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Courage means overcoming your fears in surfing
You are in the Atlantic for the first time in your life and you realise that the waves are not as small as in your bathtub?
Or everything reminds you of a very unpleasant experience in your past? A friend has dragged you into the surf course but you're not quite sure if you really want to learn it? It is true that you want to get to the peak of the wave but it seems that the god of the sea has other plans? You really want to surf but today (and yesterday and tomorrow) it's too hot, too cold, too cloudy, the wave is not perfect enough or "exceptionally" you're not in shape?
What in concrete terms am I afraid of?
Every surf teacher knows these situations very well. The fear in surf can be expressed in very different ways. Some psychology: The question "What am I really afraid of?" offers a good opportunity to better understand your own fear and makes it easier to overcome it. In sport, the following forms of anxiety usually occur: fear of injury, fear of losing orientation, fear of helplessness in a situation, fear of failure and fear of making a fool of oneself.
However, it is true that any fear blocks mental processes, especially learning processes, and can lead to inappropriate reactions. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid the occurrence of fear or to overcome it.
How can I overcome fear in surfing?
Before the surf course
- Familiarise yourself with the water and get in shape by swimming, diving and jumping into the water.
- Dedicate yourself to the subjects of surf safety, wave theory and ocean currents.
- Take surfing serenely and not too seriously or with exaggerated ambitions.
Contact creates sympathy - getting to know the waves
- Start experimenting and having fun in the waves without a board in the shallow water.
- How do you have to stand so that the wave doesn't knock you over?
- Where does the current go in front of the wave and where behind it?
- What is the best technique for jumping over the waves?
- Where is the best place to pass the waves diving, just below the surface or very deep?
- When is the best time to dive?
- Try to swim with the wave and let yourself be carried a little bit by it.
Try not to take it too seriously
"From a fun swim to surfing" is the optimal approach. Falling is part of surfing and can even be a lot of fun. Enjoy floating for a moment like a fish in the water and be amazed by the beauty of the sun's rays entering the water as you slowly emerge.
All surfers started like this
Of course! There are five water polo pros in your group who have been snowboarding for years, and you're wondering why they still need a surfing course. Never mind! And don't constantly ask yourself whether you're making a good impression. Everyone has to go at his/her own rhythm! And whether the others find you nice certainly doesn't depend on whether you have to sign autographs on the beach or not ...
And courage can also mean that sometimes you don't get in the water when the waves are really too big for you. Above a certain wave height all surfers are afraid. The only difference is the height one dares to surf. This limit can be 1 m for one and more than 3 m for another.
