Suspect that you may not be as good on a surfboard as you think you are? Check out the following article where we break down 5 signs that you may be a kook and offer advice on how to improve your surfing.
Every surfer, no matter how talented they may be, suffers from bouts of average surfing. Even the pros have their off days, forced to walk up the sand with their head hung low after a tough day in the office. It’s the nature of the game we play and you can’t rip every session. But being a kook has nothing to do with skill. Rather, it’s all about your level of self-awareness in and around the ocean.
Dropping in on another surfer, talking up your repertoire and otherwise overcompensating for your lack of surfing prowess are all hallmarks of the modern-day kook. If this sounds like you there’s no need to despair. Your kookness can be rectified.
Read on below to discover whether you qualify as a kook and heed our advice. We may be the only people who can save you.
You own (and wear) webbed gloves in the water
Some neoprene accessories are essential in keeping you warm and therefore presumably assisting your performance. Hoods, booties and even waterproof bucket hats are an example. Webbed gloves on the other hand have no place in the lineup. They’re the ultimate kook accessory worn by people with no shred of self-respect. The good news is that it’s easy to cure this particular form of kookitis. Just don’t buy ‘em.
It’s always your surfboards fault, not yours
A good craftsman never blames his tools. Why? Because the good craftsman knows the real reason he missed the set wave of the day has nothing to do with the literage of his board. Instead, it’s because he wussed out. Don’t take your frustration out on your surfboard. Chances are you’re just a kook that needs to take a big swig out of the responsibility bottle.
You bail your board when there are people behind you
If you have ever bailed your surfboard before an incoming wave even with people directly behind you, you’re a dead set kook. Not only is bailing your board the wrong option unless you’re surfing 50-foot waves, but it is also likely to do some damage if it connects with the flesh, fibreglass or fins of the poor souls at your 6 o’clock. If you have to toss your board, have a quick backward glance first. Nothing ends a session faster than injury through stupidity.
Stretch sessions on the sand last longer than a minute
It’s good to limber up before a surf, don’t get us wrong. A quick stretch at home, the car park or on the sand is a great way to prepare your muscles for a session. Stretching for 10, 15 or god forbid 20 minutes or more, however, is a sure sign that you’re either too frail to be in the water in the first place or you’re suffering from an acute bout of kookitis. Save the yoga routine for the studio, limit your pre-surf routine to sub 1 minute and simply paddle out.
Your ex-pro board still has sponsor stickers on the nose
Unless you actually are a sponsored competitive surfer, purchasing and subsequently using a board with a brand sticker still affixed to the nose is a definite surf culture faux pa. It’s better to tear it off and be done with it as soon as it’s yours, given that it will make you look like a massive poser. Anyway, all illusions of shredding will quickly evaporate when you hit the water.
Go from overconfident kook to self-assured shredder - book with Southwest Surf House today
