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Hi! This is Pat Weber with the San Diego Surfing Academy for expertvillage.com. In this clip
we are talking about longboard surfing. Longboard surfing today is and is not like longboard
surfing of the past. Now you've got all the evolution of surfing incorporated; the radical
maneuvers that have long been associated with surfboard surfing are now part of longboard
surfing because of modern design. So you can do snappy cutbacks and you can do all the
lifts and floaters, high performance maneuvers on a longboard because of the design: materials
are lighter, design has improved, different fin configuration, a thruster fin configuration
or a 2 + 1, two small side fins and a larger center fin give you flexibility and allow
the board to turn with greater ease than the old style longboard. Traditional longboarding
is still a valid way to ride waves. Remember it is about having fun. The best surfer on
the water is the one having the most fun. So whether you are longboarding or shortboarding
or doing both, that is entirely up to you and your personal preference. The kind of
waves that you are going to ride; some waves simply are not suited to longboard riding
because of the way that board fits in the wave. Other waves are going to be better for
shortboarding; so longboarding is more of a glide than shortboarding. Longboarding has
longer angles, not as tight of a turning radius as shortboarding, but if you are just starting
out, air on the side of flotation, a longer board is going to be easier to paddle and
easier to catch waves. You are going to be able to ride them longer and be more stable
while you are doing so.