Do you ever feel like you suck at surfing?

Do you ever feel like you suck at surfing? Like you're the worst surfer in the lineup? Like you're not making any improvements? Do you ever watch really good surfers and think, "If only I were at that level, I’d never feel frustrated, never feel like I suck, never get bummed?"

The truth is everyone struggles—at every level.

I realized this after two conversations on the same day:

1. A beginner surfer friend had a bad session and was like “I suck at this!”
2. Ridge Lenny (pro surfer) told me he felt the exact same way while working on his technique.

Even at the highest level, surfers still hit roadblocks. Everyone goes through the same emotional roller coaster. Everybody has bad days. Everybody has good days.

Why beginners improve faster

If you’re a developing surfer, remember:

• Your improvement rate is faster than an advanced surfer’s.
• The joy of surfing comes from learning and progressing.
• At higher levels, improvement takes way more time and effort.

Example: Matt Meola’s struggle for airs

Matt Meola once told me about spending six to eight hours in the water—sometimes for days—just waiting for the right section to land an air he was working on.

Compare that to a beginner who gets stoked just from catching a long green wave. That kind of instant progress is much harder to find once you get to a certain level. 

Keep perspective

It’s important to keep things in perspective. It’s easy to think the grass is greener, to look at advanced surfers and assume they have it all figured out, but if anything, they struggle even more. They’re pickier about waves, harsher on themselves when they don’t perform because they have such high expectations, and still battle with the same frustrations.

Remember the key to progression...

is a higher wave count, and the key to a higher wave count, is more paddle power. Not to mention, nothing is more frustrating than missing waves or feeling exhausted because you don’t have enough paddle power.

Enter the Basis Paddle Trainer.

I've gone months without surfing and rolled up to pumping swell and surfed 3 hr sessions, multiple times a day, day after day after day, by using the Basis Paddle Trainer.

Train anytime, anywhere, so you can catch more waves and have more fun.

Unlike elastic resistance bands, swimming in the pool, or funky gym workouts these things actually work.

Check it out at www.surfbasis.com

For a deep dive customer testimonial from one of our early beta testers check out: