6 KEYS TO CHOOSE YOUR FIRST SURFBOARD

What criteria to follow to choose your first surfboard has always been the cause of great controversy. Surely you have already searched the length and breadth of the internet, trying to decipher among the advice of professionals, shapers, forums, gurus and the typical "surfer" friend, which is the most suitable board for you.

In all these years of working for FlysurfI no longer remember how many people I have advised, the vast majority very grateful and happy (the rest hate me to death). Many of them started with the simple and at the same time complex question of the client who wants to start surfing: Hey, hello, which board is right for me?, almost by default and without further analysis, I say. "Dude, you should have a board designed for learning, at least 6.8 feet, wide, with good breading and little rocker."

In my opinion, and almost like a cooking recipe, that is the formula; there is no other way to learn. Classic advice from an expert surfer “No, buy yourself a short board and that's it! If it is very easy, that long board will serve you for a while and then you will have to change it”. This statement has no logical validity, and responds to that retrograde amnesia effect that occurs when you already master an activity. Where you think it's very easy to learn it despite the fact that it took you years, sorrows and suffering to achieve it. Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike? Would you tell someone today who wants to learn that it is something very, very difficult? Probably not, because your brain considers it easy, having forgotten the fear, suffering and falls of your first attempts.

Shortboards look very nice, are easy to transport and look very cool when coming out of the water. But rest assured that your way to what we call "Learn to surf" it will be long and you will need a good dose of perseverance, patience and tolerance for frustration.

We are doing an analysis of the main aspects to take into account when choosing your first surfboard:

1.   MEASUREMENTS:

The measurements of a table are directly related to its volume. A board with greater volume has greater buoyancy, a board with greater buoyancy allows you to catch more waves, since it is easier for the wave "push" to a body that has more of its surface above the water than under it. If you catch more waves with your board, you will be able to get up more times and therefore your body, your posture and balance will improve.

Every joint in the human body has position receptors, which tell the brain at which angle and location they are without having to look at them (take the test). By performing an exercise and failing, the brain re-interprets those signals with each subsequent repetition and adjusts its movements through the muscles in response to those signals with increasing precision. The result: getting up in a stable way, adjusting your posture according to changes in the position of the board. Which translates into riding the wave without falling and enjoying the sensation, which in other words is called: SURFING.

2.   A WIDE TABLE:

But what is a wide board? Well, standard surfboard measurements range from 18 inches wide to about 24 inches on big longboards. A good measurement to start with is 21 to 22 inches wide. This measure will give you stability and control at the same time. You will be able to get up first on the foam in a stable way, until you get used to the sensation; to then be able to venture into small waves that break close to the shore, always trying to paddle and get up before the wave bursts and turns into foam, that is what we call the “wall” of the wave.

3.    NO LARGER THAN 8 FEET:

We are talking about people with height and weight within the medium ranges in Spain. If you measure between 1,60 and 1,90 or if you weigh between 50 and 90 kg. You are within the parameters to be able to learn on a board that is at least 6.8 feet but not more than 7,5. But why?. All the explanations talk about a good volume, we agree, but why don't we use very big boards with a lot of volume to catch a lot of waves? Well, the answer is simple: After surfing a couple of waves with these types of boards, where you will surely get up and have a good time, you will realize that they are heavy, difficult to maneuver and, above all, difficult to transport outside. of the water.

This is where the concept of one day surfer or surfer for a day. This character is the typical person who goes to the beach, and suddenly becomes interested in surfing, goes to a school, teaches a class and gets up 5 times in the foam, to then return home and never go back. think about surfing

For this person, a big board is great: easy paddling, easy take-off (get up) and not having to transport it back to your house, perfect! But YOU, you are a person who is passionate about the sea and you have a real interest in learning and progressing, you do not have money to buy boards every two months and with luck you have a small car and a slightly larger house where you must transport and store everything your team. That's the reason for the original answer, an ideal board to learn (and progress) is between 6.8ft and 8ft, which presents the perfect combination of utility and practicality.

If you want more information on how to choose your first surfboard, take a look at the second part of this blog.

See you on the water!

by wolf for Flysurf Boards.