Surfing - Learn to Long Board in Six Easy Steps

So, you've sat on the beach watching all those cool surf dudes dancing around on the waves and you really want to get out there and join them. A good place to start is on a long board, you can hop up on greater variety of waves and you'll feel a whole lot more stable than on a short board. Get to grips with surfing the long board and you'll soon be gagging for more. Read on for a guide on how to get started...Step one

You can hire a long board form a local surf shop, they should be able to help you match the board to your body size. Rent for half a day or a day, or longer if you have time. Practice makes perfect after all. Depending on where you are surfing and the time of year you might just want to hire a wet suit too, we don't want you getting to cold now do we, you are going to be in the water a lot after all....

Step two

When you get to the waters edge strap you board to your back ankle. Hopefully you know which your back foot is going to be. Left foot forward is a regular stance; right foot forward is a goofy stance. A good way to find out if you are regular or goofy foot is to put on some socks and run then slide along on a hard shiny floor, whichever foot you naturally put forward will be your front foot on a surf board...

Step three

To start with you need to get used to the board, find some calm water near the shore, lie down on the board and paddle around. Get used to the balance and weight distribution necessary to get the board gliding around with the least amount of effort.

Step four

OK you ready to hit the waves, but only the little foamy breakers. Paddle further out to where the small waves are breaking and you're in the rolling foam. Point your board back towards the shore. When you see the next wave coming, paddle hard, keeping the board pointing forwards. Don't be surprised if to end up in the drink a few times before you get the hang of this, but you should soon get the balance issues sorted and you'll know when you've caught the wave right as you'll be able to ride it all the way to the shore.

Step five

Now you've learned how to catch a wave lying on your stomach its time to start standing up. You should know by now at what point the wave is carrying you without you having to paddle, this is the time to pop up onto your feet as smoothly and quickly as possible. Get up as soon as you can as you'll have better stability the faster you are going.

Step six

Practice as much as you can without drowning, as you progress you will be able to start catching the small waves before they break. You will be able to learn how to make the board go faster and slower by moving your weight around on the board and as you get better you should be able to turn your board 'down the line' in the direction the wave is breaking. When you can do that you are well on the way to becoming a surf dude.

Steve Batchelor is a Extreme Sports enthusiast and the webmaster at www.extremesportguides.com where you can find some great information on many different extreme sports. He also recommends infogoldmine for more info on extreme sports as well as many other subjects.