The Importance of Back Arm Position in Surfing
As a lifelong surfer, surf shop owner, and all-around enthusiast of the sport, I am always looking for ways to improve my performance in the water and on waves.
A lot of what goes into good surfing can only be learned from hundreds of hours in the water, but once in a while I stumble on a piece of advice that is easy to implement and that has an oversized impact on how I surf. Usually, these tips are pretty intuitive and common sense, but also something that I simply haven’t managed to articulate myself.
How to Improve Your Surfing with Back Arm Position
The most recent tip that I’ve come across relates to the position of the back arm while surfing. As explained on this Instagram post, the position of the back arm has a huge influence on the direction the surfboard takes and the efficiency with which it gets there. The video on the post provides a great visual demonstration of how having your back arm facing backward impedes your forward momentum on the board.
Photo Courtesy: https://nauticalchannel.com/
In retrospect, this all seems incredibly obvious, but it was really cool to see how the guy in the Instagram post explained and demonstrated the concept. Regardless of the style of surfing that you enjoy, from small waves to big, and from shortboards to long, I hope that this tip is as helpful for you as it was for me.
Have you stumbled across any other helpful tips online that have improved your surfing? Feel free to share links to them below, so that we can all benefit and surf better!
Have you stumbled across any other helpful tips online that have improved your surfing? Feel free to share links to them below, so that we can all benefit and surf better!
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