| As the editor of a surfing website, people send | | | | learning how to paddle into a wave, and once you |
| me questions all the time about learning to surf. | | | | do learn, you then have to be able to pop up on |
| I've compiled a few commonly asked questions | | | | your surfboard. Once you can do that, you have |
| here for people who are in their 20's that want to | | | | to pop up about 100 times before you can stay |
| learn how to surf. | | | | on the board longer than a split second. You have |
| 1) Would somebody in their mid twenties be able | | | | to tackle each step along the way. |
| to learn as fast as a kid? | | | | 3) Can placing your foot in the wrong position for |
| It just depends on how agile you are. If you're | | | | a couple of seconds cause an accident? |
| agile you'll learn as fast as a kid. If you're not agile, | | | | Yea that happens all the time. The good thing is |
| you'll become agile but that takes time. If you | | | | that wipe-outs are fun because you're just landing |
| need to lose some fat in order to become agile, | | | | in water. People say they don't surf because |
| surfing will remove the fat for you and still make | | | | they'll just fall off the board, but the thing is that's |
| you agile. Paddling into waves and fighting the | | | | all anyone ever does. Everybody rides until they |
| current is hard work. | | | | fall off or until the wave peters out. There's no |
| You have to be limber and quick to pop up on | | | | reason to be scared or embarrassed of falling off |
| your surfboard (the act of changing from the | | | | of your surfboard. |
| laying down position to standing up on your | | | | 4) Should beginners be as scared of sharks as |
| surfboard). If you're not limber and quick when | | | | the movies make them out to be? |
| you start trying to surf, you'll work so hard in the | | | | No, you're more likely to die in a car wreck on |
| water just paddling around that you'll eventually | | | | the way to the beach than be killed by a shark. |
| become limber and quick. | | | | You're also more likely to be killed by a coconut |
| 2) Is surfing something anyone can learn how to | | | | that's falling out of a tree than to be killed by a |
| do? | | | | shark. There are lots of tips online that will help |
| Yes, even people who have less than 2 arms | | | | you avoid shark encounters. |
| have learned to surf. The concepts aren't hard, | | | | 5) Does it make a difference what kind of board |
| but the physical work is hard. You have to be | | | | you use? |
| persistent to get good at surfing. It isn't easy | | | | |