Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Getting started
• Part 2 of 3: Surfing a wave
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

It is said that bodyboarding is the oldest form of surfing. Most people catch their first wave on an exotic vacation, but advanced bodyboarders see it as a serious sport, viewing the wave as a springboard for tricks. Do you want to learn how to bodyboard? Then read on at step 1.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Getting started

1. Put your safety first. If you want to be able to bodyboard, you should be able to swim well. Many of the techniques you use for swimming are also used to propel your board, and you must also be able to swim well to stay above water without your board when you are rinsed off. In addition, you should only attempt bodyboarding if you know that the conditions at sea are safe and that a lifeguard is present. Make sure you only attempt this with a friend or instructor and not alone. Even if you are more experienced, it is unwise to go surfing alone.
2. Use a line. You will need to tie a line to your upper arm. This will prevent you from losing the bodyboard when you are swept off the board. Attach the line tightly to your upper arm, but loose enough that it is still comfortable. The line ensures that your arm and the bodyboard remain attached to each other.
3. Make sure you have a wetsuit or rashguard. If you swim in colder water, you need a wetsuit to keep your body warm. A rashguard is also sufficient and prevents your body from getting irritated while bodyboarding, and it protects you from the sun. They are made of Lycra and can also be worn under your wetsuit to minimize chafing and friction.
4. Use fins / fins and diving socks. Use swim fins with straps and attach them securely to your ankles. You need fins to make more speed making it easy to surf a wave. Also consider getting a pair of diving socks that you can wear under your fins to keep your feet extra warm and provide more comfort.
5. Practice correct posture. Before you try to surf, you should have a good feel for the way you are supposed to lie on the bodyboard. Lie on the bodyboard in the sand with your hands on top (the nose) clamped around the bodyboard, with your lower abdomen resting on the bottom of the bodyboard (the tail). Make sure your weight is in the center of the bodyboard. Once you have adopted this position, you can practice paddling. Paddle with your hands on the side of the bodyboard, as if you were shoveling water towards you, or as if you were doing the freestyle swimming. Kick your feet underwater for the best propulsion and faster movement when bodyboarding.
6. Walk into the water. Walk into the water with your plank until the water comes to your knees. Lift your feet high with each step to avoid getting stuck. Start by looking for white foamy waves coming perpendicular to the beach.

Part 2 of 3: Surfing a wave

1. Paddle into the sea. When you're knee-deep in the water, climb onto your board in the correct position and paddle out into the sea, toward the waves. Do a paddling motion with your hands and kick with both feet just below the surface of the water for the most powerful propulsion. The nose of the bodyboard should be about an inch above the water.
2. Find a suitable wave. If you are just starting out, it is better to avoid waves that are too high or too fast, or that just don't make you feel good. Choose waves that go straight to the beach and that don't make you go too high or too fast. When you have found a suitable wave, turn around to the beach and start swimming towards it with your legs, waiting to be pushed forward by the gulf stream. The wave should be steep enough to push you forward but not broken yet.
   • To increase your chances of finding a suitable wave, look for a place where the most waves break. Wait for the waves about 1.5 to 3 meters past that spot.
3. Surf down the front of the wave. You should feel yourself moving faster as the wave approaches. If you want to make extra speed, you can move the nose of your board slightly downwards to go even faster. If you think the wave is moving too fast, you can do the opposite, pull the nose up a few inches to create some friction and slow yourself down. Continue to swim with your feet as you surf down the front of the wave. You can also lean slightly into the wave to develop more speed.
   • You can now also choose to go to the right or to the left. To move to the left, lean your hips toward the left side of the bodyboard and place your left elbow on the top left of the bodyboard, holding the bodyboard at the top of the right side with your free hand. To go to the right, do the opposite.
4. Learn the terminology associated with waves. Understanding the different parts of a wave will help you develop skills and learn tricks because you know what to look out for. Here are the parts of a wave you should know:
   • Lip / edge. The part of the wave that breaks and moves from top to bottom. The slope of the wave determines the shape of the edge.
   • Whitewater / foam. This is the part of the wave that has already broken, the foam.
   • Face / face. The wall of water, the unbroken part of the wave.
   • Shoulder / shoulder. The part of the wave just outside the part of the face that is breaking.
   • Flats / flat. The flat water you see ahead of the breaking wave.
   • Tube / tube. The hollow tube of water between the lip and the wall of the wave.
5. Learn the parts of the board. You will need to know the different parts of the board so that you can continue to follow the rest of the article and learn some skills and tricks. Here's what you need to know:
   • Deck / deck. The part of the board that you lie on.
   • Slick bottom / bottom. The underside of the board with a smooth or rounded surface.
   • Nose / nose. The front of the board that you hold on to.
   • Nose bulbs / nose bulbs. These are the spherical parts on each corner of the board that you hold with your hands.
   • Bumpers. The extra foam layer that runs through the nose and tail, which prevents the smooth underside from flaking.
   • Rails / rails. The side of the bodyboard.
   • Tail / tail. The back part of the board.
   • Channels / channels. Those parts on the underside of the board that reduce resistance and allow you to surf faster.
   • Stringer / connecting bar. The bar that ensures that the board does not deform rigidly.
   • Template. The shape of the board.
   • Rocker. The degree to which the bodyboard has flattened.
6. Learn how to slow down. Braking (storage) is an important skill for any bodyboarder. You can learn to slow down in a number of situations, such as when you want to slow down in the Tube. Here are two ways to do this:
   • Drag your legs through the water to slow down, or move your hips more towards the inner rail of the board.
   • Pull up the nose of the board while pushing the tail down with your hips. Hold the board at a downward angle of about 30-45 ° until you reach the speed you want.
   • When you are done slowing down, slide back onto the board to gain speed, reset your rail and move on.

Tips

• If you go to the left, place your left hand in front of the bodyboard and your right on the side, and vice versa if you want to go left.
• Don't get frustrated; this takes a while to learn.
• If your bodyboard doesn't have them yet, buy a pair of fins for them. You can manage much better with that.
• Always use a rashguard.

Warnings

• Do not try to hit a reef / sandbar.

Necessities

• Bodyboard
• Wetsuit or rashguard
• Line
• Swimming fins
• Swimming socks
• Finnish savages