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How to Surf > Surfing Lesson

	Surfing Lesson
Understand surfboards:
In varieties of surfboards, short boards and longboards are the common ones. Length of short boards is usually set from 5 feet 9 to 6 feet 8, with triangular board front, smaller buoyancy and lighter weight. Hence, short board has an excellent handling and maneuverability, suitable for experienced surfers doing advanced fancy movements. Longboards are length from 8 feet 6 to 11 feet, round board front, bigger buoyancy and heavier. Being capable of both big wave and small wave with good stability, it is a good choice for beginner surfers.

Recognizing surfboard session
		Recognize Surfing Gears:
		Surfing gears, more than surfboard, there are also fin, for control the direction of the surfboard, leash, to attach the surfer and the surfboard for safety guarantee. Other surfing tools are like wax, for increasing the friction so that the surfer can stand on the surfboard more steadily. For such usage, traction pad is another option. More things about the gears are surfing suits, which can be divided into wetsuit and rash guard. Wetsuit is used to prevent hypothermia caused by soaking long in the water. Rash guard is to decrease the abrasion caused by body rubbing on the surfboard. Wearing the suit, however, is also for sun protection, jellyfish proof and warm keeping.
Recognizing surfing gears session
Basic tips of surfing:
1.Paddle: lying prone on the surfboard, with head raised and aiming forward, paddle with the crawl stroke to the wave zone.
2.Get through the wave: while padding out, duck dive before the white water hits you.
3.Turn the board: waiting the wave at the wave zone, preparing for turning the board facing the direction as the wave heading to.
4.ake off: Paddle hard to catch the wave, push up effectively on the surfboard and stand still speedily.
5.Surf: Stay balanced on the surfboard after taking off and enjoy the amusement of surfing.
		On land practice:
		ince everyone is a beginner for surfing, we practice the surfing movement on a soft pad before actually going into the water. Owing to paddling and getting through the wave are not practicable on the land, we drill take off directly. Firstly Coach Hsieh teaches us the position laying on the surfboard, which the head has to maintain at the 1/3 of the surfboard rather than laying the whole body on it.
		The next exercise is to imitate taking off as the wave coming, with two palms holding downward parallel to the chest, head lifted and eyes aiming forward.
		Then, push up the body hard and quick, which is the most energy consuming part of surfing. Do warm up before repeatedly doing this move. Otherwise it possibly leads to a muscular strain.
		Last, standing up fast on the surfboard, balancing with two arms, and keeping steadily on the surfboard, which are the hardest parts of surfing. When practicing, we normally can stand up but with feet at the wrong place, which results in a fall eventually. “The key point is to put two feet at the correct position on the board” said Coach Hsieh.

On land practice on the surfboard

Paddling, catching wave and taking off by the professional surfer

Practice balance on a professional surfboard

Surfing practicing class video

Thoughts of YU-CHI LAI after on land practice:	Thoughts of TING-CHIA CHANG after on land practice:
At the begging the coach taught us some basic knowledge about surfing by a brief talk, including some self-rescue under emergency. After the talk, we lay a cushion on the land emulating the surfboard and then practice some basic skills. We did a movement about taking off while paddling, which is quite hard so that I often stumbled by myself. Then we changed on a real surfboard for practice. After that, the coach took a skateboard to us for another try. It was a difficult and scary task for me in the first place, but then I was getting used to it. The coach showed us how to balance and do some movement on the skateboard, such like drifting.	We gathered at the school at 10 o’clock on Sunday for practicing some surfing movements, recognizing surfing gears, and learning self-rescue. The coach showed us a briefing about self-protection of surfing and some basic skills. The posture of taking off was a bit complicated, but it went better after few times practicing. The coach trained us on a soft pad firstly, and then asked us to do it on a real surfboard. Thereafter, we were brought to the basketball court where the coach placed a skateboard for balance exercising. Surfing for me was somehow sophisticated at the beginning, but I got on pretty interested in that after the practice. And I’m looking forward to the next surfing experience.
Thoughts of TING CHEN after on land practice:	Thoughts of SHIANG-YU CHEN after on land practice:
We learned surfing today. It was not so simple than I thought. Just a few moves made us pant a lot. But I found it really amusing anyway. While we practice, the coach demonstrated the standard movements to us, corrected our mistakes, showed us some clips of surfing and taught us self-rescue skills. Besides, the coach emphasized that safety is the most important thing and taught us recognizing safe water area for surfing. He reminded us what to do if we accidentally injured when surfing and do not let the surfboard go no matter encountered what situation. He showed us the difference between short board and longboard and the way to hold them. What’s more, we practice surfing on the land by a skateboard. It was frightening in my turn to play. However, the coach said that we are going to surf at the beach next week, I have all my expectation toward that.	I was very nervous on the surfing practice yesterday, because I couldn’t stop thinking whether the coach would be horrible and strict. But we found the coach very interesting, funny and gentle as soon as we met him. So my nerve all disappeared. When I was practicing on the surfboard, I couldn’t make the right move at the second step. It might look funny that I wasn’t able to jump up and take off. However I felt it very interesting. And the coach also taught us how to play the skateboard. It was so entertaining that everyone wants to play on the board. One of our classmates fell down all the time. About all, it was a pleasant day. We heard we might go actually surf in the water next time. So I really expect and can’t wait for the next practice.
Thoughts of YIN-REN SU after on land practice:	Thoughts of CHIUN-WEI LIN after on land practice:
We did some exercise of surfing skills on Sunday. The coach mentioned the safety surfing and the common knowledge such like surfing gears and the movement. We were trained to take off on a surfboard. And then the coach brought us to the playground to practice surfing on land, so called skateboarding. It required a good equilibrium to manual well on a skateboard. Although there were a student kept scrambling for the board, everyone still played with much fun. I played it for a long while, because it was so interesting. Hopefully we all have another chance to play it.	Seven classmates and I went to the surfing class, in which we acquainted with a surfing coach. The content of the surfing class is to identify the safe water area, the surfing knowledge and the equipment. The coach taught us everything to prepare before surfing. We also skated on a skateboard at the basketball court, which was really delightful. The coach also mentioned the equilibrium and the stability of surfing, otherwise, one will fall into the water frequently. But one must hold the surfboard tight while falling into the water.
Thoughts of MING-I CHIU after on land practice:
We started our surfing class at school, the teacher of which is the swimming coach of Fuxing primary school. We also helped move the necessary equipment of the class. On the class, the coach instructed that if we were accidentally brought out by the rip current, do not panic and urgent to swim back. He told us to save the status, swim vertically to the wave and then get back to the shore through the trend of the wave. Besides, we were also taught to recognize good waves and bad waves. After the briefing, the coach demonstrated four steps of surfing on a cushion and asked us to follow his order and repeat. Then we started to practice on land surfing on a skateboard at the sports court. The coach’s skateboard is a professional one, and it’s indeed more interesting. The coach revealed that he has three or four more skateboard at his home, which made we thinking about how great it would be if I could have one of my own. And then we took turn to play the board, having a great time. This class makes me be into surfing and skateboarding. It was a harvesting class.