Surf Better (Paperback)

From the author of Adventures of a Journeyman Surfer

Latest edition: v.2.0, revised, expanded and improved. Longboard + Shortboard, with new images and detailed explanations. Includes detailed Shortboard section* with multiple images and analysis of common moves including off-the-lip and aerials, plus common errors to avoid.
• New information, additional graphics, more detailed explanations.
• New layout for easier reading (and Kindle viewing).
*For an all-shortboard experience try the DVD: Surf Better - Shortboard in both Regular and Goofy-foot editions.

Surf Better is a must-have book for surfers, ocean-goers and anyone looking for a simple, effective way to get in shape and stay there. A complete surfing program including fitness, tactics and techniques, wave knowledge, and more. Fully illustrated.
• Instructional surfing photos
• Surfing technique and check list
• Dry Land Surf School with workouts and agility drills
• Understanding waves and swell direction
• Surfing a new break
• How to read waves, rips and boils
• Using tides and currents.

PART I: SURFING TECHNIQUE
Preparation and Takeoff – Getting pitched, pearling: waves & tactics – Takeoff tips – Dealing with Backwash – Turns – Shortboard Action: Turns, Off-the-lip/foam, Air – Turning: Arm, Shoulder and Upper-body Action – Outside arm snap – Form Follows Function – Turning off of the Foam – Turn or Snap off the Lip – Off the lip/Snapback: step by step details – Off the Lip and Air – Getting Air – Common Errors – Foot Position – Frontside vs. Backside – Cross-stepping and Nose riding – Technical Practice Checklist – Leash Management and the “Houdini Moment”

PART II: KNOW YOUR OCEAN
Sea, swell and waves - Wave formation and propagation – How waves travel – How fast do waves move? – What defines “deep water” and “shallow water?” – Ocean facts

PART III: KNOW YOUR BREAK
Swell direction and the "magic number" - Tides - Wave refraction and Island wave shadows - The effects of wind – How waves behave in shallow water - Interpreting swell information – Understanding size vs. power – Using reef boils – Using currents

PART IV: DRY LAND SURF SCHOOL
Full flexibility, agility and surf simulation section with dozens of exercises and workout packages.

“…then he floated an "Off the lip, center my ass by bringing my board back under me recovery"—pretty awesome move and proof that his book is working.”

NOTE on the images

Some readers have expressed dissatisfaction that the images in the book are black and white, not full color. Using color images in the print edition would have required a price of $40 or $50 per book just to break even. Clearly this was not an option. (The images in the Kindle edition are all the original full color.)

There have also been some comments about the quality of the images. One problem is that printing on glossy or semi-gloss paper (which would have preserved the image quality) would also raise the cost to a prohibitive level. Again, the images in the Kindle edition look better than those in the print edition because there is no issue of paper quality.

The other problem is that the best image in terms of quality is not always the best image to illustrate the point at hand. Taking good surf pictures is really pretty easy (shoot at 7 to 12fps and you’re guaranteed to capture some great moments), but getting a good, clear image to illustrate a particular point, with the surfer’s foot or arm or body in exactly the position you want to discuss, is amazingly hard. For the purposes of this book, sometimes demonstrating the point had to take precedence over maximum quality.

Dave Rearwin grew up surfing in Southern California in the 1950s with a crew that included legends like Rick Naish, Carl Ekstrom and Butch Van Artsdalen. He transitioned from balsa to foam, from longboards to shortboards, and from the no-leash, no-wetsuit era to the ease and comfort we enjoy today.

Surf Better is the product of his long and varied experience with all phases of surfing.
Responding to the needs of surfers of all skill levels, including those returning after long layoffs or recovering from injuries, he also developed a series of non-destructive, zero-impact, surf-specific exercises—exercises which proved their worth by allowing him to get back into surfing after non-surfing injuries forced a layoff of several years. These are included in the Dry Land Surf School section.