12月 04, 2025

Getting Worse So You Can Get Better at Surfing

You Gotta Get Worse Before You Can Get Better at Surfing

Most surfers hit a point where they feel stuck. They put in the time, they show up, but their surfing doesn’t seem to improve. Sometimes it even gets worse. This dip, or lull in improvement can often feel frustrating or embarrassing, and a lot of people turn back at this point.

But here’s the hard truth: Getting worse is part of getting better.
Not only in surfing, but in almost anything worth learning.

The reason for this is simple: Progress requires change, and change usually feels uncomfortable. When you try something new, such as new equipment, new technique, new waves, you’re basically stepping away from what you already know how to do and into the realm of unfamiliarity. You’ll feel awkward, you’ll fall more, and you’ll miss waves you used to catch easily. It will feel like you’re moving backwards and progress will feel stagnant.

But the secret is: The short backward step is usually the price you pay to level up.

So, where does this “backwards” progress show up in surfing?

1. Going Lower in Volume Makes You Surf Worse… at First

As you improve, you’ll probably move toward boards with lower volume, and that’s totally normal. Lower-volume boards let you turn sharper, surf more vertically, and generally make it easier to do more radical maneuvers.

But the transition is rough.

When you first step onto a smaller board, a few things will happen:

You catch fewer waves.
You have to paddle harder and position yourself better.
You need cleaner technique to pop up smoothly.
You have less margin for error when reading the wave.

Your sessions might feel like you’ve forgotten how to surf. You’ll feel sluggish in the lineup, paddle for waves you would’ve caught easily on a higher-volume board, and the board may often slide out from right under you!

But if you stick with it, session after session, you’ll build the paddle power, timing, and positioning that smaller boards demand. Suddenly, something will click and you’ll be catching waves again, but this time with more control and freedom. You’ll be able to put your board where you want it and be able to push your surfing in ways your bigger board never allowed.

The temporary “worse” phase is what unlocks long-term improvement.

2. Changing Your Technique Breaks Your Surfing (Before It Fixes It)

Any technical improvement comes with a messy middle, especially in surfing. If you’re working on your bottom turn, your top turn, your pop-up, or generating speed, you will disrupt your normal flow.

This is because you’re attempting to rewire movement patterns you’ve repeated thousands of times. That’s something that isn’t going to feel smooth on day one.

You’ll probably make mistakes like angle your board too low, engage the rails too late, or often bury the nose in the water or lose speed in sections where you didn’t before.

It can feel like you're suddenly worse at everything you thought you already knew, but this is exactly what the learning process looks like. The old habit has to fall apart before the new one can take its place.

The key in this unsettling situation is not to panic or backtrack.
Resist the idea to rush back to the “comfortable” version of your surfing.

Instead, try letting yourself be bad for a bit and you will see, this awkward stage means you're in the place for progress.

The Mindset That Makes the Process Easier

The surfers who progress the fastest aren’t always the most talented or the strongest. They’re often the ones who understand that growth isn’t linear.

Here’s a tip: If you expect to get worse before you get better, then the tough sessions won’t surprise you. They won’t make you frustrated or emotional, and you’ll recognize them for what they are, which is a necessary part of the journey to getting better at something you love.

This mindset lets you relax into the struggle instead of fighting it.
When you can do this, the whole process becomes much easier and much more enjoyable.

The Bottom Line

If your surfing feels worse right now, it doesn’t mean you’re failing, it means you’re on the right track.

New board → awkward period → more freedom for performance
New technique → messy middle → better habits, cleaner lines and more control
Therefore, awkward periods + messy middles = necessary moments for long-term growth

So don’t run from the phase where everything feels harder. Alternatively, try doing the opposite. The discomfort that you will feel is usually the gateway to the next level of your surfing.

Embrace getting worse, that’s how you get better.

Enter the Basis Paddle Trainer.

I've gone months without surfing and rolled up to pumping swell and surfed 3 hr sessions, multiple times a day, day after day after day, by using the Basis Paddle Trainer.

Train anytime, anywhere, so you can catch more waves and have more fun.

Unlike elastic resistance bands, swimming in the pool, or funky gym workouts these things actually work.

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