6 Unspoken Truths As To Why You’re So Bad At Surfing…

Ok, I’m going to expose the brutal truth as to why you’re so bad at surfing…

And it ain’t going to be pretty. 

It won’t be sugar coated, and you might not like what you hear, but everything you read can be changed, by you. 

You’re in control of all these factors so you can choose to stay where you are, or change things up and reap the rewards thereafter. 

Hold your breath, as this is about to get interesting…

TRUTH 1. YOU’RE TOO LAZY

Let me ask the following:

• When the wind is howling onshore do you surf?
• Do you surf in the winter when it’s cold?
• Do you get up for dawny’s before work? 

If you’ve answered no to all of the above it’s no wonder that you’re bad at surfing, you know why, surfing is frickin hard and if you want to get good at it, you’ve got to put in the time.

You see, it’s no coincidence that the best surfers are the ones that’ll be out there regardless of the weather or conditions – that’s the stuff that got them good in the first place. 

So if you want to improve, do the work, get in whenever you can and you’ll see results quickly.

TRUTH 2. YOU’RE OVERWEIGHT

Be honest with yourself, go take a quick look in the mirror and what do you see? 

Is everything where it should be? Or are you carrying a few extra kg’s?

If you are, then yes, this extra weight will go a long way to making you surf badly. 

Just think about it, each time you pop up to your feet is like a full push-up, and any extra weight you’re carrying will slow down that process, and make it way harder. 

So if you’re committed to surfing better, you’ll want to shed that unneeded weight as soon as you can. 

And the best thing, if you follow along with truth #1 above, the weight loss will take care of itself.

TRUTH 3. YOU’RE INFLEXIBLE

Surfing well requires the ability to contort your body into all sorts of strange shapes and positions, so without being flexible, you’re really going to struggle. 

Again, this is something that’s totally in your control and not something you’re powerless to remedy. 

Follow truths #1 & #2 above, plus add a little 10 minute daily stretch routine and before you know you’ll be like a nimble little gymnast.

TRUTH 4. YOU’RE RIDING THE WRONG BOARD

More often than not the reason people are so bad at surfing is simply because they’re riding the wrong boards. 

Here’s what I mean.

Typically a surfer will start surfing, and within a week or two will be scouring the internet for the smallest board they can possibly ride. 

Smaller boards make it way harder to catch waves, they’re less stable, and much harder to surf too. 

All in all, you’ll catch less waves, have a way harder time getting to your feet, fall more often, and miss out on all that opportunity to improve. 

Do yourself a favour, and get on the right board for your level, and downsize only when you’re ready. 

TRUTH 5. YOU HAVEN’T HAD PROPER TUITION

There’s a lot of B/S that gets thrown around on the internet teaching people how to surf, and even more of it getting pumped out on the daily in surf schools too. 

So beware of whose advice you follow, and make sure they can walk the walk – as well as talk the talk – before taking their word as gospel. 

And I hate to break it to you, but the vast majority of surf coaches at surf schools around the world have usually been surfing for a couple of years at best. 

So if you’ve had bad tuition in your past it’s no wonder you’re so bad at surfing, but you can rectify all of that here. 

TRUTH 6. OVER INFLATED EXPECTATIONS

You might not fully know this, but surfing is hard, like real hard. 

In fact it’s quite possibly the hardest sport in the world. 

So, you’ve got to lower your expectation a little. 

If you typically pick up sports quickly – or even if you don’t for that matter – I’d recommend at least halving your current expectations of where your surfing level should be. 

That’ll likely be a much more realistic measure.

Drop your expectations, cut yourself some slack, and there you go, you’re already better than you thought right there. 

CONCLUSION

If you are bad at surfing you know what, embrace it, because it doesn’t get any more fun when you get better I promise. 

You simply increase your expectations, and are no longer satisfied with the small things. 

But it’s human nature to want to grow, to evolve, to get better, so I get it. 

For your sake, I hope these brutal truths will help kick you into gear, and jolt you out of your surfing plateau, and get you shredding in no time.

Yew!

Rowan

ROWAN CLIFFORD

Rowan is the technical nerd behind the scenes. A lover of everything entrepreneurial, and living a minimal, simple life. Surf, Travel, Create.