Bodyboarding in Singapore
Too afraid to surf in the open big sea? Yet want to pick up a new sport and learn surfing? One of the best places for newbies to get acquainted with this sport is to try out bodyboarding, which is also a type of water sport. Instead of using an actual surfboard, you will be surfing on a bodyboard which is usually about a metre in length. Bodyboards are foam boards which are low in density and light in weight, making it easy for most people to manage.
Bodyboard your way to your desired beach bod
Summer may seem far away but it is never too early to start work towards that beach bod you have been dreaming of. Doing bodyboarding will work on your upper back, core, arms and legs. It’s like doing a full-body workout! ( I kid you not as my muscles were feeling sore the very next day.)
Bodyboarding session at Stingray, Splash-N-Surf
It is our second time here trying bodyboarding at Stingray in Splash-N-Surf. This rooftop water park is located at Kallang Wave Mall. While the kids hang out at the Kids’ pool and water play area, the adults can laze in the lazy river or do bodyboarding at Stingray.
Join the Flex club!
If you are interested in learning how to bodyboard, you can sign up for the Stingray clinic sessions or join Flex club and sign up for the bodysurfing sessions under the Sports Hub Flex lifestyle programme.
Flex club is the first-of-its-kind lifestyle interest club at Singapore Sports Hub. You can take part in their complimentary group fitness classes such as FLEX Attitude Combat Fitness and FLEX Attitude Cross-Functional Fitness. These classes are FREE to join but sign up is required.
In addition, participants of any of the FLEX Club programmes will receive a $5 cash voucher. That’s the perk for staying active! For more information on Sports Hub Flex Club, do check out their website.
Before getting splashed…
Before getting into the half-pipe artificial wave pool, the instructor at site taught us how to coordinate and balance on the bodyboard on dry grounds. We went through all the bodyboard basics again to refresh our memory.
Just remember that no matter what happens (say a wipe-out), just roll over the board and cover your face with your hands to get off the board.
It is generally safe to bodyboard at Stingray because there are padded cushions at the sides of the artificial wave pool. Moreover, each participant must put on a helmet. So be rest assured and have fun!
Mastering the three basic riding forms of bodyboarding
When it comes to bodyboarding, there are three riding forms – prone, drop knee and stand-up. For beginners, they will usually learn how to prone first before moving on to the other two basic moves. That particular day, we only learn how to prone and stand-up.
Prone
This involves lying your stomach flat against the board, You will need to balance on the board using your arms and back. To propel forward, you will need to lean in more. And to slow down, you will need to dip your fingers into the water. This move will boost your coordination skills.
Stand-up
This move is probably the toughest among them all. Because you not only must learn how to mount yourself up the board but also balance on the board on your two feet once you are riding the waves.
The instructor would help us to stabilise the board with one foot so that we can get up the board easily. Once we are able to balance, they will let go of their grip so that we can stand to ride with the waves.
Here’s a tip
With the gushing water running under your board, you will feel as if you can’t balance at all. That’s when you must trust yourself (as well as the waves) that you will be able to move along with the waves. Once you overcome that fear, you will find it easy to balance on the board. Trust me.
And once you are able to master this move, you are ready to learn more tricks and moves in bodyboarding.
It’s more than just getting that beach bod
Picking up a new sport is like attending life lessons all over again. You will learn how to trust yourself, fall and get back up. Other than getting to know more people as you pick up a new skill and working out to keep yourself fit, you will also get to discover something new about yourself. That is why it is always more fun to join a club or community and try out something new.
What are you waiting for? Join Sports Hub Flex Club, make new friends, get active through the various fitness activities like bodyboarding.
