The #1 Surf Training Mistake (And What to Do Instead)
The Best Surf Training (And What Most Surfers Get Wrong)
There are endless options when it comes to surf training. Balance boards, surf skates, yoga, strength training, resistance bands, pool workouts—you name it. And while some of these can help, most surfers don’t know what to prioritize.
This article breaks down surf training by order of importance using a simple idea from strength training called the Theory of Constraints. Basically, the idea is this: your progress is limited by your biggest weakness. Fix that first, and everything else gets better.
Let’s look at surf training through that lens.
1. Paddling: The #1 Limiting Factor
If you can’t paddle well, you don’t catch waves. And if you don’t catch waves, nothing else matters.
If you have endless amounts of time, then just go surf!
Most surfers—especially adults with jobs, families, and busy lives—don’t get enough water time to keep paddle fitness up. The best solution? Train paddling at home.
Best option: The Basis Paddle Trainer
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Use it 10–20 minutes a few times a week
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Builds shoulder endurance, upper back strength, and cardio
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Time-efficient and easy to set up
No other dryland training gives you this much return for this little time.
2. Mobility and Injury Prevention
A lot of surfers ignore this, especially as they age. But if you’ve got pain in your back, hips, knees, or shoulders, it won’t matter how good your technique is. You’ll either surf in pain or not surf at all.
Start with these steps:
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Identify nagging pains or old injuries
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Do mobility work or PT exercises consistently
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Focus on joint health: shoulders, hips, spine, and ankles
If you can’t move well, you can’t surf well. Keep it simple and consistent.
3. The Pop-Up: Your Gateway to Riding Waves
Once you’ve paddled into a wave, the next barrier is getting to your feet. If your pop-up is slow or unstable, you’re basically bodyboarding.
Pop-up training priorities:
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Build explosive upper-body strength
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Practice on land regularly (short sessions work)
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Video yourself to check form and speed
If you struggle with the pop-up, it's worth training directly until it becomes second nature.
4. Strength Training: Legs and Core
Once you're on your feet, you need strength and control to stay low, pump, and drive through turns. But you don’t need 10 different surf-specific exercises. You can get 90% of the benefit with just two lifts.
Do this:
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Back Squats (full range) — targets quads, hips, and core
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Romanian Deadlifts (straight leg) — focuses on hamstrings, glutes, and lower back
Stick with:
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3 sets of 10 reps each
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Focus on form to avoid injury
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Get coaching if you’re new to lifting
These two lifts train almost your entire lower body and core in a way that translates directly to how you move on a wave.
5. Everything Else (Bonus, Not Essential)
This is where most surfers start, but it should come last.
Examples:
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Balance boards / Indo boards: Fun, but not essential. Better as a warm-up or add-on.
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Surf skates / Carvers: Good for practicing technique, but risky if you teach yourself bad habits. Get coaching or follow a solid program.
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Surf-specific HIIT circuits: Can help, but not needed if you’re short on time.
These tools have their place, but they won’t fix your surfing if you can’t paddle, pop up, or stay low on your board.
The Right Order Matters
Here’s a simple progression to follow:
- Fix your paddle fitness
- Handle injuries and mobility issues
- Train your pop-up
- Build leg and core strength
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Add bonus tools like balance boards and surf skates
A lot of surfers skip to step 5 because it looks fun or feels like surfing. But unless you’ve taken care of the basics, you're just putting a fancy coat of paint on a cracked foundation.
Final Thought
Surfing well is about doing the simple things right—paddling strong, popping up clean, staying low, and generating speed. Once that’s second nature, then you can focus on doing turns.
Don’t chase the flashy stuff too early. Fix what’s actually holding you back.
Enter the Basis Paddle Trainer
Start building paddle fitness before the swell hits. Match your training to the type of break. It’s the easiest way to boost your wave count—and your progression.
Use the Basis Paddle Trainer to train your paddling anytime, anywhere, so you can catch more waves and have more fun.
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For a deep dive customer testimonial from one of our early beta testers check out
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