Drinking plenty of water keeps your skin healthy and reduces your chances of developing stretch marks. Try to drink approximately two liters per day. A balanced, nutritious diet is good for your overall health, and can also reduce your chances of developing stretch marks. Supplements are not necessary to prevent stretch marks, but you should try to get enough of certain vitamins and minerals that can help protect against stretch marks. Vitamin E helps to regenerate the skin and increase its elasticity, and to repair body tissues and promote blood flow. Vitamin E also encourages the production of collagen, a protein found in the skin and elsewhere that helps wounds heal, including stretch marks. You can get more vitamin E by choosing certain foods, and perhaps from certain skin creams.  Foods high in vitamin E include: eggs, fortified cereals, fruit, green leafy vegetables (such as spinach), meat, nuts, nut oils, poultry, olive oil, and whole grains.  Wheat germ is high in vitamin E, so you can include more of it in your diet. Anecdotal evidence suggests that wheat germ oil as an ointment can help your skin.  Creams containing vitamin E aren't likely to prevent stretch marks as such. However, they may help with itching and skin dryness.  The recommended daily allowance of vitamin E is 15 mg per day for both men and women. Exfoliating creams containing vitamin E can scrub away old skin and promote the growth of new skin. Vitamin C is the most plentiful antioxidant in the skin, and helps neutralize free radicals (damaging molecules) and promote skin health.Like vitamin E, vitamin C also helps the body make collagen.  Foods high in vitamin C include: cantaloupe, citrus fruits and juices (such as orange and grapefruit), mango, pineapple, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, and cabbage. You can also use topical creams containing vitamin C. As with vitamin E creams, these cannot prevent stretch marks, but there is a chance that they may discourage them. Recommended daily allowances for vitamin C are 90 and 75 mg per day for both men and women, respectively. Riboflavin promotes healthy skin and skin function. It also widens blood vessels and increases blood circulation. Niacin helps deter many kinds of skin disorders.  Foods high in riboflavin include: milk and other dairy products, fish, meats, green leafy vegetables, enriched cereals and breads, and whole grains.  Foods high in niacin include: meat, fish, milk, eggs, green vegetables, and whole grains. Zinc helps prevent stretch marks by softening and tightening the skin.   Foods high in zinc include: beef, pork, shellfish, peanuts, and legumes (such as beans and lentils).  Excessive zinc intake can cause a range of health problems. While the amount of zinc consumed in common foods is perfectly safe, supplements and other products can be overused. Talk with your doctor about the proper dosage of zinc for you, given your age, health, and other factors. Zinc also plays an important role in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and cell division.  Zinc toxicity has been seen in the consumption of greater than 225 mg of zinc. Some studies suggest that silica can improve the appearance and strength of skin. It is also associated with collagen production, connective tissue in the skin, and the repair of the skin. Dietary sources of silica include: whole grains, cereals, beer, and green beans.

Summary: Stay hydrated. Eat a healthy diet. Increase your intake of vitamin E. Consume plenty of vitamin C. Make sure you get enough vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin). Get the right amount of zinc. Ensure that you get enough dietary silica.


Stand facing your partner with your feet together. This is called the closed position. Then use your left foot to take 1 step forward if you’re the lead. If you’re the follower, take 1 step back with your right foot to mirror the lead. Step slowly so the step lasts 2 beats of the music. Repeat the same process so that you and your partner take 2 steps overall. However, this time step forward with your right foot instead of your left. If you’re the follower, take a second step back with your left foot.  These are called walking steps. This second step also takes 2 counts and follows the slow part of the foxtrot rhythm. This is the second part of the basic foxtrot step and it involves moving at a faster pace. If you’re the lead, step to the side and forward very slightly with your left foot. If you’re the follower, quickly step to the right using your right foot. Make sure to step back very slightly to give the lead room as they step forward.  Complete the sidestep at the fast speed of the foxtrot rhythm. This is 1 beat of the music. Perform the sidestep twice as quickly as you performed each walking step. The final part of the basic foxtrot step is to bring your sidestep to a close. If you’re the lead, bring your right foot to your left foot and position your feet close together. If you’re the follower, draw your left foot over to your right foot. Move at a fast foxtrot rhythm of 1 count of music. Overall, the 4 parts of the basic foxtrot step follow the slow, slow, fast, fast rhythm of 2, 2, 1, 1, in terms of counts. This means that you count 2 beats of the music while you perform the slow parts of the step and 1 beat of the music for the fast parts. When you’re dancing the foxtrot, moving forward and backward requires the same sequence of steps, however, you simply switch direction. For example, if you’re the lead, take 1 slow step back with your left foot and then a second slow step back with your right foot. Then step to the side with your left foot and draw your right foot over to close the sidestep. It works in the same way if you’re the follower. Take 1 slow step forward with your right foot and then a second slow step forward with your left foot. Step right with your right foot and then bring your left foot over to complete the sidestep.

Summary: Take 1 step forward with your left foot. Take a second step forward with your right foot. Use your left foot to take 1 sidestep to the left. Bring your feet together to close the sidestep. Do the sequence in a backward direction to perform a basic backward step.


The settings you entered above are great for practice, but pro surfing servers will use much less forgive settings. Once you're familiar with how surfing works, change the sv_airaccelerate 800 value to sv_airaccelerate 100. You can decrease it in increments until you reach 100 so that you can get used to the slower air acceleration speed. Big jumps may look cool, but they'll kill your forward momentum. If you're trying to get the best times, you'll want to stick to low jumps to clear the space you need while maintaining your speed. The longer you hold Space, the higher you'll jump. Try to just tap it to clear the gaps you need to get over. The one time big air can come in useful is if you've found a shortcut you can use or a part fo the map you can skip. This almost always requires a very high speed so that you can make the jump. Not all maps have skippable sections. The M3 shotgun is one of the best weapons to use while surfing, as it stays accurate even while moving quickly. It's meant for close range, so try to use it on players using the same surfing ramp as you.  Not all servers allow you to use guns and attack other surfers. Try to avoid automatic weapons, as the accuracy will be terrible. The same goes for single shot snipers, as you'll never get an accurate shot while moving. You'll lose all of your momentum as well, but this can be a good tactic if you've already messed up your jump. Be aware that not all servers look kindly on blockers, so you may get kicked if it's against the rules.
Summary: Adjust your game settings. Avoid big air. Look for shortcuts and corners you can skip. Use shotguns if you want to attack other players. Block other players by stopping in front of them.