Trim and surfing stance

In today’s lesson we’ll deal with the toughest and most important part of surfing, which is how to trim the board, i.e. hold the correct surfing stance. We’ll start by holding the correct position while lying down on the board.

This is a lesson you have to pay very close attention to. How do you trim a board, how do you find the correct position on a board?

In the video you can see how you have to keep the surfboard in the water, its tail and nose should stay out of the water.

Place your hands on the edges of the surfboard, put one foot on the board first; it will help you find your balance.

Then place your chest and then your other foot and look what happens to your board.

If you see the nose sinking under the water, it means you’re holding the wrong position. What do you do to make the nose come out of the water? Place your hands under your chest and start moving your whole body slightly backwards.

Andrea Bonfili - surfing instructor - Green Ocean Surfing

Same thing if you see that the nose sticks out of the water too much; it means that you’re too far back. To move forward stretch out your arms and, while still holding on to the rails of the board, push your body slightly forward helping yourself with your toes. It’s important that you move slowly, an inch at a time.

When you feel you found the correct position of the board on the water you can start focusing on the correct body position.

At the beginning, if you feel your board moving under you, wobbling to the right and to the left, place both feet off the board.

Remember to always keep your hands near your shoulders, to arch your back and lift your chest high off the board, never put your chin on the board, and keep your head and eyes forward, face the nose of the board.

If you feel the board tends to roll to one side, you can find your balance again by automatically moving a little to the other side of the board. Slowly place your feet on the surfboard, keep you ankles close together.

Use the point of the nose for reference and keep your eyes and nose in line with the nose of your surfboard; if you do that, you’ll be exactly in the middle of the board.

This is the toughest thing to do. The easiest thing is to stand up. As soon as you feel the board is stable on the water, you’re ready to start paddling. To paddle correctly on a surfboard, you need to have a deep, short stoke. 

Remember: if you have a long stroke, you’ll move your whole body and your surfboard sideways. If you have a deep, short stoke, your body will stay still and only your arms will move. 

edited by: GOS
www.greenoceansurfing.com