At Chica Brava Surf Retreat, we’ve created a program that can teach you to surf in a week. However, there are some helpful steps you can take before joining our surf camp to make it easier to get up on the board.

Excited to learn surfing but not sure where to begin? From our experience, preparing your body for this new physical challenge can really improve your experience.

Even before you hit the sand, you can start getting your body ready for surfing. Here are some recommended exercises and learn-to-surf videos to help you prepare for a week at our surf retreat.

Pushups and yoga are excellent ways to strengthen your arms for surfing. Start small with 5 to 10 pushups a day. We suggest starting with modified pushups (on your knees). Doing just 5-10 pushups daily for a month can make a big difference, building upper body strength to improve your paddling and make “pop-ups” easier and more natural.

Yoga is also fantastic for building arm and core strength, along with the flexibility that will benefit your surfing. Try a few yoga classes or search for Vinyasa flow classes on YouTube that include plenty of chaturangas!

Surfing Basics

1. Pop-up

Practice your pop-up! A pop-up is the quick move you make from lying down on the surfboard while paddling to standing up as you catch a wave. Here’s a simple breakdown of the steps to master a pop-up. You can practice this move anywhere, anytime, without a surfboard. The goal is to train yourself to stand up quickly and smoothly.

Most people are used to getting up from lying face-down by pushing onto their knees first. But for the pop-up, we skip the knees. Instead, start in a push-up position with your shoulders directly over your wrists, and then bring your lower body forward under you to stand up. This can be tricky for beginners, but with the right technique and practice, anyone can learn it.

We encourage all Chica Brava attendees to practice pop-ups before arriving. Doing so means you’ll spend less time on this skill in Nicaragua and more time riding waves!

How to Do a Pop-Up: A Simple Guide

We’ve broken down the pop-up into three easy steps to help you understand and remember each movement. You can also check out our “Learn to Surf” video series on YouTube for a visual guide.

1. Pushup Position

Start by lying down with your hands placed under your chest as if you’re about to do a pushup. Push yourself up into a plank position, with your shoulders directly above your wrists. Keep your legs close together like a zipper, your head up, and your eyes looking straight ahead toward the beach.

2. The Pop-Up Move

While keeping your gaze forward and your arms straight, quickly swing your lower body forward so your front foot lands between your hands. Don’t lean backward—keep your weight centered by bringing your foot up in line with your hands. If you’re familiar with yoga, this feels like hopping from a downward dog position to the front of your mat.

Alternative Methods:

Take Your Time: Start in a plank, bring your front knee up to your chest, place your foot between your hands, and lower your back foot down.
Army Crawl Style: From the plank, bring your back knee forward, place your back foot down, and swing your front foot forward between your hands.

3. Stand Up Slowly

Once you’re in position, rise to stand. Keep your knees slightly bent, feet about shoulder-width apart, arms spread wide, and eyes looking straight ahead (in the water, you’d be looking toward the beach).

Practice Makes Perfect

Repeat these steps until you can do them smoothly without thinking. Practicing this over and over will help you pop up quickly and confidently. Our “Learn to Surf” video series can help guide you through it!

2. Paddling

Paddling is a basic skill that quickly improves your surfing experience. At Chica Brava, you’ll learn how to paddle efficiently, cutting through the water with less effort and keeping your weight balanced in the center of the board.

To get ready, it’s a good idea to build strength in the muscles used for paddling. Although there isn’t one exercise that works all these muscles, a few types of training will help. Swimming laps—especially freestyle and breaststroke—boosts both your strength and stamina. You can also practice breathing underwater and getting comfortable with water splashing on your face. Daily push-ups and yoga are also great for building up strength and flexibility!

3. Turtle Rolling and Duck Diving

When a wave heads your way, turtle rolling (for longboards) and duck diving (for shortboards) help you go under it without getting pushed back to shore.

For a turtle roll on a longboard:

Keep your board pointed directly at the wave.
As the wave nears, grab the sides of the board under your chest, hold on tightly, and flip over so you’re underwater with the board above you.
Stay close to the board, keeping your body parallel to it.
Hold on until the wave passes, then flip the board back over and climb on.

For a duck dive on a shortboard:

Keep the board facing straight at the wave.
As the wave approaches, grip the rails under your shoulders. Lean forward and push the nose of the board underwater by pressing down with your weight.
Use your back foot or knee to press down on the tail end, which helps push the board deeper and lets you glide under the wave.

4. Catching a Wave

Once you’ve practiced paddling, popping up, and turtle rolling, it’s time to learn how to catch a wave and ride it. At first, you’ll want to pop up and ride straight toward the beach. As you improve, you’ll start following the curve of the wave instead of just heading to shore. By keeping a solid stance and staying low, you’ll be set to surf Chica Brava style! Check out the video in our “Learn to Surf” series to get tips on catching and riding waves.

Still thinking about joining us? Click on the video below to get stoked on coming!

Wondering what the camp experience is actually like? Click on the video below for a 2 minute short doc on what you can expect at Chica Brava surf retreat.

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