Body Positioning

The correct body positioning differs depending on what board you are riding. In this lesson, we are going to take a look at the correct positioning when you are surfing a bigger board.

This is best practice first on the beach before you head out into the water.

Lying on your big surfboard

√ Placing your body in the centre with your body weight evenly distributed will provide you with optimum speed and glide without having to use any extra paddle power

√ Some boards have a stringer - the vertical brown line in the center of your board. If you have a stringer, use this as your reference point

√ Placing your feet together. Do NOT have your feet apart

√ Now the hardest part. Arc your back and lift your chin while your eyes look forward

√ Ideally, you want to lay in the middle of the surfboard with your chest just above the center point

√ What you are looking for is known as the sweet spot. The sweet spot will make you feel evenly balanced on your board

√ The best way to find out where you should be on your board whilst paddling is by paddling around in the sea and shifting your body back and forth

Pro tip: Your muscle won't be used to this movement and you will get tired after an hour session. The best thing for surf fitness is surfing

Common mistakes

X Most people tend to lean back towards the tail of the board causing the nose to rise. This will create resistance when you're in the water and make it harder to paddle

X Positioning yourself too far forward will cause the nose to sink

X If the nose of your board is digging in the water, you will find it difficult to paddle, you're too far forward

X If the nose of your board is pointing towards the sky, you're too far back. When you’re in the right place you will know, it will be easier to paddle than you think