Progressing on a short board.

[ProggressiveSURF]

Hi everyone! I've been surfing for a total of three years and have moved on to a short board (6,2) one year ago. Within this year i've worked on general comfort on waves, bottom turns and generating speed down the line. I have also, recently practiced the cutback. However, i've noticed minimal results on progressive turns. Im posting this for any advice on progressing to an intermediate surfer, a surfer who can perform cutbacks, snaps and has comfort on the board as a whole. Im 15 years old and would love advice on performing mouneveurs or ways to practice them on land/ water. I feel like i've hit a point where I can no longer progress and it's very frustrating. I've attempted turns but have had absolutely no success. (Im not looking for the easy way out, I just wanna good advice on how to improve)

Thanks!

[oldmansurfer]

My advice is to watch others. See where other shortboarders lineup, what waves they pick, how they turn. Also watch good surfers videos and watch the same thing. Pay attention to your foot placement. But basically most likely you are experiencing what lots of surfers do. It seems that learning comes in spurts so it seems like you aren't learning then suddenly you can do another maneuver. I like to do mental imaging if I am working on a specific move. What this is: I imagine I am doing a certain maneuver. I imagine that I am in the right place on a wave to do it then standing in my surf stance I try to go through the motions of doing it while in my mind imagining I am doing it. Other than that it is all about surfing but you have to be riding waves that will allow you to do the maneuvers you want to learn.

[voyager]

there are lots of You Tubes for progressing , there are some really good instructional ones for stuff like cutbacks, can't recommend them highly enough.
I've learned a ton of stuff just looking at these instructional vids over and over again then putting it into practice, I noticed exactly what Oldmansurfer said, you keep trying again and again with no luck, then suddenly you get a breakthrough...perseverance is the key, you just gotta keep bashing away at it, like anything worthwhile, it isn't easy!

[waikikikichan]

1) You went down too early to that 6'2" shortboard. You didn't put in the time to develop rail control and muscle memory / strength.
So instead of trying to progress to the future, you SHOULD go back to the basics.

2) SNAPS are not a intermediate maneuver. Again back to the basics, simple turns ups, simple turn downs, weaves, cut backs ( come back to the curl ), progressively tighter arcs, THEN onto snaps and round house cutbacks.
( by the way, how's your Backside bottom turns ? Because if they suck, so will your Front side cutbacks. The back side bottom turn and front side cutback have similar mechanics )

3) On land ? You should get a Carver skateboard. That's the best I found to help with cutbacks and pumps.