In surfing, you will have to provide your own mojo and this requires endless paddling. Mathematically, if you ride a wave for 50 yards and want to do it again, you will have to paddle 50 yards to return to where you started. And this isn't even the hard part. One of the most difficult things for the beginner surfer is paddling out to where the waves are breaking. You want to go out, and the waves want to push you back in. So for the first timers, you may want to work on your board handling skills on a small day or in calmer waters such as a lagoon or bay to master your surf products.
Paddling a surfboard requires you to be in shape. You will be using muscles your body never heard of and the next day you will be sore. Persistence is key, as well as good surf products. If you really want to surf, get comfortable paddling that board, make sure you can do it for a few minutes at a time and as fast as humanly possible. This is required not only for catching waves, but also save you from getting stuck in the impact zone where you will get the drilling of your life.
To paddle a surf board, lay on your stomach and arch your back to where you feel comfortable. Start digging your hands through the water one after the other (not both at the same time or you will look like a geek). As you start moving through the water, the nose of the board should stick up about an inch. Getting properly situated on the board is critical. If you are too far forward, the nose will dig in and you will plow through the water. If you are too far back, the nose will stick out and you will push water. You will feel it when you have it just right-this is the point you will move the fastest. Once you have the proper balance, try paddling real fast in bursts of speed. This is how fast you will need to move to catch a wave. Or, when a wave is just about to break and you want to paddle over it just in time, these bursts of speed will come in very handy.
Avoid digging your arms in real deep where each paddle is a major stroke. This will tire you out real fast. You can dig deep when you need to, but for general paddling around, find a nice pace and take it easy. When my arms get real tired, but I don't want to stop paddling, I focus on just lifting my arms up at of the water and just let gravity drop them down through the water. You will be amazed that by just doing the paddle motion without too much force will still move you through the water.
As you practice, try grabbing the sides of the board, lift you body up like a push up, and then throw yourself forward and back down again to sink the nose in the water. Give yourself a nice dip. Immediately after popping back up, get right back into your optimal paddling position and keep moving along. The motion will look like a duck nosing through a wave and will be important to master as your skills progress. Here, your surf products will pay off.
Next, take a rest by sitting up on the board. Don't worry if you tip over, everyone does. Sitting casually on your board waiting for a wave with your bro's takes some balance and practice, so spend as much time as you need to get it right. After a while sitting on your board will be a natural part of your surf existence.
