Surfing Waves

I wonder which was the moment you really learned to bottom turn and what was the main difference with respect to what you were doing before.
I read EVERYTHING I could find on the web about a proper bottom turn (weight distribution, rotation, center of gravity, squatting, load the spring, eyes, etc etc etc)
I think it would be more useful to read from someone who was struggling and now is mastering it

thanks in advance

"Pretend you've dropped your keys"

If you remember that, just at the bottom of the face, it all goes surprisingly easily.

AHA: American Health Association?

i thought that was, when she took on me...

seriously, dunno.. i just leaned in and around it went...

good for you

for me, sometime the board simply doesnt turn, and I dont know it's my technique (not on the rail) or the fact that I dont have enough speed

themathteacher wrote:AHA: American Health Association?

AHA - realisation as everything becomes clear.

I don't claim to be a master, but I can bottom turn and do have some advise. There was no aha moment for me, but there continues to be a slow progression of improved muscle memory and techinique that has made my turns better.

I need to be anticipating my next move before it comes to the point of execution to have success. If I think: ok drop the face, now plant and turn it doesn't work, inevitably I end up going straight down the face and turning in the flats without enough speed to get back up the wave. Instead, I think: paddle into the face at an angle and drop the board under my feet already in the direction I want to go and make the bottom turn ASAP. Although it feels to me that I'm bottom turning halfway down the wave, I suspect that I'm actually bottom turning at the bottom of the wave although now with enough speed to get back up the face. I always feel that I'm further up the wave than I actually am, and I suspect this is a common error amoung surfers of my ability. So in summary, angle your board, anticipate and bottom turn faster even before you think you should and see if that helps.

More often than not I find that if I stop the thought process and just go with the feeling, I find myself surfing better, doing more critical turns at more critical sections on the wave. Bacically dont over think it and you will find yourself bottom turning like a pro. The hardest part could be just to NOT think about it though. Practice practice, watch others on your paddle back out then practice practice and surf some more and everything will fall into place. Unless you are 40-50 lbs and 5-6 years old, surfing takes time. Thankfully, surfing has a long learning curve and the line ups are still packed. Could you imagine if one could be fluent in surfing in just a few tries, wow, the line ups would be unbearable. Keep at it and you too will have a lifetime of memorable rides.

lorcar wrote:I wonder which was the moment you really learned to bottom turn and what was the main difference with respect to what you were doing before.

I dropped in on a big old roller, lost control of my front foot. My ‘board spun around my back foot as my leg compressed at the bottom, the ‘board then just so happened to reconnect with my front foot and I smacked a luuurrveerly off the lip to boot.

Lesson here was to actually loose control a bit, but be able to bring it back (like skidding a car). Been cool ever since! [yes, this is a strange lesson!]

Also, lean into your drop, go with it, speed makes a more successful bottom turn more likely. Don't fight the drop, go with it.

esonscar wrote:Lesson here was to actually loose control a bit

Completely agree.
If anything, I surf too safe, but when it's a nice small-to-medium clean wave, I like to make sure I end every wave with a throwaway move - I know I probably won't land it, and I'll probably just look a twat, but you learn something every time... even if it's just not to try that again

drowningbitbybit wrote: I like to make sure I end every wave with a throwaway move - I know I probably won't land it, and I'll probably just look a twat, but you learn something every time... even if it's just not to try that again

I bet you stop doing this when your new board arrives!

To the OP re bottom turns - I have had a long and gradual progression since I started surfing (only 6 years ago) to the point now where I'm trying to do the right type of turn for the wave every time.

2 points that helped me:
- stay crouched after popping up till you initiate the bottom turn, and you will have more speed and energy to make it along the face.
- look and point at where you want to go on the wave, and you'll suddenly be there! This means you don't need to try and turn by leaning or planting your weight back or forward, but will subconsciously just do it correctly. Trust your body to take care of all the balance and rotation and concentrate on picking the place you want to be on the wave.

Of course this all depends on how quickly the wave is peeling, and how steep the face is, but it's what I keep reminding myself to do if I start missing waves after the drop.

Jimi wrote:2 points that helped me:

The third point is that he weighs as much as an under-nourished whippet

LOL dropping your keys....gold. Then launching straight into a drop wallet layback. No wonder normal people think surfers are drop kicks, we're dropping everything! I'm going to crwon a mad turn as the "drop phone" turn