Surfing Waves

I have no problem dropping in on most waves, usually here in Cocoa Beach its 2-5 footers and they don't usually offer long sections. I like to angle about 15 to 20 degrees before takeoff to kind of cheat. I can go straight on the drop but it seems like I don't get enough speed that way, even though I believe it's the proper way to start? I tend to fly off the front of the board when I do go straight down or wind up too far ahead of the wave and have to wait for it to catch up to me, then it's too late. I arch my back good, and pop-up really quick. I'm only 165 lbs and 5'11". Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong or should I keep "cheating" on the takeoff? I'm at the point where I have no problem getting up and down on a good section and even catching some air on good ramps, I can also turn pretty well, just not quickly and I seem to dig rails when I try to turn too sharp. My next step is to carve and snap and do some tighter turns. I have a 6'3" roundtail called da slippah. It's epoxy and got some volume, but it's pretty skatey too. Maybe go with the quad setup or stay with thruster? When I try to do a nice carving turn I first look where I want to go, put weight on my back foot, and follow through from torso to legs. Unfortunately I usually fall off the side. Any advice for me folks? I'm so close to shredding I can taste it. Sorry about such a long post, but I wanted to make sure I had enough info to answer my question. Thanks alot for the help.