Introduction
The saying goes …
“The best surfer is the one having the most fun — but the better you surf, the more fun you have.”
New surfers tend to zealously pursue progress and growth. That’s a great thing!
But at our surf school we often have students come to us to learn a technique or maneuver that is far beyond their skill level.
And that doesn’t mean we doubt the abilities or talents of the student, or that we’re not willing to help. It’s more the case that (in our humble opinion) working on that particular thing isn’t going to be worth your time at your skill level.
That’s why we have the 1,000 Wave Goal.
The 1,000 Wave Goal
“The first goal of every new surfer should be to catch and ride 1,000 waves; not learn any specific techniques or maneuvers.”
-”The 1,000 Wave Goal” by Stoke Drift Surf School
If you’re beyond 1,000 waves we’ll help you practice any skill you’d like.
But if you’re below 1,000 waves, we’re going to spend most of our effort getting your numbers up. Because before you’ve caught 1,000 waves, you don’t have the awareness for technical adjustments.
How to Become More Aware Surfing
Surfing is overwhelming. The experience is filled with strange and intimidating sounds. You’re putting intense physical effort into catching waves while simultaneously trying to watch and predict their movement. Your body is constantly being manipulated and moved by something you can’t see.
When you’re paying attention to all of these things, it makes it nearly impossible to learn a precise skill. Precision requires specific focus. But for new surfers, your focus is spread thin over a dozen things.
For more advanced surfers, that’s not what the experience feels like. Because they have so much experience, more advanced surfers are able to only pay attention to one or a few details on the wave. They’re able to put 99% of the experience on autopilot.
We want you to feel relaxed, with most movements on autopilot. And we do that by simply giving our nervous system more data and time.
How Your Nervous System Learns to Surf
How do you learn to ride a bike? You might be surprised to realize we don’t actually teach kids to ride bikes. We teach them to do exercises that make riding the bike possible.
That’s because we learn balance and complex movements through our nervous system. Our conscious mind has no say in the matter. One day you try to balance and you do poorly. You go to sleep, wake up the next day, and find that you can balance much more easily.
This is how we learn everything. We try, fail, sleep, and our nervous system makes adjustments. Rinse and repeat.
Trying to force technical adjustments too early is like trying to force your nervous system to balance your bike. You’ll end up frustrated every time. You’re giving directions to part of yourself you don’t consciously control.
Instead, just aim to catch and ride 1,000 waves, by any means necessary. Once your nervous system has that pattern down, you’ll have the awareness to make technical adjustments.
Use the Biggest Surfboard You Can
A common new-surfer mistake is buying a shorter (more difficult) surfboard.
Going too short, too soon, is guaranteed to halt your progress in place.
Many surf breaks are peppered with surfers on expensive mid-lengths who barely catch one wave per session. They did okay starting out, bought a small cute board, and have barely grown for years.
Here’s the bottom line: The only thing that improves your surfing is getting more waves. And the longer your surfboard, the more waves you’ll catch.
So stick with the longest board that — you can tolerate — and your local break can handle.
How to Trust the Process
The 1,000 Wave Goal isn’t easy, it takes a lot of trust and commitment. Here’s how to trust the process and stay the course.
Have Fun
You shouldn’t be doing anything that isn’t fun. Surfing is hard, and if you’re not enjoying it, you won’t have the motivation to continue day-after-day. The best athletes do everything in their power to find joy in their sports.
Part of the reason we have this goal is that focusing on technical aspects too early is going to frustrate you and ruin your good time. This is the “Sport of Kings” — let’s enjoy it!
Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
Here’s something we like to tell first-timers who want to keep surfing:
“We think you’re going to do great today — BUT please know that how you do on this lesson say’s absolutely NOTHING about your potential as a surfer.”
We say that because people put so much pressure on themselves to do well on their first lesson. They think it’s a reflection of their natural athletic ability, or a sign of whether or not they’re talented.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Great surfers are forged through relentless joyful practice — no one starts off great and everyone has a different journey.
We can promise you, if you keep trying, you WILL improve. It is inevitable.
Reserve Self-Judgment
Judging yourself is counterproductive. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you start self-talking negatively, you’ll adopt that reality.
That isn’t to say that we can’t assign any judgments to our actions. But those judgments should end at “that worked, that didn’t work.” We shouldn’t be self-talking about “I should’ve done that” or “I need to be more like this.”
Type-A students think that being hard on themselves is how they improve. We find that type of self-judgment to hinder progress, not boost it.
So try not to judge yourself, don’t compare yourself to others, and do everything you can to maximize the fun!
How long does it take to get 1,000 waves?
Waves Per Session
The math is simple. Start with a rough idea of how many waves you’re averaging per session.
Let’s say it’s 10 waves (for simple math). That means you need 100 sessions to hit the 1,000 wave mark. If you’re surfing twice a week, that’s 1 year to hit the goal. That’s not a long time! It takes years to become a proficient surfer. No one is great their first year.
When you realize how many waves you actually need to advance, it becomes much clearer why things like using a shorter board, or working on a specific maneuver are so stifling. Things that cost you as little as 2 waves per session can delay your progress for another 6 months.
1,000 Isn’t a Magic Number
After reading this long article you’re undoubtedly wondering “why 1,000 waves?”
Well, the truth is, there is no magic number. We say 1,000 because we want you to be absolutely sure you’re ready for the next steps.
How do you know when you’re ready? Here’s the test: are you bored with the waves you’re riding? Are you pumping and turning trying to make things faster and more exciting?
If yes, you should move on to more challenging technical surfing.
When the movements are so on autopilot that you find yourself wishing there was more, you’re ready to advance. Until then, relax and enjoy the fun of your first 1,000 waves.