So you just picked up a new hobby and are probably wondering how long it takes to be good at surfing.
First of all, congrats to your new addiction. You will never look at the ocean with the same eyes. From now on, any time you see it, you will always scan it for some possible lines you could surf. We all do. 🙂
Let me ask you a question first.
What is your definition of being good at surfing?
For some, it could mean having fun when they are in the water. For others, it could be mastering all the manoeuvres. For me, it means to connect with the wave, be in the moment and enjoy every second of it.
What would you say? It’s easier to hit the target if you know what you are after.
My other question to you would be…
How often are you willing to take ACTION?
If you take one class a year or one class a week, you can achieve in 8 weeks, something that someone else might take eight years. If you can go twice a week you can get there in 4 weeks.
To become good at surfing, you must invest time and effort. It’s like with anything in life.
I bet you wouldn’t expect to hit the gym once and get all the muscles you desire, right?
What kind of physical activities have you practiced in your life
I keep reminding our students that it’s not about their talent but about their effort. We often compare ourselves when looking at the guy/girl beside us. We can’t see that this is our chapter one, while it could be their chapter twenty.
What I mean by it is that we all don’t start from the same position. You probably don’t see that the person has been competing in snowboarding before or skateboarding when he was little.
Anything from dancing, gymnastics, swimming, horseback riding, yoga, etc., can already help you to speed up the process.
With this in mind, please don’t get frustrated if you haven’t done so.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao tzu
Your mindset matters
What kind of meaning do you give to failure?
Is it something you take as a part of your learning process and see as a way of getting better? (growth mindset)
Or do you take a failure as fatal and tend to give up because you believe you aren’t gifted for it? (fixed mindset)
Your mindset will determine how fast you progress because our thinking often keeps us in our comfort zone. And it’s not given by nature. We can change it. I’m the proof as I used to have one, too, but working on myself has helped me to shape into a more empowering one.
The comfort zone is a very sweet place, but there is no evolution there.
Final thoughts
To conclude, I hope you have a better idea now of your definition of being good at surfing. Possibly, you are planning how to cut your working hours and spend more time by the ocean side and surf, haha.
Perhaps you can add a few more new activities, such as yoga or surfskate, to your box of new hobbies.
Finally, have fun and enjoy the process.
And if you like to donate a few euros to help me develop this site I would be very grateful.