How to Break Down Surfing and Actually Progress
Surfing can feel impossible sometimes. You try to improve your bottom turn, nail a cutback, or even attempt a nose ride – and nothing seems to click. It feels like you’re stuck, frustrated, or worse, training blind.
The solution? Stop trying to do it all at once.
Progress in surfing comes when you break movements into smaller, learnable steps. Instead of jumping from zero to hero, you build skills piece by piece until they naturally connect. That’s how progression-based learning works – and it’s the secret to unlocking long-term improvement.
1. You Can’t Learn Everything at Once
Most surfers paddle out and think they’ll just “learn bottom turns today.” But a proper bottom turn isn’t one movement – it’s a chain of smaller skills. If you don’t understand or feel each piece, you’ll end up repeating mistakes and reinforcing bad habits.
2. Progression Training Works in Every Sport
Think about learning a handstand. You don’t just throw yourself upside down and hope for the best. You first learn how to fall, then how to stack your body, then how to balance. Surfing works the same way – stack the fundamentals before you expect results.
3. Surf Skills That Need Breaking Down
Here’s what progression looks like in practice:
- Nose riding – before you ever step to the nose, you need stance control, basic cross-steps, positioning in the pocket, and only then connecting steps.
- Turns – instead of chasing a “perfect cutback,” isolate your stance, your head direction, and your hip rotation before linking it all together.
- Pop-up – don’t just try to spring to your feet; work on where your eyes go, how your chest leads, and landing in balance.
4. Video Feedback Makes It Obvious
Progression only works if you know what’s missing. That’s why filming yourself – even for 20 seconds – can be game-changing. The camera never lies: if your stance is stacked wrong, if your turns are rushed, you’ll see it instantly.
5. Try, Adjust, Repeat
Breaking down surfing isn’t about being perfect. It’s about experimenting, analyzing, and layering skills. If one step feels impossible, go back to the fundamental before it. That’s how progress works – one piece at a time.
How TRAX Helps Break It Down
Surfing is harder to analyze than most sports – waves are unpredictable, conditions change, and feedback is rare. TRAX makes progress clear by tracking weight shifts, stance, and turn angles in every session. You’ll finally see whether you’re stacking correctly, driving through turns, or cutting corners – so you can fix habits step by step.
Related Reading:
→ Learning to fall in surfing — Why comfort with wipeouts accelerates progress
→ Fix your surf stance – from Poo Man to Power — How better posture unlocks speed and control
→ Look where you go — Head positioning that transforms your surfing
