Grupo Mayan Resorts: What you Need to Know About Bodyboarding
June 23rd, 2009
What is bodyboarding?
We´re glad you asked! Bodyboarding is riding waves on a small, usually rectangular board, and usually in a prone position lying on the board, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. Bodyboarding has grown to be very popular over the last 2-3 decades. Although it is classed as an extreme water sport, you only have to go to the beach to see people of all ages and ability levels practicing this fun sport.
How is a bodyboard made?
A bodyboard at its most basic is simply a roughly rectangular board made from hydrodynamic foam. Bodyboards consist of a foam core, usually with a hard plastic bottom and a softer top (this is called the deck). The core is made from polypropylene of from a similar foam substance, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. Different types of foam lend bodyboards slightly different characteristics. Some types of foam core are better suited to cooler water, as in warm waters they tend to become too flexible.
The bottom of a bodyboard is known as the slick. The slick is glued or bonded to the foam core and its rigidity lends the board speed and strength.
The top of the board is soft so that the rider has cushioning while riding it.
The overall shape of the board determines how it is best ridden (i.e. prone, on the knees or standing), say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. For example, a board that has its widest part towards the front is better suited to a prone rider, as a prone rider needs to have their body weight towards the front of the board.
More advanced boards are sometimes made with what are called ëstringers´. Stringers are rods made from graphite or carbon that run through the core of the board and improve its stiffness and reduce its propensity to deform when under pressure.
When a bodyboarder performs a turn in the water, they generate speed from the turn if the board flexes and releases energy correctly, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. If the board doesn´t flex correctly then speed is lost, so this is why it flex is an important characteristic in a body board.
Most body boards have channels on the bottom. These have the effect of increasing surface area in the areas that need it the most, which increases “wave hol” and the rider´s level of control. Channels also allow the tail of the board to move more.
Bodyboards can have differing types of tail, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. Bat-shaped tails are generally favored by prone rides, while crescent-shaped tails are preferred by “drop-knee” riders because this shape has less effect on how the board performs.