Surfing Waves

i went out the other day and the surf was makin bout 2-3ft clean but i just couldn't paddle into it got any tips on fast smooth paddling

You dont need to keep posting new topics to find all these things out, if you search 'paddling' over there on the left you will find loads of help.

id say its all down to rhythm, and practise! like everything. you been surfing long?

kinda but not for a while so i lost all sense of srfing so i had to start again and i forgot everything

ya use the seach function . However i will drop some advice. Paddling should be forceful do it like you mean it. I see loads of newer surfers splashing the water. Being a good paddler can get you out of a lot of trouble on bigger days.

Im a rubbish paddler

But I improved a load of the summer by actually taking the time to think about it and work on it, so Im a lot better than I was, and I know a lot of the mistakes (but if surferdude-scarborough comes on in a minute and says Im talking cr@p then believe him and not me...)

So anyway...
Most of the power in the stroke comes in the second half of the movement, so dont waste energy by trying to stretch out super-far in front of the board.

Dont lean back too far - it stalls the board. Keep your head down as you paddle for a wave, and arch your back as the board starts to move down the face.

Keep streamlined - dont drag your feet in the water, keep your knees together.

Be fitter than I am.

isaluteyou wrote:Paddling should be forceful do it like you mean it. I see loads of newer surfers splashing the water.

*flap flap flap*

"PaddlepaddlepaddlePADDLE!!!!" (sotto voce, 'oh for fecks sake')

Ah, the cry of the surf teacher

cheers

Focus on digging your arm into the water, fully extended. I see people with their elbows bent, flicking at the water with their hands by moving their wrists back and forth.

They probably don't realize it, I guess.

If you knife your hand straight down into the water above your head, the pulling back is the big important part, as mentioned above.

If you need help paddling, then you probably didn't need to post on cutbacks....

drowning.....do I have permission? thanks....

I kick my legs too, gives that extra bit of momentum, mind depends if your feet overhang the board, cos if they don't that would be stupid.

My feet dont hang over my board much if at all but kicking still works well if I really need to paddle hard, you just put your legs out to the side of the rails which if you think about it kinda still means your legs are going vertically down in line with your body as the board tapers in at the back, if that makes sense.

Paddle in a S motion draging your hand's under your board as the water there is denser so you gain more forward thrust and like DBB said most of the power comes from the last 1/2 of your stroke.

A few other points are:
Always look where your going
Make sure that the nose is no more than 4" above the water and obviously not dipping under.
Make sure your boards stringer goes along the central line of your body(bollox to nose)

P.s if you are into cutbacks and $hit before you can paddle then i would suggest getin sponsored

I don't think anybody said this, but if you were havin a hard time getting out, it might be something to do with how you get through the white water.

How's your duckdiving or other techniques for not getting washed in?

make sure you're always moving forward before a broken wave hits you, and you won't lose as much ground.

FishKid Wales wrote:P.s if you are into cutbacks and $hit before you can paddle then i would suggest getin sponsored

drowningbitbybit wrote:"PaddlepaddlepaddlePADDLE!!!!" (sotto voce, 'oh for fecks sake')

Ah, the cry of the surf teacher

sounds like me teaching scouse chavs (*ahem*, 'customers' ) to canoe!!!

dont look at me im going to patent my one paddle pop up soon so i can charge for tuition

also when you stroke into the water, follow through with your cupped hands under the board instead of just around it. I heard Kelly Slater mention it in his autobiography and it works.

swimming is a great cross-training exercise that helps with paddeling form.

i may be askin a dumb ass question but y would i get sponsored i may have a major fear deficiency but im not really that god and i went out the other day and i couldn't paddle before that i was fine but i forgot!!!

He was reffering to your other post when you were talking about cutbacks, which is an advanced manuver, and then to this one, about paddling, which is the first thing you learn other than how to walk in the sand down to the ocean.

Sarcasm at it's very best