Surfing is one of those water sports that is accessible to a lot of people. All one needs is a board and a wetsuit. You rock up to a beach, the waves are pumping, and like that, you jump in. But rather sooner than later, many people find out that surfing is not as easy as those girls and boys out back, with their tiny boards, turning swiftly on the waves, make it look. Far from that.
Especially if you are not one of those lucky ducklings, whose parents went on exotic holidays, and put you on surfing lessons, allowing you to learn the skills from a professional, while you are still free of self-judgement, fear and vain, surfing will present you with a true mirror. However, if you have been lucky enough to have found yourself going on a surf holiday, maybe a surf camp on the Atlantic coastline, an isolated little beach with pearl white sand in Asia or the South Pacific, or perhaps your local beach has suddenly drawn you to go in, giving you the joy of riding waves, you might have been intoxicated with the 'surf virus' anyway. And all in a sudden, being in the ocean, riding waves, is all you want to do. Soon, as you find yourself buying your first wetsuit and board, your desire to ride it in style, will develop. The question is: 'How do I get there in the best possible way?'
Photo: Your coach analysing his own waves in March '23. Private coaching added with photo-video analysis is the best way to learn about your surfing, from take-off, initiating your first turn, to your first snap.
Surfing can be compared to ski'ing when it comes to learning the basics. If no one tells you, you might struggle out there. The mountain however provides a steady downward angled platform to practice. And when you're down the bottom of the hill, you simply swipe your lift pass at the gate, and 'off you go' back up the mountain in ten minutes for another 3km of downward angled slope to practice! How different surfing is.. And your time in the water is limited. So is your energy. The waves aren't good all the time either. So when you do find yourself at a beach, with your board under your arm, and the waves are good, you want to use your time wisely. Here's ten reasons why you should take Private Surf Coaching:
1) Personal approach
It is obvious that no individual is the same. We all have different learning styles too, and our goals in surfing are different for everyone. Some like to learn how to surf a longboard, sliding gracefully down a wave, and feel confident to paddle out by themselves, at any beach they find themselves at. Others like to learn more dynamic surfing, riding a midlength, fish or a shortboard, and have the desire to know every little thing there is to know about navigating the line-up, to safely paddling out in big surf, manouvres, quiver, and travel tips. Getting to know one another, makes that your coach provides exactly what you're aiming for, making every lesson a personal building block in your surf journey.
2) Work at Your level Maybe the most important reason to work with a private surf coach is that you will be coached at the very edge of your next progression. So whether that is 'learning how to take off in an angle', all the way to the very stepping stones one needs to take to perform a 'forehand (FH) snap', your coach will identify that very next progression, that will help you most, and will make you into an adequate surfer. It's often the small things that distinquish the seasoned surfers out there, from the holiday kooks.
3) Photo/video analysis
Part of the private surf coaching journey is photo/video analysis. At some point, your coach will organise a camera operator to take footage of your session. With moving images of your waves, you will be able to see where you can improve, and with your coach, identify the parts in your surfing that need attention. Taking the footage home, it is not only a training tool, it's a nice souvenir, and proof of your progression over a period of time.
4) Surf lingo 'Far out, it's 6 foot at 18 seconds out there, the Point is going to be maxed out, you reckon the reef will hold with this northwesterly? Should I take my stepup out, or my gun? Last time I had so much more hold with the quad, than with the thruster. I'm going to get so shacked today!' - [anonymous surfer] Surfers have a certain language. It is what separates us from skaters, snowboarders, climbers, and BMX'ers. Extreme sports often have an elite group of people, rolemodels who push the limits of their discipline, and it's in video's, interviews from competitions, magazines, and nowadays podcasts, that their language get's transmitted to peers. Both technical terms, as well as odd analogies; your coach is usually well informed in this funny aspect of the surfing culture, and in your time with her/him, it will rubb off on you too ;)!
5) Any time a day; the best time a day Wish to surf when the waves are best, not when the surf school has a 'slot available'? While surfing at your level is important, it is also key to surf when you feel like it, and when you think the waves will be best for you. Living close to a beach that throws plunging barreling waves at low tide, but gives you spilling waves at high tide? - Naturally, when you are a beginner, you'll meet up with your coach at high tide, to learn when it's best for you.
6) Hard earned best practices
A coach basically lives her/his dream, surfing a lot, doing what she/he loves. The amount of time, and sacrifices that takes, is translated in her/his surfing ability, grit, and passion. In surfing, there are a lot of best practices that one learn from the ocean, or get handed over from surfer to surfer. These things aren't written down anywhere. And these best practices came in moments your coach pushed her/himself in unknow territory, or by going out of comfort levels in conditions that required all their skill, and more. Sometimes, a lesson comes so hard, that a visit to the hospital, and/or a longterm injury resulted. 'A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor', is how the saying goes, and this applies to surfers as much as to sailors. Being able to learn from this, puts you in a beneficial position.
7) Stoke levels We surf for fun, always. But being stoked is more than 'I had a good time'. It means you're actually at a level where your surfing is starting to match your aspirations. A beginner can be super stoked, because being able to stand up on the board for about 25 times in a session, absolutely explodes their brain from joy! When you're in that improver/intermediate level, a few good take-offs on a good size unbroken wave, and performing a turn or two stokes you up big time! And when you get to the advanced/expert levels, it's a vertical take-off to a double-hand stall that gets you in the barrel, finishing off with a big snap that'll make you frothing. Or perhaps it's a cross-step to a hang-ten.. When your coach surfs at a satisfying level for her/himself, they will be able to facilitate you getting your stoke levels up as well.
8) Continuity
When you find yourself a coach that suits you, you start a relationship with the aim of growing stoke levels. It's another important factor that determines how quickly you'll grow into the surfer you like to see yourself. When a commitment is made, and a surfer starts to train with a coach on a regular basis, all the work points will be addressed regularly, and the coach will be abe to keep you motivated to reach your goals. Like in everything you want to get better at, continuity is key.
9) Comradery
When you and your surf coach have a good understanding, committed regular session(s) will set you up with a comrad! Many coaches will acknowledge that even years after working with a surfer, they still get messages, or meet up in surf destinations with them. It's heartwarming to stay in touch, supporting one another, and follow each others journey in life, and surfing.
10) Simple economic logic The investment you make in yourself pays off, especially when you make a smart investment. The money you invest in taking private lessons, is money saved on trips, surf camps, group lessons, boards, wetsuits, and perhaps even years of time not really knowing what you're doing out there. On a final note; Effort leads to result, and focussed effort leads to a higher result, or a result in less time.
Photo: Yolanda took private lessons in February '24.
At the start of this month, I had the pleasure of working with Yolanda from Austria. As a beginner surfer, however a trained Acro Yoga Teacher, her ability for surf was promising. We worked together for four sessions, and she was catching unbroken waves on her own. Read her review below:
“With Ivo I felt very safe in the water and each session I’ve learned plenty of new things. He gives the right clues and combines theory with practice. I loved how he was always very attentive and aware of my improvements as well as our reflections after the sessions. Thank you and hope to surf with you again!”
Thanks for reading this article, and get in touch if you like to get a session with me in the calendar! Take it easy,
IB.