Fix Your Surfing Stance: 5 Key Stance Corrections for Better Technique & Style

Let’s fix your surfing stance—together. Your stance is the foundation of everything you do on a wave. Nail it early, and you’ll set yourself up for smooth progression, more powerful maneuvers, and better style. In this surf coaching session, I walk you through 5 essential stance corrections that will immediately improve your surfing. Whether you're riding frontside or backhand, these tips will help you unlock better rotation, balance, and board control. Here’s what we fix in your stance: Stop Hinging at the Hips – Keep your chest up to allow upper body rotation. A dropped chest locks out your torso and kills your ability to twist into turns. Back Foot Placement – Make sure your back foot is right up against the kicker of your tail pad. This puts it over or behind the back fin, which is crucial for pivot and tight turning arcs. Rotate Hips Forward – Especially critical on your backhand. Adjust your back foot angle so your hips can open forward, giving your back knee the freedom to drive and bend properly. Load Through the Legs, Weight Forward – Bend your knees and distribute about 70% of your weight through your front foot. Keep your back knee tucked in and stance loaded like a spring—ready to extend and compress as you ride. Arm Positioning – Relax your arms by your sides, evenly balanced. They act as levers for chest rotation and are key to generating torsion for turns and maneuvers. These are the same surf stance tips I give my students in-person. Apply them and you'll see a big improvement in both your technique and your style. New surf coaching videos drop weekly, plus quick surf tips in daily Shorts. Subscribe to keep progressing! #SurfingStance #SurfTips #SurfCoaching #LearnToSurf #SurfingForBeginners #FixYourStance #SurfTechnique #SurfLessons #SurfingStyle