For beginners who want to start on shortboards…

[twerked]

Also consider your local break as the guy in the surf shop told me for our local break a long board is a great investment we get good surf here but there is more days when its only 1-3 foot and really only good for fish fun boards or longs so even if I go to a short board one day which is my goal I will still be using my long board a lot and there hell of a lot of fun to ride as well.

Honestly save yourself extra heart break and get a long board or mini mal it make the learning process so much easier.

And if you think long boards are uncool and that's your reason well your going to look just as uncool learning on a short board lol.

Go rent a board first try a short and a long.

all of this x2, especially the bold bit. the most important thing with learning is just time in the water. if the surf wherever you're at is consistently powerful, but not too dangerous or overcrowded, and you can be in the water everyday for several hours, sure, try the shortboard. i would. but if you're somewhere and the prevailing conditions are small/weak surf or you'll only be able to make it out every few days/weeks for a couple hours, you're just shooting yourself in the foot trying to learn on a shortboard. i'd rather be out on a 9' bic in thigh-knee surf than floundering on my 6'2" or retro fish. it doesn't matter what you look like, people won't look at you and think, 'oh, he's on a longboard, what a kook.' well...maybe some, but fugg the haters, they're just idiots. but conditions at your local spot really dictate a lot of what is ideal to learn on

[RJD]

im finally able to stand up properly and actually ride waves after 6 or 7 weeks of going 3-4 times a week for at least 2 hours at a time. it takes a hell of a lot of time and work if you wanna do the whole shortboard thing, but it can be done. if you want to make learning a much more positive experience, dont even think of something short, go for something long. just thought id post that up here for all to see…

When you say stand up properly and ride waves do you mean whitewater or out back & clean faces?

[joel22]

yeah i learned on an 8 footer, and im relatively small. hope it works well

[surfmax]

ok, i started surfing a long time ago but cant go very much because the beach is very far away, i had a lesson on a 8ft foamie and then bought a 6ft foam shortboard... it was fine and i could stand up. i started on a minimal funboard (nsp) 7"2 and it was grrrrreat!, wen i went 2 japan in the summer i bought an nsp 7"2 (last year) which i can do pipelines on and this year i bought a 6"5 shortboard, its soooo hard to catch waves on! i paddle really hard and the wave just goes under me. when i do catch a wave then the board feels like its being pulled back. please tell me what i need to do. p.s. i have a 7"2 minimal, 8ft foamie, 6ft hand shaped shortboard (very thin) 6"2 shortboard and 6"5 shortboard. im a 167cm 65kg.

[SeanGuna]

I started my way down (long to short) but now that I'm out east and suffering the smaller surf I've recently purchased a semi-long board (8'2) to compensate for the change in my environment and my size (not age I tell myself). But it feels like I'm re-learning how to surf again in that I'm used to riding short boards and moving so freely on a wave; but love the feel and ease of a longboard. Well except for the fact that I keep finding myself over paddling the wave and getting out in front of it due to the speed of my big stick.

[sebastiansurfer]

it actually doesnt really matter.you will take the same amount of time to progress into carving and airs but the added stability and paddle power of longer boards is what causes the appeal. I personally originally learned to surf when I was a littlelittle kid on a longboard.hadn't been on a board in 4 years.picked up a 6'4 and had an ok sesh.then just progressed and progressed. I currently ride a 5'11 and go months without surfing. Its all about the heart and strength!

[shadowchild]

I'm a new surfer, bought a 6'8" because it was dirt cheap; figured no sense in spending money maybe I'll hate it... And it's a real challenge. I'm 6'2" 200lbs w/o the wetsuit, and I thought I would never stand up on the thing but didn't really expect to. Well, second time out I was pretty much giving up for the day and as soon as I relaxed, waiting to be washed in like the rest of the flotsam (stormy day!) all of a sudden I find myself rocking along in the whitewater of a big one and I just... popped up. No problem! The hard part is catching the wave; once you get that timing right, overcoming the disadvantage of the small board is not such a big deal I think. I'm thinking upper body strength is really important on the small boards, so when you finally are in the right spot for the right wave you're not too exhausted to paddle hard and get that speed you need.

[garbarrage]

hate to burst your bubble shadowchild, but popping up in whitewater isn't the same as taking the drop on an open face. the shorter the board, the steeper and faster the drop. longboards get you in earlier when the wave isn't as critical or as steep. what you did is much like popping up on a longboard (albeit a much less stable longboard).
learning on a 6'8 will be much harder and less fun for so many reasons... takes longer to master the drop, longer to learn to control the board, and less face-time means you will be much longer learning to read the wave, resulting in much shorter rides from outrunning the shoulder, missing closeout sections etc.

go long or flounder for years... it really is that simple. loads of people on here say they learned to surf a shortboard but (with the exception of those that learned as kids, or the exceptionally gifted athletes out there) very few if any learned to surf the wave, and so end up saying they can surf a shortboard. very much doubt any of them can say they surf it well. those that learn on longboards, learn faster, and become much more fluid sooner.

as a general rule of thumb, when you can cut back, or float sections on a longboard consistently, you are ready to move down.

[isaluteyou]

Its down to the person. I know people who started on a longboard but were getting nowhere then they tried a shortboard and that worked out much better for them and visa versa.

As a general rule most people however do much better starting out on a longboard then slowly over time drop down sizes.

Of course you get the inbetweeners like me who hated the longboard (including mals) and couldnt surf the shortboard but got on perfectly with a 7'4 big boy thruster for two months and then evolved very quickly to smaller boards which i mainly ride 6'0 and 6'2 nowdays.

My point to all this is that everyone is different you have to make the honest call yourself just fooling yourself and being stubborn may get you to your goal in the end but it might take a hell of a long time.

Personaly i think its very sad to see someone struggling and getting no experience whatsoever because they stubbornly wont listen and insist on learning on a shortboard even though they really lack the initial ability. people should do themselves a favour learn on something that allows you to catch waves, have fun and gain experience. Just floundering around like a muppet does you no good

[Jellyfish]

dudess, I've been surfing 10 months now, first time ever was on a 6'4" shortboard...never looked back!!!!!!!
learning the hard way makes riding anything else soooo easy, and you feel accomplished, and after 10 months of surfing basically every day for 1-2 hours and sometimes 2 seshs a day I caught my first barrel like a week ago. IT's sooo worth learning on a shortboard, once you can pop up and surf the face on a shortboard you're set.

But you're definitely best off learning on something long and smooth. not in a weird way. but yea.
SICK ONE!

[Autarkh]

Hey there,

I don't know how to surf, but I've bodyboarded and bodysurfed since I was a little kid. I used to swim competitively in high school and am extremely comfortable in the ocean, even when conditions are heavy (rips, large surf, etc). I tried learning on a longboard, but found it extremely frustrating trying to get past the impact zone out to the deeper breaks that I have absolutely no problem reaching without it. I tried to duck dive, but the thing was simply too damn buoyant and restrictive--almost like an aircraft carrier. Eventually, I gave up.

Until now.

A friend recently offered me a 6'6" short board, and I'm stoked about trying again. I know that if I can get the hang of it, I'm going to love it, but there seems to be a nearly univeral consensus that a longer board is the way to go for beginners. To complicate things, I'm pretty big (6'2", 215 lb) but very athletic and fit. I can paddle pretty fast and know how to catch waves, the problem will be getting enough practice to get better.

Shortboards, I'm told, require bigger waves, a later takeoff and, in turn, getting out to the deeper break at the beach I normally surf (Huntington). This would put me right in the middle of the lineup. While I know basic wetiquette, I don't imagine the more experienced surfers will take kindly to this, especially since I will likely be falling off my board quite a bit. I don't really see a way around it, though.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to go about it without pissing people off, or worse, hurting someone?

[naniekso]

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to go about it without pissing people off, or worse, hurting someone?

try not to paddle toward the side a surfer is surfing toward. if a surfer is on a wave and your paddling out to the ocean, to the waves, paddle toward teh white wash. Make sure you aren't behind someone when a wave comes. go out with buddies if ur kinda new. Don't be afraid to compete for waves, just know even if it crashes and the guy stands up when it crashes its his wave. i suggest you go learn at the bolsa chica area. its not tooo crowded and its more learning.

[Kamikazesurf]

it actually doesnt really matter.you will take the same amount of time to progress into carving and airs but the added stability and paddle power of longer boards is what causes the appeal. I personally originally learned to surf when I was a littlelittle kid on a longboard.hadn't been on a board in 4 years.picked up a 6'4 and had an ok sesh.then just progressed and progressed. I currently ride a 5'11 and go months without surfing. Its all about the heart and strength!

I lived in South Africa all my life, but moved to Taiwan recently, the last time I surfed was when I was 17 years ago. I picked up a random board and you never really forget. I certainly am not as fit though :p

[stephenxanders]

I agree, I started on a long board and recently took out the shortboard. It was 4x as hard to catch the waves than on the long board.

Is this highly recommended to start on long board?

[katja]

i'm a girl 5'4 125lbs i got a short board a super cheap one cause i'm new to surfing and broke ( i tried a friends board in the past - like 7 years ago for a day and it was very large and easy to stand) i am very agile and i can snowboard decently ( grind rails and hit the pipe) longboard down my mountains too.... anyway... i think my board is soo small and flimsy.. it's about 5'9" pretty thin and yeah it took an hour just to sit on it nicely with the balence point of my enormouse body so am i just to heavy for this board? i feel like it sinks when i try to stand on it. i almost stood up on a wave today (first day surfing 3hrs in ) after a nice man with his 2 little girls tried to explan in Spanish to paddel faster and he basically told when to catch the wave, nice guy I managed to get up on my knees. do i need to catch the wave just as it goes white- just as it breaks? cause that's the only time i felt buoyant. Some advise would be great! I cannot buy a new bigger board yet so I gotta deal with what I got( but it does see like my board would suit a 10 year old kid)

[Volcom31]

Well I think what you really have to do is try both, All you have to do is just rent a board... First try out a shortboard just to see if you pick up right away because I know I did. I rented a 7' soft top longboard the next day and was liking how smooth the ride was but didn't like that I felt contained, I felt like I couldn't turn and if I could it was just a slow turn... After I was getting the hang of riding the face of the wave and not the whitewash I went back to a shortboard and it was easier ALTHOUGH its not the same for everyone else, and I also skated for several years (unsure if that helped) but everyones different i've seen people ride shortboards like a piece of cake and i've also seen it the other way around where the guy cant even ride a shortboard but can shred on a longboard, Its always different and the only way you can find out which one you are is just buy renting both from a local boadshop.

[surf-king97]

when i started surfing i was tought on a 8' board it was pretty amazing i could do turns and tricks galore, i started feeling a little adventurous and went for a NSP 7'4 shortboard and its quite a thing. i went out for the first time and stood up straight away i suprised me and my friends. we are all about 14/15 yaers old, then i started turning really quickley and pickin up speed and doing tricks. the trick is how far back u are on the board, my feet dangled just over the edge and wheni popped up i was really balanced . so if ur thinking of gettin a shortboard then u have to be prepared to fall off a few times before u find ur balance

[surf-king97]

Well I think what you really have to do is try both, All you have to do is just rent a board... First try out a shortboard just to see if you pick up right away because I know I did. I rented a 7' soft top longboard the next day and was liking how smooth the ride was but didn't like that I felt contained, I felt like I couldn't turn and if I could it was just a slow turn... After I was getting the hang of riding the face of the wave and not the whitewash I went back to a shortboard and it was easier ALTHOUGH its not the same for everyone else, and I also skated for several years (unsure if that helped) but everyones different i've seen people ride shortboards like a piece of cake and i've also seen it the other way around where the guy cant even ride a shortboard but can shred on a longboard, Its always different and the only way you can find out which one you are is just buy renting both from a local boadshop.

surf-king97
yes your board sounds a liitle to small for you, i know your skint, i used to be in the same position the best thing to do is try and save up for a 7'4 shortboard. if u want it really quickley then ask some surf skl whether u can help out for a littl bit of dosh or go wash cars every week-end for a tenner. i washed ten cars each day of the week-end for 2 weeks and got £450 and got payed a bit more for doing a great job and i bought an NSP 7'4 shortboard and i love it, have had it for about 3 years

[Kaaimans]

Oh this isn't good. I'm new to surfing n got a used JC 6'4", guess thats gonna cuse me a hard time? I am a mad awesome sponger (bodyboarder), maybe that will help.

Well since you can already catch waves, half the battle is won. Essentially you just want something you can stand on. Can you DK? If so you're fine, if not, the stability thing might be a little bit of an issue, but that will get better quite quickly.

[sarahcoles]

Thanks for providing this information guys.