Surfing Waves

What is the difference between the average surfers and the pros? Yes I know good surfing comes with experience and they are pros because the win pro contest, but what is the difference between the performance of a average surfer and a pro? What are average surfers not doing that pros are? Basically what makes you stand out in the lineup?

There are surfers who don't compete who are as good as pro surfers. If you consider the skill set of surfing on a scale of one to ten, one being a total beginner and ten being the pros then an average surfer would be about a five. It's just a matter of having better skills but among those skills the ability to do a wide variety of progressive maneuvers reliably and wave knowledge knowing when to do what. But again it is just a continuous scale so you have no clear distinction. More specifically the difference between pros and others is the skill set of contest surfing so you may have 2 surfers who are just as good at free surfing but in a contest one usually wins because they know how to surf a contest. What makes you stand out in the lineup? I would say anything flashy.

With pros it is their job, they don't have as much distraction having to pay attention elsewhere.
They have a better set of skills than average and have finessed them by many more hours surf time and now surf specific training programs.

The pro has often been driven to be a pro from a very young age, often obsessively.
Average joe might have started with a similar level of skill but the sheer intensity of desire in a developing pro, is much greater.

surf904 wrote:What is the difference between the average surfers and the pros?

Surfing Pros are less than 1% of the surfing population. Just like comparing the average bicycle rider to the Tour de France pros. But what in your opinion is an "average surfer". In Hawaii, I am below average, but here in Japan, I am considered Semi-Pro.

surf904 wrote:what is the difference between the performance of a average surfer and a pro? What are average surfers not doing that pros are? Basically what makes you stand out in the lineup?

I think you are asking how to get better at surfing than where you currently are ? Forget about the Pros, look at the ripper at your current break. The best surfers I know, don't do contest, so they'll never be pros.

If an Average surfer can do the basics, Bottom Turn, Cutbacks, Backside surf, maybe get covered, the Advanced / local ripper does everything better.
Faster - not just out right speed, but quickness of his moves. But without speed, everything becomes harder.
Harder - he puts his board more on rail. Like a MXer throwing a carving dirt roost, you can't do it going straight
Higher and Lower - Not just airs, but climbing and dropping using the whole face
Deeper - Takes off deeper in the pit, more critical drops and barrel rides
Flow - he puts all those move together seamlessly.
Timing - like most sports, it's not the What to do but the When to do it.
Position - He is always in the power spot on the wave. Waves come to him because he know where to sit.

You wanna get better ? Learn to paddle better. I have never heard someone say " that guy rips.... but he can't paddle " All the guys that stand out, all have a great paddle.

Another thread you are going to start and abandon

oldenglish wrote:Another thread you are going to start and abandon

You never know which treads will run and which will fade.
Put them up anyway. surveys excepted!

oldmansurfer wrote:There are surfers who don't compete who are as good as pro surfers.

I've got a good example. My friend/surf instructor has been surfing for around 10 years. When he first got into it the first few years, he was really arrogant and competitive. He surfed long and short board and wanted to prove himself in competitions. At the time his best was probably 2nd place. Then after that he just disappeared off the competitions. He changed his view on surfing and lost all interest in competing. Started focusing on retro longboards and coaching younger generations to have surfing etiquette.

For about 5 years he disappeared off the rankings but was a very well known surf instructor throughout the country. 2-3 years ago when I went to buy a new board I spoke to some people in the shop. They asked me who brought me into the surfing scene and I mentioned my instructor name. They started saying that he isn't a good coach and that he has bad rankings etc. Saying that he can only surf longboard and retro style. The new surfing era is all about big flashy maneuvers and doing crazy things. No one cares about doing hang five or hang ten. They advised me to get a new coach/friend.

So about a year later, I went to visit my friend. I told him what people outside his world is talking about him. He was quite pissed and I can see it lit up his eyes. Later that year he entered both long and short board competitions and was in top 3 for both of them on the same day. After that he disappeared again from the competition scene.

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I didnt really mean pros that are on the ct, I meant the pros at my local break doing all the qs comps. It will be a 2ft day where i can get a turn off and then ill see them doing full air reverses. So I know it's not the waves its my surfing and just really want to improve it.

There is no shortcut. You have to surf a lot.

Natural high level potential underpinned by lots of surfing hours, most of us reach our potential at good capable average.
We can all run, but most of us even with intensive coach will not go beyond average rather than Olympic standard.

Most of those guys have been surfing since they were 4. Their parents were probably pushing them into waves before they could even paddle for it. If your an average beginner think of the difference between now and when you first started. It's huge right? Now imagine the difference between someone who has surfed everyday for the last 10-15 years and someone who surfs daily for 2 or 3 years. It's probably an even bigger difference than the previous comparison.

I see local pros doing things I can't even wrap my mind around. Hopefully in 10 years that stuff will seem a whole lot more possible.

Let me put this tread to slightly different angle. It is well known that pro's in any kind of sport develop specific injuries or chronic diseases. And generally being a pro sportsman kinda deteriorates ones health.

What would that be for surfing?

I guess it depends on the surfer but those who push the limits more are the ones to get more injuries. I know from talking to friends who are old like me they have a variety of back neck and shoulder problems which are likely related to surfing. But this is a topic much thought about and written about. here are a few articles about it.
http://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfing-lifestyle/life-as-a-surfer/avoid-common-surfing-injuries-through-easy-prevention/
http://orthosurg.ucsf.edu/oti/patient-care/divisions/sports-medicine/conditions/other-common-sports-injuries/surfing-injuries/
http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/forget-sharks,-this-is-how-you're-really-likely-to-be-hurt-surfing.-1_112632
http://www.theinertia.com/surf/surf-injuries-cause-and-prevention-an-in-depth-look-at-the-dark-side-of-our-sport/

surf904 wrote:What is the difference between the average surfers and the pros? Yes I know good surfing comes with experience and they are pros because the win pro contest, but what is the difference between the performance of a average surfer and a pro? What are average surfers not doing that pros are? Basically what makes you stand out in the lineup?

How about average vs superlative? Pros in any pursuit are from a different planet than anyone associated with average....I used to play a lot of golf, was scratch and on my best days could beat the club pro....the club pro had been a former tour player that had been in a bad car accident, walked with a limp and said he lived with constant pain that he medicated heavily with daily painkillers and a shot here and there.....this walking wreck of a 56year old man I was able to beat on my very best days. BTW he never seemed to have any off days and took the game so easily....I realized after awhile it was because playing that course for fun only with a guaranteed paycheck gave him little motivation to push very hard and was playing relatively safe and just going through the motions. That's why no off days.....kinda like asking if you have off walking days....not really, walking is easy right? You walk about the same every day. Point is pros are THAT much better than the rest....stronger in every area, experienced more of everything, practiced endless hours since they were kids AND have talent...heaps of it. That's the part that can't be learned.

Good post big h

Some of them surfed from when they were 2 or 3 years old. Hard to beat that but it looks like Garret McNamara's kid Barrel is starting even younger

Bethany Hamiltons kid was surfing in the womb. Wonder if that will make a difference

Two things that make surfers stand out:

1) Catching the biggest set waves that roll through the lineup.

2) Once on that set wave, doing the best maneuvers (hacks, airs, big carves, cutty's, floaters, etc)

You need to surf for a long long time to learn how to do 1, and 2.

surf904 wrote:What is the difference between the average surfers and the pros? Yes I know good surfing comes with experience and they are pros because the win pro contest, but what is the difference between the performance of a average surfer and a pro? What are average surfers not doing that pros are? Basically what makes you stand out in the lineup?

In my opinion, the best surfers, pro & amateur, have a style all their own. Larry Bertleman, Gerry Lopez, Mark Richards, Tom Curren . . . just had unique ways of interpreting the waves they were on. I find the influence of skateboarding on surfing becoming monotonous. I'm a bit tired of the aerials and tricks that are repeated endlessly these days; I'd rather watch professional skateboarders. Something about the emphasis on skateboard tricks in surfing just feels like it reduces a wave to a ramp. I like watching Joel Parkinson and Kelly Slater because they seem to connect with the waves they ride rather than turn them into skateboard ramps. Obviously professional surfers are all doing airs, but with some surfers their tricks feel forced and with others they seem to highlight the beauty of the wave they're riding. Even when I watch local surfers, I marvel at the unique style some of them have at just trimming their boards as they fly down a line or hold their line in a tube.

Look at the description here under "Beginner:" http://www.shjsurfboards.com/index.php/ ... guide.html
His take is that speed is the key to unlocking high level performance. Makes sense to me.