Arthur Villa (12 Years Old)

As more and more kids are able to land crazy punts nowadays, without a change like this we’re just going to see the world's best surfers, surfing the world's best waves, hunting closeout ramps the whole time. 

Yuk.

And my guess is too that with the new crop of exciting women coming through the ranks (think Erin Brooks, Sierra Kerr, etc.) that airs are going to become a big deal in the Women's side of things too - and they need to get the scoring right before it ruins the sport. 

But that’s just what I think. 

I want to know, am I on to something? Or am I just barking at the moon? 

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Let’s take a look at some stats. 

Ok, so we don't have a tonne of historical data from Cloudbreak as its been off tour for a while, but we do have a bunch of data from waves that require a similar skillset - namely a monster set of balls (or ovaries), and an ability to ride big tubes over shallow reefs. 

Felipe's results over the past six years look like this:

These results tell a sobering story. 

In waves of consequence, Felipe really doesn't fair very well. 

Let's compare that to his mastery in small waves, at let's say, hmmm, at a destination like Trestles:

He's bagged three wins, a second and a third in the past five events at Trestles, that's some frickin record. 

Now lets compare that to his likely two biggest challengers Jon Florence and Gabriel Medina in those waves of consequence. 

These are the guys that he's likely going to be up against, and here's how they've faired in the same time period. 

Jon Florence:

Gabriel Medina:

In stark contrast to Felipe these results highlight some crazy things. 

First up, these two surfers excel in waves of consequence (when they’re not too busy being injured that is), and secondly, Gabe pretty much wins all the time.

Couple these crazy stats with the prospect of a best of three format and it’d appear that Felipe has next to no chance of winning ever again. 

What can he do to improve his odds?

Well lets be fair, it's much harder to surf as technically well as Felipe does in small waves than it is to get tubed over dry reef, so we know he's got the natural ability to be great at it. 

But he's got to get over the fear barrier to get there. 

Easier said than done, and not everyone enjoys hucking themselves into 8ft double-ups over dry reef. 

But day to day exposure, and a will to adapt and familiarise himself in these conditions could see him turn the tide on his bad form in big, hollow waves, but he's got to want it. 

Is he willing to eat that shit sandwich and go spend the time he needs to master these waves? 

Or will he be content bagging the two world titles and calling it a day? 

It remains to be seen, but unless there's some big changes the odds of Felipe ever winning another world title are slim to none.

- Rowan

With a boat load of World Title trophies under her belt she had the swagger, the skill, and the talent to back it up.

Wearing it like a true champ.

Other notable wearers of white are Koloke Andino (who’s regularly been seen surfing in his white wetsuit at Lowers) and to a degree, Mick Fanning also. 

And that’s about it. 

It’s a small list for a reason.

WHAT DOES THIS INFO TELL US?

It tells us that unless you're good, like really good, you should NEVER, EVER, even think of donning a white wetsuit in the surf. 

Why?

Cause you’ll look like a fool.

You’ve got to be able to seriously walk the walk, not just talk the talk to pull that shit off. 

Don’t believe me?

Take yourself out to a crowded lineup in your white wetsuit and just witness the judgement and utterings of “what a cock” as you paddle past. 

EXCEPT IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES…

In online forums the subject of white wetsuits comes up from time to time, with vitriolic trolling as you’d expect. 

But one commenter had a point:

“I personally looked into getting one because I don’t want anything mistaking me for a seal”

Now I for one think that Wide-Independence525 has a point. 

Seals are black and look all rubbery and blubbery - like many over 40’s men surfing nowadays. 

Now couldn’t sharks, big fucking white pointy ones, make the mistake of thinking said surfer is a seal?

Damn right it could. 

Which throws us an unexpected curveball…

So not only is it the elite of the elite that should wear white wetsuits, but also slightly overweight, middle aged men or women for that matter.

Now as a slightly overweight middle aged man myself, I’d rather get eaten by a shark than risk looking like an absolute kook surfing in a white wetsuit in front of another human.

SO TO WRAP THIS UP

White wetsuits are impractical: They’re colder than they need to be, and they get dirty as hell instantly. 

They should only be worn if you’ve won a world title (or are of that calibre). 

Fat surfers should risk getting eaten by a shark rather than wear the shame of surfing lame in a white wetsuit. 

The end. 

After a major hamstring tear, he set out on a crazy training regime, which led to him claim the world title the very next year in spectacular fashion.

This was the catalyst that changed the way surfers prepared from that moment forward. 

Gone were the days of surfers using just surfing itself as a means of training, and in came a new wave of surfers taking things much more seriously. Rigorous training regimes and personal coaches became commonplace. 

This is when surf coaching became a real thing. 

THE RISE OF THE SURF COACH

In came a number of elite coaches, coaching the worlds best:

Now, the world's best have their own personal coaches. 

As a team they could dissect technique, address areas of weakness and fine tune their strengths. 

This acceptance of external coaching has led to the rise in everyday surfers getting help too.

Whereas in the past surfers were expected to learn everything on their own (kind of mental when you think about it), to just kind of figure it all out, now they can get expert feedback. 

This is saving many people countless hours of butting their heads against the wall. 

IS IT STILL WEIRD TO GET COACHED?

There’s still a certain stigma in surfing with getting coached, especially in older dudes. 

For whatever reason men seem to think they can do everything on their own and are reluctant to reach out for help. I get it, I'm one of them. 

Women on the other hand seem to be way more receptive, and are flocking in their hoards to surfing programs, online coaching, e-learning, the lot. 

The same goes for kids too, with after school squads and elite academy’s servicing the growing number of kids entering the sport. 

So I guess the answer to “is it still weird to get coached” is nah, not really - and it’s heading way more to “nah, not at all”.

IS COACHING WORTH IT?

First up, there's absolutely nothing wrong with just surfing for the love of it, but for me personally that's not enough. 

Surfing just for surfing's sake - without trying to get better - takes away much of the fun if you ask me. In fact the reason surfing is so addictive is because it's so damn hard. 

And yes, you can learn everything on your own to a degree (you've got to live and surf where there are plenty of people much, much better than you to learn from), but there's certainly merit in getting additional help. 

Whether coaching is worth it however depends massively on the person giving you advice, if they know what they're talking about then yup, surf coaching is definitely worth it. 

If they're full of shit however, they're feedback is worthless. 

THE BEST TYPES OF SURF COACHING

If you're looking at different ways to get coached, here are a few of the best examples:

SELF LEARNING

If you're going down the self learning route here are some valid places to start:

- Online Courses

- YouTube

- Blog Content

- Surf Videos

SURF VIDEO ANALYSIS

This one is great as you get one on one feedback with a professional coach. 

Your coach can dissect your surfing frame by frame, uncover any blindspots, and give you a crystal clear pathway of progression to follow. 

If you ask me, this is a great way to go.

SURF SCHOOLS

Surf Schools can be a good place to go for private surf lessons, but, the quality of the coaching can be a bit of a mixed bag. 

The threshold for surf coaches is very, very, very low - so it's really difficult to every know what you're getting. 

Sure, you might get a guru that's worth their weight in gold, but you might also get a stinker too, so tread with caution.

CONCLUSION

In short, the sentiment to surf coaching is changing, little by little. 

So, if you're stuck in a rut, don't just rot away like the rest of them, get some help. 

Nobody wants to be crap forever. 

Yew!
Rowan.

Just 20% of World Champions over the past 20 years have been goofy footers (word up to Gabe, and Italo).

That's a pretty wild stat.

And in the women's the results are even more startling:

WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPS SINCE 2004

Just 10% of Women's World Champions in the past 20 years have been goofy!

So why is this?

Is it coincidence, is it just bad timing, or is the whole thing just not fair?

Let’s take a look at some possible reasons. 

TOUR SCHEDULE

There’s been a bunch of noise over the past decade about the lack of left-handers on tour, most notably from the goofy footed contingent, but they’ve got a point. 

Take this years tour schedule as an example:

Taking a look at the tour schedule a few things jump out:

With that in mind it's no wonder goofy footers on tour are pissed.

FOREHAND SURFING IS EASIER (AND MORE DYNAMIC)

Surfing forehand and backhand are completely different beasts - and they're not equal. 

Think about it for a minute, it's so much easier to add variation and be dynamic on your forehand. 

A fin blow here, a tail slide there, wrapping cutbacks, laybacks, straight airs, and crazy airs.

It's so much easier to add that variation (which is a big part of the judging criteria I might add). 

The backhand in contrast is much more limited; top to bottom, top to bottom - and that's kind of it (if you're Occy it is at least). 

The only time when backside surfing can be an advantage is in tubes, preferably big, short, heavy ones, just like Pipe and Chopes (another advantage to the regulars).

60-40 REGULAR VS GOOFY

Alright, alright I know, there are more regular footers than goofy's (roughly 60-40) and this must impact the stats right?

Sure, this must have a significant impact, but when analysed against snowboarding and skateboarding the insights are very interesting.

In street skating, 85% of the World Champs over the past 20 years have been goofy footers, that's totally counterintuitive. 

Furthermore, 58.3% of World Champion snowboarders over the past 12 years are goofy also. 

So what this tells me is that the discrepancy between the ratios of regular vs goofy footed surfers shouldn't impact the winners as much as it currently does.

HOW TO FIX IT

If this is a problem - which I think it is - it needs addressing. 

Quite simply, there needs to be an equal distribution of rights and lefts on tour, a fair playing field for all. 

Without that, who's to say we're not crowning the wrong surfers each year?

It does beg the question doesn't it. 

I mean, would Steph Gilmore have won x8 World Titles if the tour was flipped around?

I don't think so. 

How about Mick Fanning?

Do you think he'd have bagged x3 World Titles if Snapper, Bells & Jeffries Bay were all lefts?

Highly unlikely.

To end it here, goofy footers are getting unfairly discriminated against on tour and this could potentially delegitimise future world champions.

Either that, or I'm full of shit (probably the latter).

And a whole bunch more...

WHAT IS A TRACTION PAD?

Traction pads, aka 'deck grips', or 'deck pads', are an alternative to surf wax used by surfers to add grip to their surfboards to stop their feet from sliding off. 

Traditionally made from EVM foam, surfers attach these traction pads to the deck of their surfboards.

Traction pads are most commonly used exclusively on the tail of the surfboard (known as tail pads), however, it is possible to get deck grips for the front foot too. 

A deck pad set-up with both back and front traction pads is known as a ‘full deck grip’.

DO YOU NEED A TRACTION PAD ON A SURFBOARD?

No. Traction pads are not essential to riding a surfboard, however many people prefer surfing with them.

Prior to their invention surfers would use surf wax exclusively, which is more than adequate, however traction pads do offer a number of advantages (more on that in a minute).

SURFBOARD TRACTION PADS VS WAX

Traction pads or wax? Which is better?

Lets take a closer look at each:

TRACTION PAD

SURF WAX

DO YOU NEED WAX WITH A TRACTION PAD

The answer is, it depends.

If you’re riding a full deck grip you should be ok without any wax, although even in these circumstances surfers will add additional wax to any areas that may need it just in case.

However, more commonly, surfers will ride with a tail pad only.  In these circumstances you’ll absolutely need to add wax to the rest of the surfboard for traction. 

TRACTION PAD PLACEMENT

Ok, I’ve seen some pretty wacky traction pad placement in my time, with bad placement being the hallmark of kookiness in the sport. 

So, use the placement guides below to make sure you get it right.

TAIL PAD PLACEMENT

As a rule of thumb, the tail pad should be placed as far back as possible, over the back centre fin.

Why? 

Well, the further back you can place your back foot through turns, the more drive and power you’ll have as a result.  

FRONT PAD PLACEMENT

The placement of a front traction pad serves two purposes.

1. It’s needed for traction under foot when riding a wave.
2. It’s required for traction when paddling. 

This means that it not only has to be placed where your front foot usually goes, but also needs to be placed such that your chest can grip the board when paddling too.

To find out where this location is, lie on your board without fins on.

Take note of your paddle position, as well as your feet position after pop up, then mark this zone with a pencil for reference.

HOW TO CHOOSE A TRACTION PAD FOR A SURFBOARD?

There are a few different traction pad designs that may influence your decision as to which is right for you. 

Here’s what to look out for:

ARCH BAR: An arch bar is where the centre piece of the tail pad will be raised to fit into the arch of your foot. 

FLAT GRIP: A flat deck grip will have no arch bar to speak of and be flat throughout.

NUMBER OF PIECES: Some grips will come as a single piece, and some with as many as 5 pieces or more. 

The number of pieces adds no performance enhancements whatsoever, but is just a case of personal preference.

GRIP SIZE: Deck grips will come in different sizes - width's & heights - so be sure to get the right fit for your board.

At the end of the day, traction pads are 'much of a muchness' if you ask me.

Sure, the brands will likely be trying to sell you on the newest innovation, but in all honesty, they're all pretty much the same, and do just as good a job as one another. 

It's mostly down to personal design preferences more than anything.

My one caveat though is the arch bar, this'll likely be the one thing that you'll notice most, and for what it's worth, I always prefer grips with an arch bar over flat ones.

Make of that what you will.

HOW TO INSTALL A SURFBOARD TRACTION PAD

Below is a step by step guide to installing a traction pad on a surfboard:

STEP 1: REMOVE WAX, DIRT & GRIME

The first step is to make sure you’re working with a clean surface, so be sure to remove all wax, dirt, and grime.

This can be done using a wax remover, or alternatively white spirits or turpentine will do the job just fine. 

STEP 2: ROUGHEN IT UP

Glue naturally adheres better to rough surfaces, so you’ll want to give your board a super light once-over with sandpaper to roughen things up ready for application.

STEP 3: LINE IT UP

Grab yourself a pencil, and without removing the adhesive covering, lay the traction pad on top of your surfboard. 

Make sure it’s centrally aligned down the stringer of the board, and make sure that the kick-pad is as far back as possible over the back fin. 

Once in place, mark out the edges with pencil.

STEP 4: CENTRE FIRST

Most traction pads come in three parts: One centre piece, and two sides. 

Align the centre piece first, then remove the top part of the adhesive tape, making sure not to remove it all at once. 

Bit by bit, remove the adhesive tape and stick the deck pad to the board and apply lots of pressure - being careful to avoid any air bubbles in the process. 

Continue this until the whole piece has been applied. 

STEP 5: NOW FOR THE EDGES

With the centre piece firmly in place and perfectly aligned, continue the same process with the two side pieces. 

STEP 6: THE WAITING GAME

Once applied, wait 24hrs for glue to dry before taking in the water.

*The recommended drying time is 24hrs, however most pro’s will typically slap a deck pad on and hit the surf instantly, so use the 24hr dry time as a guide if you can, rather than the rule.

WRAPPING IT UP

Deck pad, or no deck pad?

In truth, it’s all down to personal preference, with most people opting for a tail pad only setup, with wax on the rest of the board, but there is no right or wrong.

Different strokes, for different folks, hey!

Anyway, I hope this article answers all your questions and concerns, and for what it’s worth, I ride both a tail pad & wax setup, plus dabble in the full deck pad setup too. 

Just in case you wanted know...

Yew!

Rowan

We've got a lot to get through, so let's go!

WHAT IS A NOSEDIVE ON A SURFBOARD?

Nosediving on a surfboard is when the nose (the front) of your surfboard digs into the wave causing you to wipeout. 

Nosediving, or pearling as it’s also known, is a common issue for beginner surfers which can lead to some very bad habits (the downward spiral of doom) as compensation techniques as a result.

WHY DO I NOSEDIVE ALL THE TIME?

Nosediving happens for a variety of reasons.

Let's go into each in a little more detail on why below:

1. TOO FAR FORWARD

Probably the most common of the lot is where a surfer is positioned too far forward on their board when paddling for a wave. 

All this excess weight at the front of the board causes the nose of the board to dig into the waves face as it picks you up. 

The tendency when this occurs is to compensate by leaning your weight much further back on the board, however, as you’ll see later in this post, this isn’t always the answer…

2. TOO LATE

The earlier you can enter into a wave the more gradual the incline, likewise the later you enter a wave the steeper the incline will be.

Steeper waves increase the risk of nosediving considerably.

3. SUCKY WAVES

Certain waves go from ground swell to pitching wave virtually instantly, and it's these waves that are the culprit for a LOT of nosedives.

If you're an advanced surfer, sucky waves needn't cause you too much of an issue, but for a beginner they can be a nightmare.

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF DOOM

Ok, so before you ask, the way to avoid nose diving is NOT to move way further back on your surfboard, and here’s why.

Welcome to the downward spiral of doom…

So, you move further back on your board and you think that’s it, problem solved.

…think again.

When you move too far back on your surfboard here’s what happens:

Reduced Paddle Speed: When you move too far back on your surfboard you create lots of drag, which in turn slows you down when you paddle.

Struggle To Catch Waves: This reduced paddle speed makes it difficult to catch waves.

Move Closer To Shore: Now that catching waves is much harder you move closer to shore.

Waves Get Steep: The further towards the shore you move, the steeper the waves become.

Nosediving Increases: Catching steeper waves is way harder, and increases your chances of nose diving.

...the cycle continues. 

The answer to not nosediving counterintuitively lies elsewhere…

HOW TO STOP NOSE DIVING - 7 COUNTERINTUITIVE TECHNIQUES

1. FIND THE SWEET SPOT

Ok, we mentioned earlier how simply moving way back on your board isn’t the answer, instead we need to find the sweet spot, the spot where you’re not too far forward or too far back. 

That perfect spot where your board is able to plane over the surface of the water with minimal resistance. 

2. ARCH BACK, CHIN DOWN

If you arch your back when you’re paddling (which you should) you’ll notice that the sweet spot as mentioned above shifts a little further up the board. 

This is a good thing.

Let me explain.

With your back arched, and the ability to lie a little further up the board you have the benefit of a couple of things. 

You carry a lot of weight in your shoulders and head which can be pushed forward when a wave picks you up, this helps you to catch wave earlier. 

Catching waves earlier you avoid those nasty late drops, helping you to stop nosediving as a result.

Arch back, chin down - and go, go, go!

3. TAIL HIGH TAKE OFF

With chin down, naturally the tail of your board will rise with the wave as it picks you up, and this is a very good thing.

As the tail rises with the wave, gravity is on your side which helps to connect you and your board to the wave and help you to catch it way earlier - making everything easier as a result.

4. PADDLE BETTER, FASTER

Everyone can paddle to a degree, granted.

However there’s a big difference to being a good paddler and everything else.

Practice makes perfect, and although paddling has nothing to do with surfing itself, if you perfect the art it’ll work wonders for the rest of your surfing across the board.

5. TOP POP, THEN DROP

We see it all the time in our surf school, students catch a wave, look down it and freak out, then ride down it on their bellies thinking it's the safest thing to do.

It’s not.

Quite the opposite in fact.

And as you’d expect, going down the wave’s face on your belly is a great way to nosedive that’s for sure.

So, from here on in commit to popping up at the top of the wave and riding down it on your feet.

It’s much easier (I promise), much safer, and you’re way, way more in control.

6. CUT OFF THE ANGLE

The steepest way down a wave is to go straight, right?

So, naturally, the way to reduce the steepness is to cut off the angle and go across it instead.

Just like a skier goes down a mountain from side to side to cut off the angle, surfers can do this too by angling their surfboards when taking off.

It's called an angled takeoff and it's something worth knowing for sure.

7. COMMIT

A lot of nosedives happen because people fail to commit.

They see the steep wave, freeze, and do the exact opposite of what’s needed. 

Sure, looking down a wave can be scary at times, but you’ve got to find a way to fight that instinct and embrace it. 

Only when you fully embrace it and commit, will you give yourself the best chance of not nosediving.

WRAPPING IT UP

Avoiding nosediving entirely is almost impossible, I mean even the pro’s do it from time to time.

But, what you’ve learned here will severely reduce the likelihood of it happening to you.

Practice makes perfect right?

Yew!

Rowan

APPS FOR WAVES (FORECASTING)

Surf forecasting apps track the movement of waves in the ocean and predict conditions at beaches around the world.

These apps for waves track everything from swell direction, wind, weather tides and much more.

SURF TRAINING APPS

Gone are the days when surfers would just bum around all day doing nothing, drinking beer and living on noodles.

Nowadays, surfers are looking for any/all ways to get the extra edge, and surf training has become a big thing.

With at home workouts, and full routines to help you stay at peak performance - even if you're not surfing everyday.

SURFING GAME APPS

Watch out, as some of these surfing games can be super addictive (guilty).

A long time has passed since the very first surfing games like Kelly Slater Pro Surfer back in the early 2000's, and now, we have full-on surf games in the palm of your hand.

SURF TECHNIQUE APPS

Just like other popular sports out there, surfers are now seeing the benefits of professional surf coaching.

And with the internet at our disposal, the the worlds best coaches are now available to all, wherever you are in the world.

This has seen the proliferation of surf tuition apps, helping surfers learn how to surf, refine their techniques and improve.

SURF ENTERTAINMENT APPS

To be honest, most if not all surf entertainment comes via social media like Instagram and Facebook nowadays, with very few independent media platforms out there.

There are however still a couple of little guys that haven't been completely shut down by the big conglomerate media companies.

WRAPPING IT UP

Well there you have it, all the best surf apps on the market right now.

I've done my best to make the most conclusive list of surf related apps I could but maybe there's something I missed?

If so, chuck your favourites in the comments below and I'll add them to the post.

Yew!
Rowan

By the end of this article you'll have all the tools you need to create a new income pipeline for your business, one that you never thought possible before.

With no financial outlay, and little to no physical effort on your part.

Sound good?

Keep reading for more.

WHAT IS AFFILIATE MARKETING?

In a nutshell affiliate marketing is a way to earn a commission by promoting other people's products.

They create the product, handle shipping, customer support, returns, etc. 

And you get paid to promote it (when you make a sale).

Affiliate software tracks any traffic and sales that you generate by promoting the products, and pays you money.

WHAT TYPES OF AFFILIATE PRODUCTS WORK BEST IN THE SURFING NICHE?

Far and away the best type of affiliate products to promote are digital based.

Why?

Well, the commissions are WAY higher (oftentimes upwards of 50% for the good ones), and they're global - meaning they can be sold to anyone around the world.

Compare that to a physical product that only ships within a certain country and you can see why digital products are the go-to for most people.

But, having said that, the digital product options in the surfing niche are slim to say the least, however (as you’re about to see), if you know where to look there are some hidden gems…

BEST AFFILIATE PRODUCTS FOR SURFING

Like I mentioned above, digital affiliate products work best in the surfing niche (or any niche for that matter), so I’ll be starting with digital first, then moving to physical down the list.

DIGITAL AFFILIATE PRODUCTS FOR SURFERS

Digital affiliate products are by far the highest converting and best paying affiliate products....

...but, there isn't a whole lot of choice out there.

Regardless, below is the cream of the crop.

SURF HUB

Surf Hub is a digital info product library for surf schools, surf media, and influencers.

What does that mean?

It means that they have a catalogue of digital products built exclusively for the surf industry.

Furthermore, the payouts are big too.

Affiliate’s earn a base rate of 50% across all sales, couple that with the high ticket items they have in their product range and the income generating potential can be huge.

Take for example their Surfing Made Simple product. 

A premium course designed specifically for beginner surfers just stepping out of their first lesson. 

For surf school looking to leverage their audience of students, all that’s needed is a quick affiliate link in an automated thank you email showcasing the offer, and boom, new income stream right there.

With a payout of roughly $200 per sale, even if you converted a couple of students a week that money soon adds up.

It’s pretty potent if you ask me.

And they have other products too:

…and a bunch more.

Furthermore, it's free to sign up, and you could be up and selling within minutes.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://surf-hub.com/apply/

SURF STRENGTH COACH

The Surf Strength Coach has an affiliate program for its subscription app for surfers.

The app claims to have over 50k downloads which is pretty impressive, meaning there’s obviously a demand for this type of thing, which is a good indicator as to whether it’s worthwhile promoting it to your audience.

The app has a number of different add ons and upgrades, with everything centred around fitness, strength and endurance for surfers, and pays out a 20% commission on all sales.

Here’s a pricing breakdown of their affiliate commissions:

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://surfstrengthcoach.com/affiliate-registration/

PHYSICAL SURFING AFFILIATE PRODUCTS

Generally speaking, selling physical affiliate products kinda sucks with the constraints of physical postage, distribution, and all the complexities that go along with that.

Regardless, if you’ve got an audience that’s frothing for product and you’re the right one to point them in the right direction - then the affiliate programs below are definitely worth a look.

SURF STITCH

Surf Stitch are one of the biggest surfing hardware and apparel distributors in the world.

Servicing mainly the Australian & New Zealand market they’re a bit limiting if your audience is based elsewhere, however, they do have a reasonable affiliate program that might help out.

Their affiliate program is free to join and pays out 10% commission on all sales, which is not bad for a hardware retailer I guess. 

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://www.surfstitch.com/info/affiliate.html

GO PRO

If you’ve never heard of Go Pro before you’ve likely been living under a rock. 

This independent company has become an industry leader in one of the most competitive industries in the world, camera’s and technology.

A global brand, with global reach.

Which is great when it comes to affiliate selling.

But…

…well, their affiliate payout rate isn’t all that flash. 

A poultry 3%.

Granted, the average order value will be quite high ($700+), however, 3% is still quite menial if you ask me. 

Better than nothing though I guess, and if you’re promoting them for free already, then you may as well earn a buck along the way.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://gopro.com/en/us/legal/gopro-affiliate-program

BILLABONG

Billabong, the global surf brand, has its own affiliate program.

What’s great about Billabong is they’re a company known worldwide - with distribution channels in the USA and Australia - which alleviates some of the geographical complications with hardware and apparel sales online.

The commission rate of payout is 7% which isn’t too shabby either.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://www.billabong.com/customer-help/affiliate-program.html

GLOBAL SURF INDUSTRIES

If you have an audience that froths on new surfboards (who doesn’t) then Global Surf Industries’ affiliate program could well be a good fit.

An umbrella company for some of the top selling beginner surfboards in the world.  

Brands like:

And a whole bunch more.

For the beginner market, these boards sell like hotcakes, so well worth a look if that’s your target audience.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM SIGN UP URL: 

https://www.affiliatly.com/af-1038586/affiliate.panel?mode=register

WRAPPING IT UP

As you can see there are affiliate marketing opportunities in the surf industry, if you know where to look. 

I’ve searched far and wide and these are by far the best options available right now, so what are you waiting for…

Go get yourself signed up, start selling, and start getting paid whilst you’re getting tubed.

Yew!

Rowan

You ready? 

Keep reading…

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT STANCES IN SURFING?

There are just two different stances in surfing, one where you ride with your left foot forward and the other with your right.

Although we only have two different stances in surfing, we strangely have three different names for them…

…go figure.

SURFING STANCE NAMES

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M GOOFY OR REGULAR STANCE

You’ll know whether you are a goofy of regular footer by feel. 

Whichever stance feels more balanced and natural, is the stance for you.

But it’s not always this easy.

Some people are more ambidextrous than others and feel comfortable riding with either stance, this can make the whole process confusing.

What then?

Ok. Well if you fall into this category and you’re still unsure which stance you are, here are a few tests you can do to help figure it out:

STANCE TEST 1: SLIDING ON ICE

Imagine you were about to run and slide on an iced lake. 

Which foot do you lead with?

If you lead with your left, you're likely a Natural footer, and if you lead with your right you'd be Goofy.

STANCE TEST 2: LEAN & FALL

Stand with your feet together and slowly lean over until you fall. 

Whichever foot you reach out to balance with will likely be your leading foot in your surfing stance.

STANCE TEST 3: RUN SKIM RUN

Imagine yourself with a skimboard in hand about to run and skim across the water.

Which foot would you lead with? 

Run through this in your mind, and your leading foot will likely dictate your stance.

*If you've tried all of the above and you're still unsure, lead with the assumption that you're a Regular footer. Why? As you're about to find out, most people are Regular footed anyway.

ARE MOST SURFERS GOOFY OR REGULAR STANCE?

It turns out that roughly 80% of people surf with a regular stance.

Why?

In the same way that most people are right-handed, most surfers are regular footed too.

It has a lot to do with genetics and the way we process things in the brain, but that's beyond the scope of this article so we'll leave it there for now.

SURF STANCES TO AVOID

Alright I know I said earlier that there are only two stances…

…well, I kinda lied.

Sort of at least.

Correct, there’s only two real ways you can ride a surfboard - left foot forward or right - but there are a couple of other stances you want to avoid.

THE SKIER STANCE

The skier stance is when your front foot (or both feet for that matter) are pointing towards the nose of the board, rather than across it.

Why is this a bad thing?

Well, what it does is open up your shoulders and flatten off the chest (note the difference between the angle of the shoulders of a snowboarder vs a skier), and it distributes your weight across your board in a strange way - making things real wobbly and hard to balance as a result.

THE POO STANCE

If you’ve not heard of this yet, you soon will.

The poo stance in surfing is the furthest thing away from good surfing style that you can get.

What is is?

The poo stance is where a surfers stance is wide, with both knees pointed outward in a squat-like position, just like when you’re about to crouch down and take a #@$*

This stance may be practical (to a degree), but it’s ugly as hell so don’t do it!

HOW WIDE SHOULD YOUR SURFING STANCE BE?

Your stance should be a little over shoulder width apart.

If your legs are too close together you’ll find it hard to balance, and if they're too far apart you’ll fall into the poo stance category mentioned above.

AT WHAT ANGLE SHOULD I POINT MY FEET?

A good surfing stance will see you with your back foot at roughly 90° to the stringer, and your front foot roughly 45°.

HOW DO I FIX MY SURFING STANCE

Alright, a bit of troubleshooting is in order I think. 

Here goes:

COMMON PROBLEMS WITH STANCE AND HOW TO FIX THEM...

1. STANDING TOO TALL

2. POO STANCE

3. BENT AT THE HIP

4. DOUBLE TROUBLE

WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR WEIGHT WHEN SURFING

There are two answers to this question:

ANSWER 1: WHERE TO PUT YOUR WEIGHT AS A BEGINNER

When you’re just starting out the answer is to put your weight over the stringer of the board, right in the centre - evenly distributed between both feet to help the board plane over the surface of the water.

ANSWER 2: WHERE TO PUT YOUR WEIGHT FOR INTERMEDIATES (AND ABOVE)

There is no fixed answer to where to put your weight at this stage as it all depends on the type of board you’re riding, the type of waves, what you’re trying to do, and when.

Weight distribution at this stage is so nuanced that there’s no hard and fast 'catch-all' rule.

Instead the answer is, “it depends”.

WRAPPING IT UP

Now, whether your surf stance is Natural or Goofy is besides the question.

What’s important is that you’re doing it right.

Get your stance right and you’re on the right path for improvement. 

Better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to be on, than at the top of one you don’t, right?

So, even if you have to take a few steps back in the short term to fix any bad habits, the long term payoffs will be worth it.

Yew!
Rowan