Surfing Waves

Hey guys, I have a "curious" question. I think that my stance while surfing my 9'0 longboard is a bit aggressive, like shortboarders do. How can I improve it to be more fluid and relaxed? Any tips? (by the way, I'm from Portugal, if anyone knows cool 2nd hand surf markets around here (or in spain for example) could u please tell me about it)....

Hugo wrote:Hey guys, I have a "curious" question. I think that my stance while surfing my 9'0 longboard is a bit aggressive, like shortboarders do. How can I improve it to be more fluid and relaxed?

Could you explain what your " aggressive " stance looks like compared to the fluid/relaxed stance you're striving for ? I think wether on a shortboard, funboard, or longboard a basic back side bottom turn looks the same. But if you want to have that "classic" style with a drop knee bottom turn, then that's different. I would say if you want to be more stylish, try putting your hands on your waist or clasped them behind your back. Keep the upper body quiet and let the legs walk back and forth to move the board. Not the flailing of arms like shortboarders do ( they don't have to move their feet ).

waikikikichan wrote:Not the flailing of arms like shortboarders do

That's not flailing... that's balletic grace...



...the balletic grace of a chimp on roller skates being attacked by a swarm of killer bees, but that's not the point.

Hugo wrote:Hey guys, I have a "curious" question. I think that my stance while surfing my 9'0 longboard is a bit aggressive, like shortboarders do. How can I improve it to be more fluid and relaxed? Any tips? (by the way, I'm from Portugal, if anyone knows cool 2nd hand surf markets around here (or in spain for example) could u please tell me about it)....

You should have a more "open" stance on a long board IMO. As in, feet not at a 90 degree angle to the stringer but toes pointed slightly towards the nose. Feet closer together than you would on a short board (unless stepping back to the tail for a big carve). Knees slightly bent but don't hunch over at the waist. Not only does all this make cross stepping easier but it looks 100x better than having a "short board stance" on a long board (which most people do, that I see).

Hey, thanks for all the advices, that was exactly what I needed. I keep putting my feet apart, and my knees bent a lot. I'll try to keep the feet together and less sideways, and my knees not so bent.

In another case, I'm thinking of buying a short single fin, do you think a 6'8 could be good for me? I'm 1,88m and 100kg. thanks again. You guys are the best

Don't go too small with a small with a single fin unless you plan on mostly using it in GOOD waves. The whole point of a single fin is glide and long drawn out turns. 6'8" doesn't tell us anything. A 6'8" gunny shape? Mini longboard shape? Retro shortboard shape? All of those are totally different.

Hey, thanks to the OP and especially to triple - Y's kook-proof response re. opening up the stance: that advice came to mind during a small-wave session yesterday , and proved nothing short of a mind -expanding revelation.

I hadn't realized how tied to the center-plane I was, trying to steer a stately pleasure craft like a skate- or snow- or shortboard, which, at nine-foot-two, mine is not.

Facing more forward took the onus off my heels and toes, and expanded kinesthetic input more fully into the third dimension. It felt super classic, and like communication with the board and wave was more conversational, in that I was able to hear more of they've been trying to tell me, and to respond in a more relaxed and confident manner. All that sounds a bit grandiose, but I've been looking for a shove out of an annoying rut, and this was finally it. I wonder what kooksville error will come up next?

leinosaur wrote:Hey, thanks to the OP and especially to triple - Y's kook-proof response re. opening up the stance: that advice came to mind during a small-wave session yesterday , and proved nothing short of a mind -expanding revelation.

I hadn't realized how tied to the center-plane I was, trying to steer a stately pleasure craft like a skate- or snow- or shortboard, which, at nine-foot-two, mine is not.

Facing more forward took the onus off my heels and toes, and expanded kinesthetic input more fully into the third dimension. It felt super classic, and like communication with the board and wave was more conversational, in that I was able to hear more of they've been trying to tell me, and to respond in a more relaxed and confident manner. All that sounds a bit grandiose, but I've been looking for a shove out of an annoying rut, and this was finally it. I wonder what kooksville error will come up next?

Exactly. Most beginners I see (and I'm a beginner/inter myself) are trying to do everything from the middle of the board and usually off their front foot, like it's a skateboard or snowboard. This actually makes the board very unforgiving because any tilt or weight in one direction will probably cause the rail to dig, leading to a fall. It took me awhile to get that figured out too. It's hard to think about foot position or move your feet around when you're just trying not to fall, but the ironic thing is that if you have the correct foot position the board is way more forgiving and you'll have way more control. Once you can move your feet around and can take some steps forward or backward as necessary, it's a complete game changer.

Perusing the archives of Waikikichan ' s blog, the entry at the link below reminded me of this thread (it's about foot position specifically, with diagrams! )
- I linked to page 2 of 8, since it has pictures on it

http://alohaki.jugem.jp/?eid=523&pagenum=1