Everybody likes to look their best and make an impression, but nobody likes a poser. Every niche sport has a fashion attached to it that participants follow. But the best ones don't get carried away with their fashion. They don't need to and don't appreciate those who make style more important than substance in sports.

Each and every niche has its own brands and styles of clothing. A brown boot is nothing special until it has a distinguishing brand name attached to it and a unique style. Then a simple boot becomes a football boot or a ski boot. The branding identifies the sport and the company that makes the boot will also make a casual shoe because they know that whoever buys their boots will also buy their shoes.

Surfers and other water lovers all wear underwater watches when they're doing what they love to do. Naturally, they will get a sturdy underwater watch and not a stylish leather watch to wear when they are in the water. They need something that works, not something that just looks good!

A men's sport watch with a surfing label sells well with surfers, but hardcore surfers don't feel the need to buy a leather one as well. They wear the one watch everywhere and look down on surfers who have another watch just because it looks good! The see them as posers. It may be an unfair judgment, but if you're trying to fit into surf culture, bear it in mind!

Yes, that's a pretty harsh judgment to make about a guy who's just trying to fit in, but there's more to it than meets the eye. Surfers take a lot of pride in their skill and what it takes to get good at surfing. They have nothing to prove because they've already proved themselves to their peers. When an outsider who hasn't paid his dues comes on the scene and thinks he'll be accepted just because of his clothes, they don't like it at all!

They're missing the point though, You've got to earn your stripes to be considered a real surfer. You've got to put in the hours needed to learn the maneuvers and get to the level of fitness that surfing requires. When a surfer sees a guy who clearly has not done that trying to fit in just because he mimics what they wear, they don't like it and they let him know it!

Go ahead and buy that cool looking watch and those shoes. Just don't think you're going to impress anybody with them. If you want to make a good impression on others, get good at what they do!