How to instill in our children a passion for surfing

For many people, surfing is more than just a sport. It is a way of living and understanding life. A philosophy that we wish to pass on from generation to generation. In some way we want to make our children participants in our passion so that they can share the same hobby tomorrow. Many of the surfers who compete or have competed on the professional circuit have inherited from their parents a love of waves and the sea. There are the examples of Alana Blanchard who comes from a family of surfers or that of Mick Fanning, who as a child dreamed of emulating his older brothers and sisters.

On an amateur level, there are many cases too. Different generations strive to square their schedules to go into the water together and experience that unique and inexplicable feeling of riding a wave. But before that happens, there is a long and hard process ahead. Getting the little ones to find in this sport the same fascination as their parents can be more complicated than you think. That’s why we’re going to give you a series of tips that, if put into practice, can be very useful. If this is your case, don’t miss out on the following lines.

Mentor

Don’t hesitate to use your own mentoring skills. Children tend to idolize their parents, who up to a certain age are considered heroes. All it takes is a small investment of a wetsuit and a soft board to give them their first surfing lessons on the shore. Don’t hesitate to go to the gym first and update your biceps. It’s very likely that you’ll have to act as a human motor to push them from behind. There are many videos on the net to learn the movement and not to get injured in the attempt. One of the most popular is that of Chris Hemsworth. The actor, who brings ‘Thor’ to life on the big screen, has posted on his social networks how he teaches his daughter, and the little girl has no shortage of skills because she can stand up at first. Chris, as a good Australian, has been a fan of surfing for many years and is a regular on the Australian coast when his film schedule permits.

Switch from cork to board

It is the natural way to surf. Many children start with a boogie, a cork or a bodyboard. It is an easier way to adapt to the environment, get to know the seas and learn to move in the right time on the wave. By wearing flippers, children have an important extra help to catch the wave without being overtaken by it due to lack of strength. This is the learning process that children follow in many parts of the world and very often in the Canary Islands. There is the example of Yael Peña who in his first pictures in the water, in which you can see him with a cork and some sleeves.

Change does not have to be, far from it, an obligation. Bodyboarding has its own charm and there are those who refuse to give up one sport for another. After all, it’s about instilling in them a love of the ocean and surfing a wave, regardless of the tool they use to ride the waves.

It should be a game, not an obligation

Children assimilate knowledge much better when they interpret it as a game and not as an obligation. Under no circumstances should we buy them a board to encourage them to become the Kellly Slater of the future. Many campaigns have gone viral to eradicate parents who set a bad example from the stands for their children. It is precisely this image that you do not want to convey to your child in the water. There are many games that can be used to improve your child’s coordination, balance, dexterity and learning to master the aquatic environment. Make use of the library called the internet. Go ahead and teach the child how to swim before putting them into practice.

Don’t hesitate to call on experts

Learning is often more effective if it is done in the company of other children. In this way, it will be even easier for them to see surfing as a fun game by associating it with their friends. Surf Summer camp for children as the Calima Surf, are geared towards precisely that.

They have specialized instructors with years of experience in this field to know how to instill in the young ones of the house a passion for this sport. Schools like this one offer courses and exclusive programs for minors lasting one or several days in which they complement surf teachings with parallel activities within their different pack modalities. Bike tours, hiking, diving, excursions, or SUP are some of the many parallel activities they will practice during their stay at a surf camp.

There is no exact age to start

There is no specific age to teach you how to surf. Obviously, the earlier a child acquires the basic knowledge the easier it will be to assimilate it and the more likely it is that the older he or she will be able to ride a wave with ease. The teaching methodology, however, will vary according to age because it is not the same to try to explain to a 4 year old child how to stand up on a board as to one who has 13 springs. Therefore, it will be necessary to adapt it to the age range in which he is in order to obtain the best results and his full attention.

Use the ‘video teaching’ feature

“’What’s he searching for? – ’The ride! T” (CC BY 2.0) by quapan

It is not a patented method, but the truth is that through television more than one gets hooked on surfing. For films and documentaries that are not. From the sixties onwards, there are real cinematic gems within your reach. Many generations have grown up watching ‘films’ such as ‘The Endless Summer’ or ‘They Call Him Bodhi’, to the extent that both films have had sequels. But as the saying goes, the sequels were never any good. No wonder Steven Spielberg has often refused to shoot a sequel to ‘E.T’. Seeing the perfect breaks that the cinema gives away, anyone is curious to try surfing, even if it’s only once. Keanu Reeves himself became interested in surfing after filming ‘They Call Him Bodhi’.