| The first thing you need when you start surfing is | | | | surfboard.4. Try to create a "scooping" motion |
| a surfboard. For beginners, it is recommended to | | | | with your body and surfboard, going under the |
| start on a longboard because it is much easier to | | | | wave and coming out the other |
| stand up on over a shortboard. You can practice | | | | side.Congratulations, you just completed your first |
| on the beach:1. Lay the board down on the sand | | | | duck dive!Now the hardest part of all, actually |
| face up.2. Lay on the board face down.3. Jump up, | | | | standing up on the surfboard - on a wave and not |
| pushing your arms out in front of you and moving | | | | on the sand.Remember what you were doing on |
| your legs back onto the board. You want your | | | | the beach in the sand? These are the techniques |
| legs to be one in front of the other. You want to | | | | that you want to apply to this step.When you are |
| do this all in ONE QUICK MOTION.4. Repeat this | | | | out in the surf lineup and you see a wave coming |
| many times until you've got the hang of it.This is | | | | that you want to catch, start paddling for it. You |
| when the real work begins - paddling. The key is | | | | want to angle your board down at an angle to |
| to make sure your shoulders are back, your feet | | | | the face of the wave. Point the board the |
| are together and you paddle hard. This is what | | | | direction you want to go. When you feel the |
| you want to practice while you are first beginning. | | | | wave start to pick you up, stand up! You should |
| You will eventually get the hang of it.Now you are | | | | try evening your weight over the center of the |
| going to learn how to get under the waves you | | | | board so you don't fall over. Keep practicing you |
| don't want.1. Paddle as fast as you can at the | | | | will get the hang of it.It might take a little bit of |
| white water coming onto you.2. Start to push the | | | | time to get used to, but you can definetly be |
| top of your board down under the water when | | | | standing up and riding waves in 6 hours or |
| you get about 5 feet away from the wave.3. | | | | less!This article is written and copyrighted by |
| Next kick with your foot on the tail of your | | | | Joseph Tierney. |