Hi and welcome to an introduction on how to become a good or professtional bodyboarder.
I am first going to tell you the steps in which you need to take in order to start out correctly.
BOARD: buy a bodyboard, either a bat tail or cresent/clipped tail. a prefer cresent because it is better for ground wave tricks because the back doesnt dig in, but its up to you. next it must at least have channels, these are channel like scoops that are on the bottom of a bodyboard that are for stability and control, they also help with speed and tricks to.
ii) Make sure the board has atleast one stringer, a stringer is a rod or long piece of hard plastic specially designed and built into the board for strength and durabilaty and therefore is an essential so the board doesnt snap or wear/bend.
iii) A leash so obvious but yet so many people dont have one, you dont want to loose the board now do you!
FINS: next....your gonig to want to buy fins, bodyboarding fins. these are what power you through the water in order to propel yourself onto a wave, not only are they essential for catching the wave but also for doing tricks. such as spins and drop-knee.
WETSUIT: this is essential for comfort, grip and warmth, a wetsuit is the way to go and why most bodyboarders where them over boardies.
RIDING THE WAVE: The most important part about riding the wave is where your hands are postioned when going left or when going right. if you are going left u must have your left hand in the front left corner of your board and your right hand held onto the right rail in about the middle of the board. when going right. its opposite.....so therefore if you are going right u must have your right hand in the front right corner of your board and your left hand held onto the left rail in about the middle of the board.
Your feet and fins should be bangling behind you freely and not dragging behind in the water, thus causing friction and slowing you down, if you want to hit those big sections you will need speed!
PADDLING AND DUCKDIVING: Ok this is the easier part. in order to paddle you just need to have deep and long strokes whilst having your body postioned just above centre on the board. no good slouching back trying to paddle. have your head in line with the end of the board.
ii) Duckdiving is abit harder and can take some time perfecting. first, when approaching the whitewash to duckdive your want to get a fast and p[owerful paddle in for speed, then your want to start pushing down with both arms on each rail jsut past the centre from about 1m away. after you have the front nose of your board in the water you now want to take either the left or right knee depeding, and dig it into the water by placing your knee of the bottom centre of your board, (this is much easier if you have a cresent tailed board) and push down hard to even out the board. it is a push down of the arms and a lift up of the back with your knees. try this in your pool for practise.
THANK YOU FOR READING MY TIPS ON WHAT TO GET AND HOW TO START OUT BODYBOARDING. MY NEXT BLOG WILL TALK ABOUT HOW TO DO BASIC TRICKS AND WHICH SPOTS TO HIT UP AND HOW DIFFERNT BREAKING WAVES EFFECT YOUR RIDE AND YOUT POTENTIAL TO GET BETTER!
By: Paul Griffiths
Age: 16
Gold Coast, Queensland
Australia
I am first going to tell you the steps in which you need to take in order to start out correctly.
BOARD: buy a bodyboard, either a bat tail or cresent/clipped tail. a prefer cresent because it is better for ground wave tricks because the back doesnt dig in, but its up to you. next it must at least have channels, these are channel like scoops that are on the bottom of a bodyboard that are for stability and control, they also help with speed and tricks to.
ii) Make sure the board has atleast one stringer, a stringer is a rod or long piece of hard plastic specially designed and built into the board for strength and durabilaty and therefore is an essential so the board doesnt snap or wear/bend.
iii) A leash so obvious but yet so many people dont have one, you dont want to loose the board now do you!
FINS: next....your gonig to want to buy fins, bodyboarding fins. these are what power you through the water in order to propel yourself onto a wave, not only are they essential for catching the wave but also for doing tricks. such as spins and drop-knee.
WETSUIT: this is essential for comfort, grip and warmth, a wetsuit is the way to go and why most bodyboarders where them over boardies.
RIDING THE WAVE: The most important part about riding the wave is where your hands are postioned when going left or when going right. if you are going left u must have your left hand in the front left corner of your board and your right hand held onto the right rail in about the middle of the board. when going right. its opposite.....so therefore if you are going right u must have your right hand in the front right corner of your board and your left hand held onto the left rail in about the middle of the board.
Your feet and fins should be bangling behind you freely and not dragging behind in the water, thus causing friction and slowing you down, if you want to hit those big sections you will need speed!
PADDLING AND DUCKDIVING: Ok this is the easier part. in order to paddle you just need to have deep and long strokes whilst having your body postioned just above centre on the board. no good slouching back trying to paddle. have your head in line with the end of the board.
ii) Duckdiving is abit harder and can take some time perfecting. first, when approaching the whitewash to duckdive your want to get a fast and p[owerful paddle in for speed, then your want to start pushing down with both arms on each rail jsut past the centre from about 1m away. after you have the front nose of your board in the water you now want to take either the left or right knee depeding, and dig it into the water by placing your knee of the bottom centre of your board, (this is much easier if you have a cresent tailed board) and push down hard to even out the board. it is a push down of the arms and a lift up of the back with your knees. try this in your pool for practise.
THANK YOU FOR READING MY TIPS ON WHAT TO GET AND HOW TO START OUT BODYBOARDING. MY NEXT BLOG WILL TALK ABOUT HOW TO DO BASIC TRICKS AND WHICH SPOTS TO HIT UP AND HOW DIFFERNT BREAKING WAVES EFFECT YOUR RIDE AND YOUT POTENTIAL TO GET BETTER!
By: Paul Griffiths
Age: 16
Gold Coast, Queensland
Australia
