If you choose to surf you’ll be challenged, but the reward is worth it. A large number of people pick up the sport every summer with many giving up in frustration every fall, but if you are able to stay persistent and accept that progress comes slowly, you’ll be rewarded a thousand times over.

The first and the most important thing is to know what you want to achieve before you hit the water. It can be to stand up for the first time, to do your first turn, or to have a ton of fun! You will also want to be at a surf break that has conditions that will work for you to accomplish your goal. Once you have zeroed in on a beach, you’re going to need some gear. Most surf schools in Redondo Beach or any beach for that matter will provide you boards on your first day.

After you have picked your beach and got your gear, it’s time to get in the water:

Take Surfing Lessons- It is recommended that beginning surfers should take one class at the very start of their surfing career. Learning to surf can be very difficult to get right alone and a solid foundation is vital to becoming a successful surfer. Professionals can be instrumental in making you feel comfortable with the admittedly unnatural movements that surfing necessitates. YouTube videos are a great idea as well, but practical learning is key to perfecting the art of surfing.

Practice The Pop Up- No matter whether you decide to take a class or not, you’ll want to begin by learning how to “pop up”- a critical movement that a surfer makes when they transition from a paddling position to a standing position. A quick and balanced pop up is the hallmark of strong surfing.

Get Wet- Spending a good 20-30 minutes practising before your first few sessions will give you a sense of what a good pop up feels like. Once you are comfortable popping up, you’ll want to hit the sea and start looking for whitewash. For your first few sessions, try and catch waves that have already broken and are much easier to get into, instead of striving to catch unbroken waves. Identify the spot where the broken waves (whitewash) are rolling in, face the beach, hop onto your board, and start paddling. Maintain your balance as the wave hits you and once you feel stable, hit the pop up you’ve drilled into your mind. You might fall a few times initially, but eventually you’ll get in the groove.

Once you’ve established your comfort level in the white wash, it is time to move towards unbroken waves. You’re going to need to paddle out past the whitewash, and start developing a critical eye that can identify passing bumps from the real swell.

It will take several hours to become truly competent and a lifetime to perfect, but after you ride that first wave, you’ll want to put that time and effort in.