Do you want to learn to surf, but don’t know whether you prefer private or group lessons? Do you want to know which option is best for you? In this article we will address the advantages and benefits of each option!
The advantages of surfing
Practicing surfing in itself already brings several advantages and benefits to physical, mental and social health, more than we sometimes expect. Here are some of these advantages and benefits:
- Improves cardiovascular health;
- Improves the functioning of the respiratory system;
- Strengthens the organism;
- Helps with stress and anxiety management;
- Improves balance and agility;
- Tones the Body;
- It brings constant evolution;
- Allows direct contact with nature.
Discover our complete guide to surfing in Portugal
Private surf lessons
If you are a more reserved person, looking for the greatest possible concentration, want a teacher completely dedicated to you and faster progress, then private surf lessons are the best for you!
Advantages of taking private surf lessons:
A teacher just for you
This is a very strong advantage, perhaps even the main one. Having a teacher completely dedicated to you during the entire class period makes all other advantages exist.
A teacher just for you is synonymous with having someone who will be solely attentive to your needs, your evolution, your maneuvers, your positioning and much more!
With private surf lessons you are the main focus!
Ideal for shy people
If you are a more reserved or shy person or if it makes you uncomfortable to have more people seeing your mistakes or your progress, private surf lessons are certainly the best option for you. This is the only way you can practice without a lot of people watching you.
With private classes, you won’t need to worry about who is watching, you will be freer, lighter, without shame or embarrassment and this makes your performance much better.
Higher concentration
With no more students for the teacher to pay attention to, you become a main focus of his concentration. But we can’t forget how important your own concentration is. The more focused on yourself you are, the better your performance will be, your perception of what you are doing and how you can improve.
The greater your concentration on yourself, the faster your evolution!
Rapid evolution in surf lessons
All of the above advantages result in this advantage. Faster evolution comes from a lot of concentration, a lot of effort, a lot of commitment, a quick response to your needs.
Rapid evolution requires training centered on you, a teacher completely focused on you and requires you to be fully connected to what you are doing. This will allow your evolution to be clearly noticeable class after class.
Group surf lessons
Do you want to take surf lessons but don’t want to miss the fun, relaxed part or even the socializing? Do you want to find a group that also likes surfing? Get into team spirit? If so, group surf lessons are the most advantageous for you.
Check out our article to see more benefits of group surf lessons.
Advantages of taking group surf lessons:
Fun
If you want to take surf lessons and have a lot of fun and laughter in the mix and you don’t mind people watching you, then group lessons are the right choice for you!
Fun in a class with more people who are there to learn, just like you, is guaranteed!
It opens up the opportunity to meet new people and even create great friendships.
There will definitely be many falls to laugh at together, many difficult maneuvers to complete to celebrate together!
Company
If you don’t like being in the center of the instructor’s attention, or if it makes you uncomfortable to have his demands and attention all to yourself, if you don’t like feeling alone when learning, then group surf lessons will help you a lot. These classes will allow you to feel at ease and allow you to relax more in surfing, which can help with your progress!
Not to mention the benefits that group surf lessons can bring to your social health.
Relaxation
The advantage of a class in which the teacher’s attention has to be shared among more people is that it ends up being more relaxed and giving you a lighter experience.
These types of classes give you the opportunity to learn to surf and be in a more relaxed environment at the same time. Of course, you can always opt for a more competitive atmosphere instead of a relaxed one. Both options are good and help with your development and learning.
Learning from other people’s mistakes
Learning from other people’s mistakes is something we already do on a daily basis even without this awareness. It’s something that already comes with our instinct.
That doesn’t take away the fact that you also make mistakes and often even make the same mistakes as others, but you’re probably already aware of the consequences that this can bring to you.
In group surf lessons there is mutual help between you and your colleagues, if one makes a mistake everyone hears how to correct that mistake, and this ends up improving the group’s performance, as everyone learns from each other’s mistakes!
In conclusion, there is no one type of class better than another, but rather one that suits you better than another!
So ask yourself what type of class will best suit your comfort zone, your personality and your goals. If you still have doubts, you can always try both! There is no rule about this, you can take the classes you want as often as you want!
Remember: the important thing is that you feel good about your choice!
Check out these surfing tips for beginners.