We are excited that you are about to go your Learn To Surf Holiday, what an adventure!
Everyone has seen those videos of beautiful tropical waves with a surfer riding the wave effortlessly and it looks so FUN right?
Most likely that person in the video has been surfing for a looooooong time but, we are here to let you know that smile they have on their face, you’ll have an even bigger smile than that one 🙂
We wanted to share with you some tips and things you can do to prepare for your surf holiday so you can get the most out of your learn to surf experience. Check out below some things you can do before you come so your learn to surf holiday is the best it can be.
Now it can be helpful to watch some surf tip videos online and we have plenty that you can see on our YouTube, Facebook or Instagram
Enjoy watching those videos but don’t worry too much about wether you understand everything you’re watching. The main things you can do to prepare yourself before you try surfing is:
1. Preparing your mind & attitude
2. Getting your body physically ready to surf
3. Having appropriate clothing to surf in
Surfing is a ‘dynamic’ sport which means all the actions you will do from paddling, popping up on your surfboard and then keeping your balance while surfing on the wave means you will need you to put some effort into those movements.
If you come to your surf session with a sleepy, relaxed attitude, the chances are you won’t catch many waves. However, if you come ready to use some energy knowing that you WILL get your heart rate up then you’ll have a better chance of being successful in learning to surf. So, prepare by telling yourself “come on body get ready to use some energy and have fun”
Now some people might be afraid of the waves or even had a bad experience with the ocean in their past. It is very normal to have a healthy fear of the ocean as let’s be honest, it is much bigger than we are. Being humble & recognising that the ocean can be strong is always a good mindset to have.
Now saying this, during your learn to surf experience your instructor will NEVER take you into waves that are beyond your ability so even though you might feel a little anxious about the waves, it’s best to remind yourself that you will always be safe and are in good hands 🙂
You don’t need to be an athlete to try surfing but it helps if you have some level of fitness as you will use plenty of energy while learning to surf. The biggest thing however you can do to help your body prepare is to STRETCH and be ACTIVE as possible. What do we mean by this?
Most people have sit down jobs, where they are sitting most of the day at a computer or starring down at a screen. It is recommended at least a couple of weeks before you come to be active every day just MOVING YOUR BODY, it doesn’t matter what you do just MOVE, run, swim, walk, jump, dance, kick a ball, it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are being active.
yes, there are some specific movements you can do that simulate the actions of surfing which you can also do such as: push ups, squats, burpees, swimming
These will help prepare your body ready to learn to surf
The other very important thing you can do to prepare your body physically before learning to surf is ‘Stretch’!
Being flexible is one of the best attributes of being a successful surfer. There are no rules to what type of stretches you do but it’s a good idea to stretch most major muscle groups. Here are some examples you can try:
When you’re learning to surf, this is not the time to worry about what you look like. Yes, I’m talking to all my girls out there. I know that you are learning to surf in a tropical location and you might be tempted to wear your bikini however, your bikini will be very frustrating as each wave that crashes into you, you will be fixing up your swimmers and taking the focus away from your surfing. Trust me when I say, wear some swimmer shorts or light long swimmer leggings with a long sleeve rashguard shirt as you’ll feel much more supported and comfortable. Once you know what your doing and can actually catch a wave then by all means throw that sexy bikini on.
Boys, same goes for you, it is much better to wear a shirt while surfing and not have your chest out for everyone to see, if you don’t wear a shirt the board may give you some irritation on your chest hair and you’ll get sunburnt. We definitely recommend you wear board shorts and a long sleeve rashgaurd shirt while learning to surf.
You can also wear a surf hat that clips on around your chin.
Wear plenty of sunscreen and drinks lots of water.
