There are four types of surfing waves : spilling waves, plunging waves, surging waves, and collapsing waves. The ultimate goal of surfing is to ride and progress on the unbroken part of the wave using a surfboard. Many surf historians and enthusiasts believe that the essence of surfing is in bodysurfing , the art of gliding over the waves using only the body as a planing surface.
According to the University of Hawaii, bodysurfing dates back as far back as 2, BC, but the first evidence of bodysurfing activity in the Western world only emerges in , when Australian Fred Williams gets a few lessons from Polynesian islander Tommy Tana.
The sport of surfing began between the 19th and 20th centuries, but wave riding is an old practice that has its origins in the ancient Polynesian and ancient Peruvian cultures. The eighteenth-century sea captain and ocean explorer wrote about canoe surfing and board surfing during his stops in Hawaii and Tahiti between and Modern surfing was born in the sands of Waikiki, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, when the first local beach boys began taking tourists to the surf for wave riding experiences.
Duke Kahanamoku is widely considered the father of modern surfing. He made it a physical recreation, an outdoor activity with rules, gear and techniques, and business. For many, it's a recreational activity, physical activity, and a competitive sport, but for others, it is a religion, a lifestyle, an addiction, and a spiritual connection with Nature.
In less than a century, the act of wave riding evolved and gave birth to several other boardsports. Skateboarding, bodyboarding, windsurfing, kitesurfing, skimboarding, kneeboarding are, in a way, part of the surfing family. Interestingly, the word "surf" has its origins in the late 17th century, apparently from obsolete "stuff. But the surf culture developed its own lingo , and surfers' catchphrases can be instantly recognized in a non-surfing environment. Surfing lost its strong influence in this time but never vanished completely.
More famous discoverers like Mark Twain or Jack London - both considerable travel book authors - reported on the sport in the waves and aroused high interest in the population. The history of surfing carried on and more and more tourists had a try at the new sport.
Over time, the first surf clubs came up and the beach boys became lifeguards to secure the beaches. The most famous Surfer was Duke Kahanamoku who was born in In , he competed in the Olympic Games in Stockholm and won the meter freestyle contest , not least because of the crawl technique that he copied from surfing.
After his success, he traveled around the world and introduced surfing in all regions where the conditions made it possible e. When Hawaii joined the USA as the 51 st state, tourism on the islands boomed as never before. Not only surfing itself, also the tools changed a lot as time goes by. Surfing at the Tokyo Olympics is happening for the first time. Here's what you need to know Check out the full Olympic schedule of events here. There are many types of surfboards, but the primary categories include shortboard and longboard.
Olympic surfers will use shortboards, which are known for their pointed noses and excellent maneuverability. NBCSports Gold will have a dedicated Olympics package -- pay an upfront fee and you'll be able to watch anywhere, uninterrupted by ads. Tokyo is 16 hours ahead of the West Coast, so watching live should get a good spread of events. It's a little trickier on the East Coast, where you may have to rely on highlights.
Surfing consists primarily of two disciplines: shortboard and longboard.
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