You are not really up and surfing unless you can pop up and stand on the board while it is on a wave. The act of popping up is a very scary endeavour at first, yet it is the key to surfing glory. Getting the hang of this vital surfing move really is just a matter of practice and time. Practice, practice, practice. Most beginners find that practicing a pop-up on the beach helps tremendously before trying it in the water. Learning this skill is good exercise and builds important muscle and strength.

When you are just beginning, it is a fantastic idea to practice popping up on a surface that’s stable and flat. Anything like beach sand or grass will do. Your living room floor works a treat for this! Begin with your belly on the floor. Then, like a push-up, extend your arms and raise your torso up, keeping your belly button close to the floor. One second after that movement, swing your knees through your arms and jump up into a crouching position with your stronger foot slightly farther back. Throughout this movement, concentrate on your balance. Your knees should still be bent and will act as shock absorbers while riding down the face of the wave. Practice popping up on land several times in a row, making sure your end position is the same each time. Keep your eyes looking forward at the beach and do not look down at your feet. Your weight should slightly favour your front foot once you’ve popped up into your crouched standing position. Eventually that initial crouch position will feel automatic even when you’re on the board in the water.

Balance is the critical ingredient to popping up. As you catch the wave, your body should be positioned perfectly in the centre of your board. If you are too far forward on your board, you will “pearl,” which means the nose of your board will catch the wave and you will fall forward before being able to pop up. If you are too far back on your board, you will not be able to catch the wave either. Find a happy medium in the centre of your board before you begin paddling for the wave, which you can remember by the feel of it and also by some marker or label on the board itself. Quite often there is a surfboard label on the deck of the surfboard that you can use to situate yourself before paddling for a wave.