How to vet a surf coach: technical cues vs. vague advice
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Boston Surf Adventures provides a solution to the common frustration of stagnant surf progression by replacing ambiguous beach lingo with a standardized, education-based curriculum. The central challenge for new surfers is distinguishing between casual cheerleading and technical coaching that identifies specific mechanical flaws in body positioning and timing. By prioritizing ISA-certified instruction and tools like daily video analysis, students can shift from catching five waves on their own to successfully riding 50 or 70 waves in a single weekend at Nahant Beach.
Surfing instruction has a persistent reputation problem: too many coaches are just talented surfers yelling "paddle harder" from the shoulder. This lack of pedagogical structure is what keeps many beginners trapped in the whitewater for months, if not years. When you pay for a surf lesson, you are not paying for someone to watch you surf; you are paying for an expert to deconstruct your movement and provide a mechanical roadmap for improvement.
Founder Grant Gary brings over 15 years of experience as a former school teacher to his coaching practice, having taught thousands of students how to surf. This formal educational background is why Boston Surf Adventures operates as the only International Surfing Association (ISA) Certified Surf School in New England, utilizing a proprietary curriculum designed specifically to short-circuit bad habits early rather than relying on the ad-hoc advice common at typical beach rentals.
Coaching vs. cheering: the A-B progression model at Boston Surf Adventures
The primary difference between a professional surf school and a recreational rental shop lies in the intent of the communication. A real coach functions as a guide through a specific mechanical journey, rather than a spectator providing encouragement. To vet a program effectively, look for an instructor who utilizes a clear progression model:
- Evaluating Point A: The coach identifies your current habits, stance width, and paddle entry.
- Setting Point B: The coach defines a single, achievable mechanical goal for the session, such as parallel hand placement.
- Designing the Roadmap: The coach provides the specific physical cues required to move from A to B.
Cheerleading makes you feel good, but coaching actually fixes the problem. If your instructor spends more time saying "good job" than explaining why your weight was too far back on your last takeoff, you are receiving cheerleading. At our Nahant Beach sessions, we use the A-B model to ensure every minute in the water has a technical purpose. As noted by backYARD Surf Club, coaching is a collaborative partnership where the coach helps the coachee define a structured plan rather than just giving answers.
In a professional setting, the coach is responsible for "Point A" through objective observation. Many students believe they are popping up correctly when, in reality, they are "knee-boarding" or dragging their toes. A qualified coach at a Boston surf school should be able to point to the exact millisecond where the mechanic broke down. This level of specificity is the hallmark of a trained educator rather than a hobbyist.
Red flags in the water: translating vague surf lingo at our Boston surf school
Leaning on surf culture terminology often masks a lack of genuine teaching ability. When a coach uses intuitive phrases like "feel the wave," they are placing the burden of translation on the student. A beginner does not have the sensory framework to know what a wave "feels" like; they need to know where their eyes should be looking and where their center of gravity should be shifted.
| Common Cue | What it sounds like | The mechanical reality | Why it fails |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Paddle harder" | Effort-based | You are likely positioned too far back on the board | Doesn't address weight distribution or drag |
| "Feel the wave" | Intuitive | You need to look down the line instead of at the nose | Gives the student no physical action to take |
| "Pop up faster" | Speed-based | Your hand placement is uneven or too far forward | Rushing a flawed movement just creates a faster flawed movement |
| "Commit to it" | Psychological | Your chest is not low enough during the final strokes | Replaces technical instruction with a personality critique |
Vague cues are a major red flag because they are non-correctable. If you are told to "paddle harder" but your board is "pearling" (nose-diving) because you are two inches too far forward, paddling harder will only accelerate the crash. A technical coach at Boston Surf Adventures would instead tell you to "arch your back and move your hips two inches toward the tail." One is a demand for more effort; the other is a mechanical solution.
According to Surf Simply, professional coaching should avoid ambiguous advice and surf lingo, opting instead for logical, concise communication of specific body movements. When you audit a surf school in the Greater Boston area, listen for how often the coaches use "bro-science" vs. physics. If the advice cannot be drawn on a whiteboard or demonstrated on the sand with anatomical precision, it is likely filler.
Green flags: standardized cues and mechanical shifts in the surf school environment
Professional programs break surfing down into specific, repeatable skill sets. At Boston Surf Adventures, we use a proprietary curriculum called Surfology 101 to ensure that every student and coach is speaking the same technical language. This prevents the confusion that occurs when different instructors give conflicting advice. If you know exactly what "rib-cage hand placement" means, you can execute it regardless of which coach is in the water with you.
We focus on high-leverage mechanical shifts. For example, instead of a generic "stand up," we might instruct a student on the throw and go technique, a concept championed by elite coaches like Martin Dunn. This involves throwing the arms forward to generate down-the-line speed during the transition from paddling to standing. This is a specific, physical action that a student can visualize and repeat.
Another green flag is the "two changes per day" rule. The human brain, especially when dealing with the sensory overload of the ocean, can only process a limited amount of new information. As noted by the OMBE Method, a coach must balance the ocean, mind, body, and equipment. Overloading a student with ten different corrections leads to "analysis paralysis." By narrowing the focus to two high-leverage changes, we ensure the progress is sustainable and muscle memory actually sticks.
The video analysis honesty filter at our Rincon and Nahant locations
There is often a massive gap between what a surfer feels they are doing and what is actually happening. You might feel like you are looking down the line, but the camera reveals you are staring at your feet. This is why video analysis is the single most important tool for rapid progression. It provides an undeniable, objective honesty filter that verbal feedback alone cannot match.
Why in-water feedback isn't enough for surf progression
In the water, adrenaline is high and the environment is shifting. It is difficult to process a technical critique while trying to paddle back out through a set. While our coaches provide immediate feedback between waves, the real breakthroughs happen during our dedicated review sessions. Programs that omit video are essentially asking you to learn a complex physical task while blindfolded.
The two-change limit for video review
During our international retreats in Rincon, Puerto Rico, we implement what we call the blooper reel sessions. We film every single wave caught in the morning and review them in a relaxed, dry-land environment. By applying the two-change limit here, we identify the two most significant "leaks" in your technique. We might show you that your front foot is landing too far to the left, then give you a specific land-based drill to correct it before the afternoon session. This "deconstruct and rebuild" method, as described by How To Surf Better, is the fastest path to intermediate surfing.
What most people get wrong about surf coaching
Assuming great surfers make great teachers
Being able to perform a highly complex, counterintuitive movement does not mean a person can explain the physics of that movement to a beginner. Elite performance often relies on muscle memory built over decades, making the mechanics "invisible" to the surfer performing them. A professional educator like Grant Gary understands how to externalize those invisible mechanics so they can be taught to someone who didn't grow up on the beach.
Equating wave count with progression
While a good coach will drastically increase your wave count—jumping from 5 waves on your own to 50 or 70 in a weekend—simply catching more waves with bad form only ingrains bad habits deeper. Volume must be paired with active correction. If you catch 70 waves but do the wrong thing 70 times, you have just spent two days perfecting a mistake. This is why we prioritize the Progression Pyramid to ensure that every wave caught is a step toward better form.
According to Martin Dunn, a coach should never identify a defect in someone's surfing unless they immediately provide a specific mechanical solution. This is the standard we hold at Boston Surf Adventures. We don't just tell you that you're falling; we tell you that your trailing arm is dropping, which is rotating your shoulders and causing the rail to dig.
If you are ready to stop "trying" to surf and start learning the mechanics of the sport, audit your next lesson against these standards. High-quality surf education is an investment in your future enjoyment of the ocean. When you use a curriculum-backed approach that guarantees you stand up, you aren't just buying a day at the beach—you're buying years of frustration-free surfing.
Visit Boston Surf Adventures to book your spot in our upcoming weekend surf camps at Nahant Beach or to learn more about our advanced coaching retreats. Your journey from the whitewater to the open face begins with the right cues.