I wrote this book with the confidence of 25 years teaching and coaching surfing and feel I have established a technique that will help beginner to intermediate surfers learn and reach their potential faster while staying safe and respectful to other surfers and the ocean. I have used my techniques to help surfers of all levels while keeping in mind the different body types people have and hope you enjoy the techniques and teachings the book provides. You can view the slide up technique and a few other things I teach in the book on YouTube under Natural Surf Technique to better help you understand and connect the techniques better. Enjoy and better safer surfing, Frank Caronna(Author owner and surf coach for Natural Surf Technique)

Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer, uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Do you remember your thundering heartbeat on that first BIG day? Or the pure joy of those early morning paddle-outs with your original set of surf buddies? Or the uncertainty of splashing into a 45-degree winter ocean while encased in more rubber than the Creature from the Black Lagoon\?Then spin your board around and drop into this captivating set of surf stories. But don't worry if you've never climbed into a Michelin Man-like layer of neoprene for a wintertime wave fix. All you need to enjoy Surf Lessons is your sense of adventure and a sense of humor. And be ready to shake the sand from your trunks and the water from your ears as you turn the final page.

Move over, dude! The Kook’s Guide to Surfing shows what it means to be a real surfer. This clever, often hilarious guide shares with kooks (those guys on surfboards who just don’t get it yet) the truths and know-how of a lifelong wave-lover. The secret: surfing responsibly and sharing the waves. You don’t have to be “too cool for school” to be cool in the water. But surfing like a pro isn’t just about courtesy, and neither is The Kook’s Guide to Surfing. The ultimate guide to great surfing, it’s got tips on choosing the right board for the right wave, stances and paddling, avoiding injuries and staying safe, and—once all that has been mastered—how and where to show off your skills in the big competitions. Other topics include: First lessons and helpful tips Physical fitness Types of waves Surf etiquette Buying surfboards An index of the best surf locations Filled with witty illustrations, a glossary of surfing terminology, and fun “Hey, Kook!” trivia, The Kook’s Guide to Surfing will turn even the greenest beginners into knockout surfing pros.

Discover how the freedom of sucking at something can help you build resilience, embrace imperfection, and find joy in the pursuit rather than the goal. What if the secret to resilience and joy is the one thing we’ve been taught to avoid? When was the last time you tried something new? Something that won’t make you more productive, make you more money, or check anything off your to-do list? Something you’re really, really bad at, but that brought you joy? Odds are, not recently. As a sh*tty surfer and all-around-imperfect human Karen Rinaldi explains in this eye-opening book, we live in a time of aspirational psychoses. We humblebrag about how hard we work and we prioritize productivity over play. Even kids don’t play for the sake of playing anymore: they’re building blocks to build the ideal college application. But we’re all being had. We’re told to be the best or nothing at all. We’re trapped in an epic and farcical quest for perfection. We judge others on stuff we can’t even begin to master, and it’s all making us more anxious and depressed than ever. Worse, we’re not improving on what really matters. This book provides the antidote. (It’s Great to) Suck at Something reveals that the key to a richer, more fulfilling life is finding something to suck at. Drawing on her personal experience sucking at surfing (a sport she’s dedicated nearly two decades of her life to doing without ever coming close to getting good at it) along with philosophy, literature, and the latest science, Rinaldi explores sucking as a lost art we must reclaim for our health and our sanity and helps us find the way to our own riotous suck-ability. She draws from sources as diverse as Anthony Bourdain and surfing luminary Jaimal Yogis, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Jean-Paul Sartre, among many others, and explains the marvelous things that happen to our mammalian brains when we try something new, all to discover what she’s learned firsthand: it is great to suck at something. Sucking at something rewires our brain in positive ways, helps us cultivate grit, and inspires us to find joy in the process, without obsessing about the destination. Ultimately, it gives you freedom: the freedom to suck without caring is revelatory. Coupling honest, hilarious storytelling with unexpected insights, (It’s Great to) Suck at Something is an invitation to embrace our shortcomings as the very best of who we are and to open ourselves up to adventure, where we may not find what we thought we were looking for, but something way more important.

The inspirational story of one woman learning to surf and creating a new life in gritty, eccentric Rockaway Beach Unmoored by a failed marriage and disconnected from her high-octane life in the city, Diane Cardwell finds herself staring at a small group of surfers coasting through mellow waves toward shore--and senses something shift. Rockawayis the riveting, joyful story of one woman's reinvention--beginning with Cardwell taking the A Train to Rockaway, a neglected spit of land dangling off New York City into the Atlantic Ocean. She finds a teacher, buys a tiny bungalow, and throws her not-overly-athletic self headlong into learning the inner workings and rhythms of waves and the muscle development and coordination needed to ride them. As Cardwell begins to find her balance in the water and out, superstorm Sandy hits, sending her into the maelstrom in search of safer ground. In the aftermath, the community comes together and rebuilds, rekindling its bacchanalian spirit as a historic surfing community, one with its own quirky codes and surf culture. And Cardwell's surfing takes off as she finds a true home among her fellow passionate longboarders at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club, living out "the most joyful path through life." Rockawayis a stirring story of inner salvation sought through a challenging physical pursuit--and of learning to accept the idea of a complete reset, no matter when in life it comes.

Expert instruction you need to take your skills from kook to boss Author John Robison uses hundreds of pictures--comical, cartoon-like drawings--to clearly illustrateevery aspect of surfing: wave dynamics, riding techniques,etiquette, logistics, and more. This entertaining,easy-to-understand visual presentation makes it easyfor you to pick up his techniques and use themon the waves. Robison covers every aspect of thesport, from paddling out through the surf zone andcatching and riding that first wave to nose riding, acrobatics,shortboard riding, and to equipment repairs.

"Why You Should Read This Guide : I caught the surfing bug after the first time I got on a board. There is no better rush than dropping down a wave and zipping across it. Being in control on a wave that is inherently uncontrollable is like no other feeling. Over the past few years I've surfed around the world and have gone to surf schools in five different countries. I'm not writing this as an expert surfer, but rather as a student who has had the benefit of surfing lessons from countless instructors with varied styles and numerous techniques. My biggest take away from all this instructional experience is that 90% of these instructors are terrible at teaching beginners! Language barriers aside, they are often too far removed from what it is like to be a beginner or don't have the ability to effectively communicate what has become second nature to them. The lack of good instruction turns people away from surfing and even worse, has caused terrible accidents due to poor safety practices. I myself have a permanent 6 inch scar across my chest from my second time surfing! I decided to write this beginners guide as a collection of the best tips and lessons that I've received over the years. This guide is meant to be a short and easy read for beginner surfers and will dramatically increase the fun factor, help you actually get up on the board, and decrease your chances of getting hurt. This fifteen minutes of reading will tell you everything that I wish I knew before I started surfing and lays out the lessons I learned the hard way." - p.1-3