Surfing Waves

ok, so i sold my funboard for a shortboard, i've been trying to surf with my shortboard for about a week now, i must say, it is hella hard!! way too different from my funboard, i can hardly catch any wave, and i can hardly stand, what i like most about it is i can duck dive..anyway, how long did it take u guys to learn on your shortboard? any advice for a beginner on shortboard? thanks in advance!!

It took me a few weeks to learn how to ride my shortboard (catching the wave, popping up and turning). One thing to keep in mind with a shortboard is you can't be as far out as you were on the funboard, you need to have more power behind you to get you going. Another thing is paddle hard! With your decreased bouyancy, you need more umph to get you up to speed. You need to pop up sooner as well. As soon as you catch the wave you need to be popping up, you can't wait till you've gone down the face of the wave. After that it's just finding your balance and going down the line, no one can teach you that except yourself.

yeah, i noticed that i have to paddle harder to catch the wave, i went out yesterday and for the first time i stood up, i was so stoked, the only problem now is to keep my balance, and maybe all i need is a little patience and more practice..cant wait to go out again today! thanks for the advice!!

Congratulations! It will be no time before you find your balance and start tearing it up.

One more thing about balancing on a shortboard, it's very crucial to make sure your board is as flat as possible in relation to the water (Too far forward and you'll pearl, too far back and you'll slow down so much the wave will drop you off). So take a look at your board when out of water and ask yourself, "Where do I need to place my weight to keep the board flat on the water?" It should be a little bit back from the mid-point on the board. (As the nose has less volume than your tail) Once you find out how to plane your board, it's much easier to keep your side to side balance and also easier to learn turning.

exactly, my problem is finding the sweet spot on my board, but i went again yesterday, and i stood up a couple of times, but sometimes the waves just pass me by..i'll try to learn how to make turns, coz i dont seem to have problems going straight, any tips on making turns?

all about weight distrubution, just remember front foot: speed
back foot: turning

so step on your back foot and lead with your head and then let your shoulders, waist, legs, working down.

I have never caught a wave on a shortboard yet..at least you have

You'll be shreddin on your board in less than 2 weeks. Have fun.

dondiemand wrote:exactly, my problem is finding the sweet spot on my board, but i went again yesterday, and i stood up a couple of times, but sometimes the waves just pass me by..i'll try to learn how to make turns, coz i dont seem to have problems going straight, any tips on making turns?

If the wave passes you by: (besides your positioning on the board) you may not be paddling fast enough, or you may be getting up too soon.

To start learning how to turn: look where you want to go, and point you're leading arm where you want to go.

Driftingalong wrote:

dondiemand wrote:exactly, my problem is finding the sweet spot on my board, but i went again yesterday, and i stood up a couple of times, but sometimes the waves just pass me by..i'll try to learn how to make turns, coz i dont seem to have problems going straight, any tips on making turns?

If the wave passes you by: (besides your positioning on the board) you may not be paddling fast enough, or you may be getting up too soon.

To start learning how to turn: look where you want to go, and point you're leading arm where you want to go.

i'll try this one!