Short Boarding vs. Longboarding

Within the sport of surfing there are many different

varieties you can partake in. These including;

shortboarding, longboarding, stand up paddle

(SUP) boarding, body boarding, knee boarding

and goat (kayak) boating. Two of the most popular

types of surfing are shortboarding and

longboarding. Discussed below are both the

definitions, along with the positives and negatives

of these two surfing options.

Shortboarding

The definition of a short board will change

depending on who your talking to. Generally they

are classified as a high performance fibreglass

board with a pointed nose and thin rails, but can

vary in length. Usually they are set up with a

thruster (three fin) design.

Short boarding is a fast pace, highly competitive

style of surfing. Due to the boards design and

length it is more manoeuvrable. This makes is

easier to gain speed and perform dynamic turns in

the water.

However, shortboarding is often highly associated

with aggression in the water. Surfers who ride

short boards tend to get into more paddle battles

and pay less attention to other surfers around

them.

The boards themselves are also harder to paddle,

as they have less foam. This also makes them

harder to balance and stand on, making them

harder for beginners to learn on. I suggest

beginning with a longer foam surfboard,

progressing down with size and switching to a

fibreglass style as your surfing technique and

confidence increases.

Longboarding

On the other hand long boards as the name

suggests, are longer than their counterparts. They

tend to have a rounded nose and thicker rails, and

can be set up with a thruster design, or a single fin

design.

Longboarding is generally a slower pace, more

relaxed style of surfing. Instead of dynamic turns

and fast speed, longboard surfing involves cross

stepping (walking on the board) and nose riding.

The extra length and foam allows for more

balance when standing on the surf board. Also it

makes paddling faster then shortboards, making it

easier to catch waves.

However, these boards can be awkward to carry

both in and out of the water as they are long and

heavy. In the water they can be harder to surf in

bigger waves because the extra length makes

them more difficult to duck dive, in order to get out

the back to the better waves. When on a wave

they are also much slower and harder to turn. I

suggest longboarding when the surf is smaller for

a more relaxing surf session.

In summary if you love fast paced, adrenaline

pumping sports; shortboarding is for you.

Shortboarding will allow you to ride larger waves,

ride faster, and perform bigger turns whilst surfing.

On the other hand, if you love to relax and go with

the flow; longboarding is the sport for you. Going

out on smaller surf days with mates and cruising

on your longboard is what its all about.

If you still cant decide, do both! Surfing is all about

mixing things up, many surfers will ride their short

board in larger conditions, and their longboard in

smaller glassy conditions, making the best of both

worlds.

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http://www.surfandsun.com.au/

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