How Body Surfing Has Made Me a Better Surfer

Picture this: you’ve pushed your limits, broken your leash and you’ve just been caught on the inside without a board. What do you do?

Naturally, instant panic sets in for a lot of us.

Even the thought of this alone causes so many surfers to panic before they’ve even taken off on the wave and as you know, if you tensed up on a wave, you’re not going to be surfing at your best. 

This is where body surfing can really help to boost your confidence and with staying relaxed when surfing.

With body surfing, you quickly realize that it’s all a mental game. Although a hold down might feel like an eternity, it typically lasts only 3 to 10 seconds.

The experience of constantly getting thrown around and dumped teaches you how to stay relaxed underwater and you start to realize how much longer you can hold your breath for if you’re not always panicking to get to the surface.

Just as importantly, body surfing teaches you how to read waves, catch waves, fall, and duck dive very quickly. It tightens the playing field because you can’t move as fast, so you focus on being in the perfect spot to catch whatever is coming your way.

You can get barreled in tiny little tubes, learning where to be to catch the barrel and where to position yourself in the pocket. You also figure out how to exit the wave so that you don’t get sucked over.

Also, it's just insanely fun. Messing around on a low-tide shore break and experimenting with waves that you wouldn’t normally think to surf. So give it a try next time you’re at the beach.