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Everything You Need to Know About Nipper Boards

Nipper boards resemble small racing mals with four straps. They're designed for young Surf Live Saving participants and are built to SLSA standard specifications.

Children up to 10 years old generally use a foam Nipper board (called a foamie), and children over 10 use a fibreglass board.

What To Look For In A Nipper Board - Size, Construction and Design

Regardless of the manufacturer, most nipper boards are similar in appearance, since they're built to a standard design that complies with SLSA competition regulations.

Where they mainly differ is in construction material and artwork.

Racing mals may be made from foam, fibreglass, or carbon fibre. Foam boards are soft, relatively inexpensive, and good for beginners, but they lack the performance of a rigid fibreglass or carbon fibre board.

Fibreglass is the most commonly used construction material, while the more rigid carbon fibre is the most expensive option. As a compromise between strength and cost, many board builders offer fibreglass boards with optional carbon fibre rails (or other sections) for additional strength.

Where To Buy A Nipper Board - New and Second Hand

Kracka
JM
Dolphin
Bennett
Bravo
Infront
Hayden
Gardner

How Much Does a Nipper Board Cost

(This page is still under active development. Check back later for more content.)

Nipper Board Training - Paddling, Surfing, Popping and Rolling

Surf conditions and the ability of your nippers should dictate whether to train on flat water or in the ocean.

For younger nippers, anything over a 2ft swell may be too risky, so you should either head to a pool or lake for a swimming or flat water session, or enter the surf without a board (between the flags) to practice dolphin diving and body surfing, helping to build surf awareness and wave judgement.

Playing ‘under or over’ in small waves zone (with no board) helps kids to judge which waves are for popping over and which are for rolling under on the board.

Body surfing shows kids how keeping flat in the water assists with speed when returning to shore (this is why we trim the board by shifting weight between the back and front depending on position on the wave).

Also practice running relays in and out of the surf, to build confidence and strong wading technique which helps when entering and exiting while carrying a board.

One parent or other responsible adult per child in the water is a good policy for the youngest nippers who might not be strong and confident swimmers.

Techniques to practice in the surf...
  • Race start. Start by judging the surf - when to go, and when to wait.
  • Strong paddling, to punch through waves.
  • Popping and rolling
  • Catching waves
  • Changing direction on waves
  • Strong race finish, maintaining board control when exiting the surf

Techniques to practice on flat water

Race start with glide
paddling technique
Fast turns around buoys
Popping and rolling practice

Nipper board games
  • Penguins and Sharks: One shark, others penguins.  If a shark catches a penguin, the penguin becomes a shark, until everyone is a shark.
  • Pirates - everyone paddles in a line, following each either. Trainer yells 'Ahoy!' and the person at the back must sprint to the front.

Competition - Racing Events and Training

(This page is still under active development. Check back later for more content.)

Caring For Your Nipper Board - Maintenance, Transport, and Storage

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  • Home
  • SurfCraft Sports
    • Bodyboard
    • Fish / Hybrid Surfboard
    • Foilboard
    • IRB Racing
    • Kitesurfing
    • Kneeboard
    • Longboard / Mal / Mini-mal
    • Nipper Board
    • Prone Paddleboard
    • Racing Mal Paddleboard
    • SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard)
    • Sailboard (Windsurf)
    • Shortboard
    • Skimboard
    • Softboard
    • Surfboat
    • Surf Kayak
    • Surf Ski
    • Waveski
  • Ocean/Beach Sports
    • Beach Flags
    • Beach Volleyball
    • Bodysurfing
    • Ocean Swimming
    • Sandboarding
    • Soft Sand Running
    • Surf Race (Run-Swim-Run)
  • Surf Life Saving
    • Black Sunday on Bondi
    • Bondi Rescue
    • Bronze Medallion
    • Carnivals
    • Competition
    • First Aid
    • Hand Signals
    • History
    • Surf Ironman
    • Nippers
    • Patrolling
    • Rescue Methods
    • Resuscitation (DRSABCD)
    • SLSA Branches and Clubs >
      • NSW Clubs
      • VIC Clubs
      • QLD Clubs
      • WA Clubs
      • SA Clubs
      • TAS Clubs
      • NT Clubs
    • Summer of Surf
    • Surf Board Rescue Race
    • Surf Rescue Certificate
    • Taplin Relay
    • The Aussies
    • Wave Warriors
  • More
    • About Us
    • Blog
    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Forum
    • Glossary of Surfing Terms
    • Health and Fitness >
      • The Ocean
      • The Sun
    • Marine Life
    • News
    • Ocean Conservation
    • Photo Gallery
    • Privacy
    • Surf Forecast
    • Surf Safety >
      • Drowning
      • Rips
      • Sharks
      • Stingers
      • Surf Etiquette
      • Waves
    • Surfwear
    • Videos