Surfing Waves

ok so for some reason i have trouble using my 9 0 board. i am having trouble controlling it in the water......i am soo used to snowboarding and for some reason i cant controll this damn thing...my 6 1 board is easier to control. and by control i am meaning before i even get in the line up.....i am having trouble also popping up and getting my feet spread apart....can someone please help me....why is my short board easier to use than longboard? im a decently big dude too so i thought it would be easier.

brink wrote:...my 6 1 board is easier to control. and by control i am meaning before i even get in the line up.....

What, you mean as you paddle out etc?
If so, then the chances are you're not 'reading' the waves correctly so you're getting bashed about, and then its easier being on a shortboard as they dont get pushed by the wave so easily.

Shortboards are able to change direction very quickly, so it can be easier to make adjustments.

With longboards you need to really initiate everything a lot earlier. They are big frickin' tanks that need finesse to manuever about.

A few differences between short and long -

positioning: your legs are no longer hanging off half of the board, your whole body is centered.

paddling out: more float means until you get moving, it takes a bit more to combat choppier conditions. Plus, you need to learn to eskimo roll instead of duck dive. And whitewater tends to stop you dead in your tracks unless you roll through it or get your weight into the forward motion properly.

Popping up: smoother, more graceful. Skegs matter a lot. Sidebites / no sidebites have a big influence on turnability and stability, as does the size and shape of your center fin.

im going from a shortboard to a longboard all the time now depending on the surf, and with me it will take me about 5 mins befor i get used to my longboard again, but thats because iv been surfing it for about a year now. Just paddle out and if you having trouble keeping it flat then wait till you get out back and just move yourself around try to find the sweet spot again, take your time just to get used to it again and then go for a wave, try to catch it early so if you pop up and slip your not chucked about in the wash, the best thing i can advise is take your time and just try to get your balance.

when you catch a wave, first of all just ride straight and surf the wash, then try going down the line, just look down the line and feel the flow, try to to a big pumping bottom turn and get soem speed then just cruize, hopefully you should pick it up again, but dont get fustrated, just keep it calm. I used to get angry when i couldnt catch and waves and stuff and i used to make a prat out of my self just paddeling like a loonetic and still not catching anything.

im pretty much the same when im on a longboard i feel like a goofball it requires so much more to turn and is a little hairy in fast breaking waves. I think its a lot to do with what you are used to

The biggest differences I can discern are that on a Shortboard, it's more a matter of shifting your weight on your feet to get the board to go where yuo want it to. With a Longboard, it's more a matter of shifting your weight and your feet. You've got to move those footsies Brah! Learn to walk the board, and don't be afraid to push your weight around to get that board to manuever. Good luck!