Bodyboarding is a very popular water sport. You can learn how to bodyboard at any age. If you're committed to catching your first wave, take a look at the best tips for novice boogie boarders.
Every kid should own a bodyboard. Today, you can find an inexpensive board in any leading sporting goods retailer. With twenty dollars, you get a nice polyethylene foam slick model.
Bodyboarding has a fast learning curve, but that doesn't take any merit away from the sport.
You can start sliding down the face of the wave in less than 24 hours, and you might need a week - or more - to land an el rollo. It varies from person to person.
Bodyboarding is an exciting experience for kids and a thrilling adventure for the elderly. Enjoy your first boogie boarding waves, and spread the stoke.
If you just want to have fun and simultaneously impress your friends and family, tick the following boxes.
You'll become a complete novice bodyboarder in no time. Here's how to complete bodyboarding's beginner level in a couple of days.
1. Get Acquainted with the Ocean
If you want to start bodyboarding, you should know how to swim and feel comfortable in the rough surf.
So, take your time and get acquainted with the surf zone and the breaking of the waves.
2. Wax Your Board
Getting a good grip between your chest and the bodyboard is key to riding a wave.
Wax up your bodyboard and make sure you'll never lose traction in critical moments.
3. Wear a Wetsuit
Keeping your body warm and cozy increases your confidence levels and allows you to spend more time in the water.
Get a comfortable neoprene wetsuit, especially if you're surfing above or below the equator.
4. Learn How to Read a Wave
Not all ripples are good for wave riding.
You've got to learn how to identify the best - or rideable - waves to optimize your session and have more fun.
5. Start Riding Whitewater Waves or Small Rollers
Understand how your body should position on the bodyboard and how the energy of broken waves pushes you towards the shore.
The best way to figure out the waves' motion is by riding the whitewash before moving to knee-high waves.
6. Leave the Swim Fins on the Beach
You don't need to add complexity to the initial wave-riding phase.
So start paddling for the first waves using your arms and feet only.
7. Always Wear a Leash
If you wipe out, the leg rope will keep your board at arm's reach.
Leashes are mandatory for beginners and professional bodyboarders alike. It's not a matter of style or preference - it's a basic safety piece of equipment.
8. Keep Centered on the Board and Raise Your Chest
A correct body positioning will help you glide across the water effortlessly.
Once you figure out how to stay comfortable on top of a bodyboard, everything else will be simpler and easier.
9. Ride a Wave Until the End
In the early stages, you should learn how the board reacts to the different phases of each ride.
So, try to get the most out of each wave and pay attention to how you should adjust your body throughout the entire ride.
10. Train Your Duck Dive to Perfection
If a sneaker wave breaks in front of you, you will be ready to dive underneath the water explosion.
Duck diving is a fundamental wave-riding technique that will save you a lot of time and energy.