Man has always been intrigued about the sea: the danger, the majesty, the WAVES. What better way to get or catch a wave than surfing, riding it to your hearts content. This article really is an introduction on the right mindset you should have when you want to try surfing. There is not going to give you tips on surfing (that will come later) but I hope that when you are done it will give you an idea if surfing is for you.
Surfing for Fun (you are a Seaside Kook)
So you are going on a nice trip to the seaside and coincidentally it has some good waves. You have done your research and feel that you want to try surfing. Well, surfing is the coolest thing you can get into. Trying the waves out with your friends, falling all over the place, egging each other on when the other falls, all makes surfing a great social gathering topic for anyone. In acual fact surfing is for all ages (i have seen kids young as 5 and oldies 70’s surf) and animals too (try going to Youtube and typing “surfing dog” or “surfing goat”, you won’t regret it).
Though as a beginner (or a Kook as you will be known in the surf community), you still need to know some basics and a little work needs to be done. You will need to know safety and precautions, like surf etiquette, waves and riptides (no kook should jump into a wave; I have seen some get swept further from the shore by riptides), even before you set off for the sea. So, do a few basic surf lessons before you get into the water and know your limitations (you won’t be surfing like a pro in Waikiki on your first day of surfing!)
When you get your surf your first wave it might even be a small ankle length, you sure will feel like Jack from Titanic (i’m the King of the World) or Jake in Avatar riding his bird thingy – darn James Cameron references. 1 thing you will hear from surfers “it is better than sex!”
Surfing as a Pro (looking into ASP Surfing)
So at this point where you probably were a Kook for a while maybe years or your Dad was kook or family member get you hooked on surfing was kook and now you want to go Pro like Kelly Slater as you can Hang-Ten or throw buckets like a pro. Well, going pro means you have to do it like every other sportsman in every other sports: training. Rigorous training too, I heard this from some Basketball quote: You don’t play basketball to get fit. “You get fit to play basketball.”
It is the same as being a pro-surfer: “You don’t surf to get fit. You get fit to surf.”
This is a rubbish quote if you are really doing things for fun or health – in my honest opinion. I will explain that in next the paragraph. But this quote fits so much more when you are a pro-surfer. If you are a pro surfer there is so much better chances than being a pro basketball player (how many basketball players can really go pro). Pro surfing has even empowered street children who would never be pro athletes.
After rigorous training of the body, mind and even soul (if you are going to be surfing large waves like the Dungeons or Nazare) you go to the WSL (World Surf League) and be enrolled and ranked on the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) and start competing in competitions or sending in videos for Big Waves.
Surfing because it is Healthy
Surfing as a sport makes it a good cadiovascular exercise i.e helps your heart and improves blood circulation especially when you are stoked but there are also other health benefits to surfing that can really help:
- Good cardiovascular exercise – It’s exercise. It works.
- Improves mental health – it helps you to relieve your stress as you concentrate on the waves and there are also other mental health it helps alleviate which I will elaborate on in the next article.
- Improves muscle tone – it actually works various parts of the muscle which you never notice. It is better than gyming as it works all the muscles areas not just a certain area.
- Improves energy levels – I know everytime I get stoked on waves, it makes me go the extra mile. In turn this helps your energy levels.
- Helps with wieght loss – what better way than to loose that belly fat than doing something you love, if you are really committed to surfing the mindset of eating healthier and getting more practice is a strong incentive.
- It helps improve balance – staying on the board helps you with your balance on and off the board.
- Flexibility – manuevering around the surfboard and getting wiped out makes you think-fast and dexterous on your body movements.
Surfing as an Obsession
When you start getting stoked on your first wave and surfing it, at the moment you are going to get hooked. I does not end there, when you know can get in contact with the ocean, you start going often. When you are done with the last surf session, you will start planning for the next. Then you start looking into various surfboards, equipment and trips, it certainly grows on you. It is better than a drug addiction and you will understand the concept “it is better than sex”. I also suggest watching Endless Summer which will just stoke your for more surfing. Yep, it is an obession.
What you Waiting for Go Surfing!
What are you waiting for? Go try surfing. It has all the good things none of the bad. The concept of a surfer surfing large waves is way off, surf the ones your are most comfortable with may it be knee high, shoulder high or just the whitewash. It is the most fun activity social or solo. What do you need to surf and where do you start that’s where the next article will explain.
Feel free to leave comments on how to psych yourself up for surfing!
The Daily Pumpernickel 