How to get started as a Learner Surfer!

“Hi and welcome to our Surf community” my name is Steve Parks and i would like to help you get started as a Learner Surfer or Kook as you are now known!

First up you can swim right? You have no problems with your joints like shoulder pain or hip pain, Surfing is a very active Sport your whole body will go through a fitness transition, you need to start working on flexibility and strength during this stage of learning to help develop your skills. You will find loads of stuff on You Tube to do with Surf fitness and even lessons in the all important Pop up which is at this stage the most important lesson you will learn on your Journey. Here you go try this one…

Foamy or Minimal for the Beginner Surfer?

OK so I’m going assume by now that you have had a few lessons at your local Surf School probably on one of the foam topped Surfboards the Surf School uses, now you hooked here is the big question.

Do i buy a Foam top or do i buy a Minimal Surfboard? Well there are two ways to answer this question and either one could be right for you. First up be honest with yourself, are you picking up surfing quite easily or do you think this could take a while, the reason i say this is you need to folk out for some equipment at some point you don’t want to be wasting money hiring gear out from the Surf School when that money could go towards your out Surfboard and wetsuit. If you are really enjoying Surfing and are fit enough to progress then i don’t see why you can not go straight onto a Minimal Surfboard and not a Foamy, i had two days of lessons came home from Cornwall and decided i wanted to be a Surfer so went straight onto an 8ft Minimal but i was physically fit and willing to push myself, basically i was hooked! Now if you are finding it more difficult then by all means use the Surf School gear a bit longer to find out if Surfing is really for you ( guess what it’s really hard ), you may want to buy yourself a foamy surfboard for the first year to work on your pop ups, but beware foamy’s are great but they feel nothing like a true surfboard so when you do end up ditching it for a real surfboard like a Minimal you will find you will start from day one all over again.

Which Surfboard and why?

One of the great things about being a Surfboard manufacturer is the amount of new Surfers you get to make boards for, Learning to Surf can be one of the hardest but most rewarding experiences of your life and I’m so pleased to be a part of it. That’s why i put together this page to help you on your journey. So lets talk Surfboards and why a Minimal is the best Surfboard for you to Learn on. The Minimal is designed to be a Leaner Surfboard it packs loads of volume into a very stable surfboard shape, i wouldn’t get to worried about the shape a minimal is a pretty basic tried and tested surfboard the thing to get right is the size you need. Don’t be tempted by volume and always go bigger not smaller, volume can be very confusing for a beginner the best way to order your first board is to go at least 1 1/2 ft taller than your self this gives you at least enough board to learn on but also at this size your toes should be touching the tail of the surfboard which can be a good indicator of your position for your pop up. So i’m 6ft2″ my smallest board to learn on would be a 7ft8″ Minimal now please do what i did and add some extra length to that remember i used an 8ft Minimal to start and this helped me progress faster.

Best place to buy your Beginner Minimal Surfboard

Please Please Please keep in mind that you will have local surfboard shapers in your area!

Why well because you will probably get a better quality Surfboard at a better price that’s why, and this is the start of a journey that will last years your Local Surfboard Shaper will be good for advice they will sell you the right Surfboard and they will repair your surfboard when it gets damaged which it will. By going to your Local Shaper you will have a relationship that will last for years, they will get to know you and be able to progress your surfing through the years by giving you advice on the next surfboard you need to improve your surfing. This is without doubt the best thing about shaping surfboards, i have helped hundreds of young surfers progress to becoming advanced surfers over the years and it’s always a joy to see them shredding at the local spots!To make sure you don’t get ripped off buying your Surf equipment i put together a Surfboard Beginner deal you get your Custom built Minimal with fins, Leash, Bag and some wax to get you started all for £469.99 All you have to do is contact me through the website, i need your age, height, weight in kg, and some general fitness information to help me chose the right size Minimal Surfboard for you! You then get a plan of your surfboard, your surfboard is designed on computer then i take the plans into the Shaping bay and Hand Shape from the design this ensures that the Surfboard comes out at about the right volume for you, it takes about 4 weeks for you surfboard to be complete and ready to ride so be patient….