The Alpha should be the first board to go to from a soft-top or longboard. When you seriously want to progress your surfing to the next level you need a board that feels solid, comfortable and with more responsiveness to help improve your surfing. This board will get you doing the things you want to start doing on a wave. This is the transition board for beginners. Not so big, heavy or cumbersome like the last one but rather more surfboard-like, having stability under your feet and with more performance built-in.