back arched and core engaged while paddling.

On the paddle, Only from the shoulder outwards should be in motion. Keep the body quiet ( that also means no kicking of the feet on a longboard ). Once you begin the pop up and adjust the glide on take off is when the arch gets involved.

Paying $80 just to have someone make sure I don't get hurt while surfing for an hour seems a bit much.

Paying $80 bucks to not be DEAD is quite reasonable. ( especially around rips, jetties, etc.)

There was this East Coast Florida surfer who's dream was to surf in California. He died slamming into a pillar.
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la- ... story.html

[jaffa1949]

Oh the downside of surfing, you can get hurt without rips or jetties.
Board can hit you anywhere from head to toe, can bounce off your cajones, cut you with a fin blunt trauma you with the rails.
Sand is hard!
Your ego will be humbled, but one wave will change it all , you will remember that wave for the rest of your life.

[kookRachelle]

Thanks for the replies everyone. You all make really good points. I'm 5'9" and 190 lbs. As for the back arching thing, the surf school I did a lesson at told me that. They said I should keep my back arched and core engaged while paddling.

Did you guys take lessons when you first started off? I'm sure it's safe to say that I should probably surf with a buddy to be safe in the water (rips, jetties, etc.) I don't have any friends that surf. They all rock climb actually haha. Paying $80 just to have someone make sure I don't get hurt while surfing for an hour seems a bit much.

I think I might just buy a surf skateboard for now at least. Just found out there's a marina around the area and that I can practice paddling there. At the end of the day, I wanna progress as much as I can while staying safe. Thanks again guys

Don't worry about arching your back too much with paddling, focus more on keeping your core and glutes tight, and "quieting" your body below the shoulders... this will make you more streamlined and efficient. Where the back arch comes in (at least for me) is as the wave pushes you and right before you pop up as you don't wanna pearl... I think "upward dog! upward dog!" to avoid this.

I took about 8 lessons or so when I first started out. Even when I take surf trips, I take a lesson at first to learn about the waves and hazards. Lessons are great because they a) give you confidence, b) keep you safe, and c) a good instructor will give you inside tips you can practice. $80 for a lesson is not a lot. Maybe you can tell family/friends to gift them to you for birthdays and holidays? Think about how much you really want to progress because it's a long and expensive process, let me tell you.

For what it's worth, my break is 1.5 hours away from me too and I still make it out 2-3x a week. I have a bungalow there though, so I like to sleep over and do Dawn Patrol in the mornings. I share it with 9 other surfers and we each pay $120 a month. Not bad considering I was renting a locker from a shop for $80 a month. Where in NJ are you? It's going to be firing tomorrow so don't go out hahahaha by the way, I'm a total kook beginner too. I still eat sh!t way more than I catch waves, so you're in good company.

One thing a pool or marina doesn't have is currents and waves, so personally I think it's counterproductive. But that's just my .02 - have fun no matter what you choose to do and keep posting here... it's really helped me as well!

[kookextraordinaire]

Some sage advice here. One thing I would add is that maintaining an extreme arch in your lower back is quite tiring over a long session. Try and keep your head up, and shoulders and upper chest off the board when paddling for position or cruising around the lineup. That's all the arch you really need.

As for the the other end of your body, keep your feet together and out of the water. This is pretty crucial. Might as well tie an anchor to your board otherwise.



Haven't been on this site in a while, glad to see all the usual suspects are still here! Hope you are all scoring wherever you are.

[LamaSurf]

For what it's worth, my break is 1.5 hours away from me too and I still make it out 2-3x a week. I have a bungalow there though, so I like to sleep over and do Dawn Patrol in the mornings. I share it with 9 other surfers and we each pay $120 a month. Not bad considering I was renting a locker from a shop for $80 a month. Where in NJ are you? It's going to be firing tomorrow so don't go out hahahaha by the way, I'm a total kook beginner too. I still eat sh!t way more than I catch waves, so you're in good company.

One thing a pool or marina doesn't have is currents and waves, so personally I think it's counterproductive. But that's just my .02 - have fun no matter what you choose to do and keep posting here... it's really helped me as well!

No you're absolutely right. I think just jumping right in will help me progress a lot more efficiently. That's how I've approached different situations throughout my life. I live near Bridgewater. Would you recommend that I still surf this time of year? Surf lessons are over. They only have practice for teams and stuff. I've been watching this Australian guy on YouTube named Kale and he has solid conditioning exercises for surfing that can be applied at the gym. If I can't go to the beach, I might as well do that+surf skateboard.

[IB_Surfer]

Did you guys take lessons when you first started off? I'm sure it's safe to say that I should probably surf with a buddy to be safe in the water (rips, jetties, etc.) I don't have any friends that surf. They all rock climb actually haha. Paying $80 just to have someone make sure I don't get hurt while surfing for an hour seems a bit much.

Yo be brutally honest, I started without any help but later joined an online surf forum that was local and I started going out with that group. While out there I would ask about different things and it really helped me progress. So keep doing what you are doing, online research and posting questions, but see if there is a surf group in Jersey or near your pad.

Keep up the stoke