Skateboarding and surfing always seem so interesting when others are doing it effortlessly. But the reality is different as soon as you step on a skateboard or surfboard. If you have recently been to a beach, learned surfboarding, and now want to retain the habit, then skateboards are the perfect option for you.
How can you practice surfing on a skateboard? The best way to retain the newly learned surfboarding tricks is to perform them on a skateboard. Tricks such as Carving, Ollie, Stalling, Kick turning, and the boardslide will help you to perfect both the activities.
Read on to know how you can learn the art of surf skate! Let’s get started!
Is Skateboarding Good Practice for Surfing?
Skateboarding is the closest activity that comes to surfing. Surfing is definitely a hard sport because nothing is constant in it. Yet with skateboarding, there is a lot that you can learn to better your surfing skills.
So, let’s look at some of the similarities between both sports to answer the question.
- Stance
In terms of your stance on the board, both the activities are similar to each other. You have to know how to stand on it, how to do a particular trick, and how you can maintain balance. Apart from this, both sports follow similar techniques and movements.
You’ll realize that initially, your body is pretty rigid on both boards. But with regular skateboarding practice, this will improve and so will your stance while surfing.
In both skateboarding and surfing, the feet should remain parallel to the front of the board at a 90-degree angle. The shoulders and head should face forward, looking in the direction you want to go.
Your one foot remains on the front of the board and the other foot on the back which controls all the movements This is the stance or technique that you have to follow in both sports.
- Equipments
Both the sports use boards and decks or planks, to surf or skate at an increased speed. The difference only lies in the size, shape, and accessories attached to it. The size and weight completely depend upon the height and weight of a person.
The basic idea of a board on which you can perform tricks is the same. The other things will definitely change according to the sport. Since you have a board in common, the style of practice becomes similar.
- Technique
The technique between them is also the same concerning how to do the tricks, how to handle the movements, etc. For example, all movement comes from the hips when it comes to turning and directing your board, whether on land or in the water.
And to increase the rider’s speed, a quick pumping (surfing) or tick-tacking (skating) motion is used. Finally, in both sports, hitting the peak of a wave or skating the lip of a half-pipe is used to gain air or turn around and fly down the slope with increased momentum.
- Risks Involved
We can also see similarities between surfing and skating in terms of the risks faced. They both can be hazardous in their own ways. Some of these dangers, however, are similar.
Both the surfing and skating boards are tough and appear to have their own minds at times. Being hit by your board is such a common injury in both sports that it is easy to overlook.
Although people say that skateboarding involves more serious injuries, there is a chance of not coming back to the surface due to a big wave. Moreover, when you fall, a surfboard can hit you on the head and a skateboard can hit you on the shins.
- Culture
Finally, surfing and skateboarding have similar cultures, that is, they have a similar origin story. The obvious similarity is that surfing and skating are outdoor sports done individually. They give free rein to the surfer or skateboarder.
Also, both sports cultures are like rebels and have an unwelcoming attitude towards outsiders.
- Timing
It is really important to understand the timing in both sports. When to turn, at which bump or wave, a specific trick has to be used. Your decision-making skills should be on point and skateboarding will help you achieve that.
- Practice
This point goes out for any type of sport or activity you love. As the saying goes, practice makes a person perfect, so if you cannot surf for a while, then practicing regularly can help you a lot while surfing.
Additionally, repetition of the same tricks also helps you in perfecting the art. So, ride away on your skateboard to learn surfing in a better way.
Is Surfing As Easy as Skateboarding?
Honestly, both the activities are pretty difficult, and it is not easy to maintain your stance on a board. Still, since skateboarding has the support of a stable land, hence, we consider it a bit easier than surfing.
- Technique
Riders believe that skateboarding is harder because people get injured frequently. It also requires very sharp balancing and agility skills for advanced tricks.
Because of the difficulty of taking off on a wave, surfing is typically seen as more difficult than skateboarding. It necessitates difficult abilities such as positioning oneself at the crest, paddling successfully into the wave, and springing up promptly before the drop while adjusting your weight for steering.
- Environment
Surfing is definitely more difficult than skateboarding since it requires a great understanding of the waves which constantly keeps changing. You have to be on your feet to think about your next move.
In skateboarding, the environment is rather easy since you can see everything in front of you. The element of surprise is missing in skateboarding.
- Physical and Mental Fitness
Moreover, surfing requires extreme upper body strength since you have to maintain your stance. A lot of times, surfers fall off the board, so they have to use their upper body strength to get back on the board without falling off again.
This is not to say that skateboarding is easy as it has its own risks involved. Some people have even got brain trauma due to falling off. Balancing, understanding the surface, and learning advanced level tricks is the most difficult task.
Skateboarding began as a way to cross-train for surfing when the waves were not available, but it has now evolved into its distinct discipline.
What Skateboards Do Surfers Use?
Surfers use a specific type of skateboard called surf skates and these are really helpful for both beginners and experts.
Surf skateboards or surf skates are different from normal skateboards but they are the closest to a surfboard. They have been growing parallel to each other since the 90s.
Surf Boards were created in the ’70s to help surfers retain their technique while the ocean was flat or if they were away from the ocean. Surfboards helped the surfers to practice on land.
How To Practice Surfing on Land?
Let’s see some of the tricks of skateboarding that will help you in surfing.
- Carving
Turning or carving are the basic maneuvers of surfing and skateboarding. All you have to do on a skateboard is lean and change your balance by pressing your heels and toes.
Find a flat, unobstructed surface and zigzag down a mild slope for a few minutes. This will improve your bottom-turn and wave carving when surfing.
- Stopping
The breaks are usually applied in skateboarding when you’re going too fast and need to slow down. In surfing, you stop or stall to get back into the energy zone of the waves, also known as getting barreled.
Get a moderate speed on your skateboard and then gently press the tail into the hard surface. You’ll be slowed down by the friction of the board’s deck on the concrete.
The goal is to shift your body weight to the tail of the skateboard without losing your balance or falling off.
The more you put pressure on the tail, the faster you will come to a stop. The same holds true for surfboards.
- Kickturning
While skateboards have wheels, surfboards have fins. So, practically, when you kick-turn a skateboard, you’re also practicing several surfing tricks like the off-the-lip, closeout re-entries, and even cutbacks and tail slides.
In skateboarding, the two back wheels operate as hinges, allowing the front of the board to swing 90, 180, or even 360 degrees in any direction. You can practice the rotation on flat surfaces as well as short ramps.
In any case, the only purpose of this approach is to get your hips moving, your knees bending, and your eyes facing forward in the direction you want to go.
- The Ollie
One of the most important skateboarding maneuvers is the ollie. It’s a simple yet crucial trick that distinguishes between absolute newbies from first-level skilled skateboarders.
In skating, an ollie opens up a whole new realm in surfing. The realm of aerial techniques. It will take some time to get it right, but it’s the best technique to learn.
You should begin by trying it on a carpet or grass to reduce the amount of movement of the board.
Then, put your front foot between the center and the nose, and the backfood over the tail.
Finally, bend your knees, launch into the air, and use your rear foot to kick down the tail of the skateboard. Slide your front foot toward the nose of the board as it pops.
- The Boardslide
The boardslide is a classic skateboard maneuver. This trick tests how much balance you have and you can perform this on ramps, ledges, curbs, and rails.
This is great for surfing, especially if you enjoy tail slides. Skateboarding’s boardslide necessitates the mastery of ollies. You can’t get on the sliding object without a well-executed ollie. You will slip out and tumble if you lean too far back or front.
Surfing follows the same pattern. The key is to maintain your arms up and spread out, and your knees slightly bent.
What Is the Best Skateboard To Practice Surfing?
Although surfing and skateboarding are closely related, you shouldn’t just blindly buy any skateboard if you want to practice. You should always use surf skates or surf skateboards.
Check out the surf skates to practice some of the tricks for surfing:
- Carver Surf Skates
- Swelltech Surf Skates
- Slide Surf Skates
- Surf Skate Miller
- Smoothstar Surf Skates
- Yow Surf Skates
- Waterborne Surf Skates
- Jucker Hawaii Surf Skates
There are lots of options you can pick from and it all depends on your needs and skill level.
Best Surf Skateboard for Beginners
If you’re just a beginner, then here are some of the best surf skates you should look into:
- Landyachtz Surf Skates
- Flow Surf Skates
- Surfeeling Surf Skates
- Slide Surf Skates
- Waterborne Surf Adapter
- Penny High-Line
- Z-Flex Surf Skates
- Carver Surf Skates
There are many options available for beginners and buying the perfect one depends on multiple factors such as stability, affordability, and so on.
Related Questions
What Are Surf Skateboards?
A Surfskate is a skateboard used by beginners for street surfing. The unique front truck enables surfing-like actions. They were specifically created for people to learn without actually depending on the sea.
Is Snowboarding Harder Than Surfing?
Surfing is more difficult than skiing. Surfing is more challenging since you do it on the water, where the conditions are constantly changing. Whereas, snowboarding is simpler since it takes place on a mountain on ski routes that remain in the same location.
How Long Does It Take To Be a Good Surfer?
When you first start surfing, you’ll usually utilize longer, broader boards since they’re simpler to control and help you acquire confidence and competence. If you can devote three to four hours a week to surfing, you should be able to improve your skills in about two years.
Final Thoughts
Practicing surfing on surf skates is not only a beginner’s thing, it can tremendously help people who want to keep in touch with surfing or individuals who want to better themselves in this sport.
Surf skates are a wonderful way to learn both skateboarding and surfing. The few tricks mentioned in this article can kickstart your surf practice on any skateboard.
