What Is a Surfskate—and Why It Doesn’t Replace Real Surf Training
What Is a Surfskate?
A surfskate is a skateboard-like board with a unique front truck designed to pivot sharply, mimicking the carving turns on a surfboard. Riders gain momentum from body movement rather than pushing—just like on waves. Initially created for surfers without ocean access, surfskates have become a trendy urban lifestyle accessory.
Why It Went Viral in the City
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Social media aesthetic: Smooth, surf-like moves look amazing on camera and create the illusion of wave riding on asphalt.
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Marketing push: Brands like Carver, YOW, and Smoothstar promoted surfskate schools and workshops, claiming you can learn surfing in the park.
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Accessibility: No need to fly to Bali—just ride a surfskate on your local pavement.
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Instant gratification: It feels easy and fun, giving beginners a quick sense of progress—even if it's not real surfing skill.
The Big Misconception: Asphalt ≠ Ocean
Calling surfskate a surf trainer is misleading. Here’s why:
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Different mechanics: Pressure, weight shifts, and water dynamics in surfing don’t match asphalt moves.
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Reinforces bad habits: Over-rotating, leaning back, using arms too much—all helpful on land, harmful in water.
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False training: Surfskate lacks wave timing, paddling, pop-ups, and flow in a lineup.
In short: asphalt doesn’t teach you to surf—only real waves can.
Common Surfskate Mistakes
When beginners practice on a surfskate without ever having surfed real waves, they often develop habits that feel natural on pavement but fail miserably in water. Here's how that happens:
1. Wide stance and leaning back
On asphalt, this makes you feel stable. But in the ocean, it throws off your balance and weakens your pop-up. You’ll end up falling or missing waves entirely.
2. Over-rotated turns
Surfskate carving looks dramatic and stylish on video—big arm swings, deep torso twists. In real surfing, though, you need precision and subtlety. Too much rotation makes you lose control on the wave.
3. Arm-driven movement
It’s easy to “steer” your surfskate with your upper body, especially your arms and shoulders. But real surfing is powered from the legs and core. Arm-heavy habits won’t help you turn on a surfboard—they’ll just waste energy.
4. A false sense of balance
Surfskates roll on smooth pavement, giving you a sense of stability and control. But waves are dynamic, shifting, and unstable. Without experience in real conditions, you’ll freeze, fall, or panic once you're on water.
What feels like skill on land can turn into frustration in the lineup.
Who’s Teaching?
Many surfskate instructors have never surfed real waves. These "coaches" teach skateboard tricks with ocean-inspired names—without any ocean understanding. That means you learn their version of surfing, not actual surfing. If they’ve never paddled out or ridden a wave, they can’t teach you real surf.
Smarter Alternatives to Prep for Surfing
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Regular Skateboarding
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Riding bowls and ramps builds core strength, board control, and adaptability—closer to surfing than surfskates.
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Dry-Land Training
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Pop-ups, paddling stance, upper body strength: Do push-ups, planks, burpees, and single-leg jumps.
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Balance Boards
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Great for training stability—but only as complementary practice.
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Yoga & Mobility
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Helps your body handle surf stresses and prevents injury.
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Secret Sauce: Nothing beats actual wave time. Use surfskate sparingly—true surfing skill is built in the ocean.
When Surfskate Can Help (But Only If…)
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You're an experienced surfer wanting to isolate turn technique.
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Live far from the ocean and use it to stay coordinated.
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Trained under a coach who actually surfs, with a purposeful surfskate-to-surf program.
Danger zone: Beginners treating surfskate as a surf substitute—it's a direct path to frustrated lineup attempts and bad habits.
Final Take from JOYS BRAND
Surfing = salt, swell, lineup energy, and ocean conditions—not concrete. Surfskate can be fun, but it'll never replace real ocean conditions. If you're serious about surfing, go to the ocean. Learn wave timing, paddling, pop-ups, and how wind and currents feel under your board.
Ride waves—surf genuinely, not just the vibe.
JOYS BRAND: We surf. We design. We live it—not imitate it.