Your surfing stance is one of the most important parts of surfing. Doing it right will help you control your board on every move and generate more speed. It is essential that you learn how to shift your weight and twist your upper body for more speed and sharper turns.
Here are 10 easy tips that will help you optimize your surfing stance.
1 POO STANCE
With the Poo stance we mean that you are standing on your board with your knees apart.
It’s better (and much more stylish) to keep your knees closer together so that you can shift your weight forward and backwards. This will allow you to make steep drops and do carving turns.
2 OPEN STANCE
Most people end up with their stance too open on their surfboard. It means that you have your front foot faced forwards instead of to the side. Having it pointed sideways will give you more control and help your rail to rail surfing. Also keep your front shoulder facing forwards.
3 LOW CENTER OF GRAVITY
After your Pop up don’t stand up in a full upright position. Take your time to find your balance in a low center of gravity position. Bend your knees, especially your back knee, and look where you want to go.
4 KNEES BEND
Bending your knees will give you better balance and allows you a faster change of direction. You will better absorb the rough sections and you will be able to spring out of your bottom and top turns with more power.
5 HEAD CENTERED OVER BODY
One of the most common mistakes is not aligning your head over your body. It will help your balance and compliment your style.
6 FEET PLACEMENT
Place both your feet on top of the stringer, the middle of the board. Try to put your back foot on top of your traction pad, directly over the fins. This is the sweet spot of the board.
Your front foot should be placed at the widest section of the board.
7 SURF THROUGH HIPS
Use your hips as a swivel point when making your turns. Don’t lead your turns with your arms. You will be spraying more water and look far more stylish.
8 SHIFTING FEET
All skilled shortboarders shift not only their weight but also their foot positioning during a ride. The shifts are extremely slight and most of the repositioning is made by the back foot. It shifts from side to side to help in specific turns.
Sometimes the feet move forward to pump for more speed.
9 PUMPING FOR SPEED
Pumping for speed usually happens on the steep section of the wave. The higher you are the more speed you will generate when going down. Once you are down decompress your legs and spring back up the wave. Repeat this a couple of times and you will be generating sufficient speed for your next turn or move.
10 EYES FORWARD
Always keep your eyes focused on the direction you are traveling. When making turns turn your head and eyes to the spot you want to hit. This will help the rest of your body to follow.