To downsize or not: that is the question

[partyboi69]

Evening all. Im a 5'9 chap riding an 8ft minimal - the board i pretty much learnt on. I'm very active and surf atleast 4 times a week if not more.


Very comfortable on it, paddling and catching waves up to 3-4ft, doing basic turns and trimming the wave - often trying a pretty sloppy snap or cutback. You could categorise me as an advanced beginner of sorts?

have tried stepping down onto a few boards that are smaller, including a 6'6 shortboard i bought - obviously much thinner and lighter. They go like the wind and are super reactive, but pretty uncontrollable - I don't have much success when I try something smaller for a few days/weeks.

So this is my question; what should I prioritise? Get super comfortable and spend more time on the minimal perfecting manoeuvres, on a board I am familiar with? Or make the plunge down to this 6'6 shortboard, with increased capabilities for speed and manouverablity?

I have been getting mixed reviews from all my peers and don't quite know where to go from here.

[Lebowski]

Surfing is a strange activity in that most people who start seem obsessed with getting onto the shortest board possible as quickly as possible. Since the only 'point' of surfing is to have fun, that should be your priority.

For me, I generally rode a shortboard exclusively until about 2 years ago. Since then, I've gravitated towards boards slightly larger, and mostly ride a 7'6 mini mal type shape. I find that I have much more fun on the bigger board. Every session pretty much has many good rides which are much longer than those I see struggling on the shortboards. I can get it out back in pretty much anything I'm likely to surf, and if I do take a shortboard out, generally I'll wish I brought the bigger one!

People who talk about being 'held back' by a bigger board are frankly talking rubbish in probably 95% of cases. Unless you're shredding like a pro then the extra swing weight of a bigger board is of little concern. On top of that, as I get older I find the pro style shredding and hacking very unnattractive to watch (probably not helped by terrible surf videos that only show 1 manouvre and then skip to the next rather than showing the whole wave). The only time I really miss a shortboard is when I'm caught inside and there are several grinders on the horizon! The rest of the time I'll have a big smile on my face.

I do still love the feel of riding a shortboard in a grunty wave, but I'll only take one out if it's big, perfect and empty pretty much.

[jaffa1949]

At what level do you feel you are making progress, you still have lots of progress built in on the board you are on.
You could stay with what you have, and build your surfing game around 8ft boards, and be doing some amazing stuff ( the full range of turns, barrels and anything are in reach).

[Big H]

Prioritize learning to surf over riding the smallest board you possibly can. Learn to surf and you can go smaller if you wish. Go small now and get squeezed out of larger lineups and get no waves or best case learn to ride for a few seconds before bogging out. Big board skills translate to smaller boards. Stay big and learn to surf.

[partyboi69]

Hey fellas! No idea how to reply to all your responses but there seems to be a consensus which is good. Cheers for the advice!

How would you approach learning and practising manoeuvres on bigger boards? Now that i'm comfortable and ready for a challenge, what does someone transitioning to intermediate turn their focus to?

[waikikikichan]

How would you approach learning and practising manoeuvres on bigger boards?

Same approach as in any sport.
1) Once you mastered the softball pitch at the batting cage, THEN you can try Slow pitch. until you've got that down fully, do not try the Fast pitch setting. Not only being able to hit the ball, but where you can direct it.
2) 80cc. MX, to 125cc. MX to 250cc. to 400cc. If you think you can jump from 80cc. to 250cc. that's up to you. Outright speed in a straight line you might be able to "handle", but can you brake, control the increased angles with out being choppy.

You need to practice on your long(er) board:
1) bottom turn and turn downs and turn outs backside
2) finish the wave standing on your feet not flying/jumping off
3) taking off later and closer to the peak
4) moving around back and forth along the board to find TRIM

Or make the plunge down to this 6'6 shortboard, with increased capabilities for speed and manouverablity? I have been getting mixed reviews from all my peers and don't quite know where to go from here.

Question: What type/size boards are your "peers" riding ? 6'6" shortboards have no more potential for speed and maneuverability on their own, it needs the proper input from the rider. I could probably drive my Honda Civic around a track quicker than if I jumped in a F1 racer. The F1 racer would just be spinning donuts and bouncing into barrier walls. ( do they have a reverse gear ? )

[oldmansurfer]

My answer is to pick your next board between the 6'6" and 8' boards like a 7'3" board. Better yet go get a custom made board around that size. Hey but some people like to ride longboards so give some time to consider what it is you desire to do. Shorter boards go faster only by being able to hang higher on a wall or by doing speed generating turns. Longboards go faster in a flat straight down the line way. You can do speed generating turns with a longboard but they are slower to respond and the difference gets less on bigger waves. So if you want to cruise along and do smooth turns and maybe noseride then stick with the minimal. Different boards will require different skill sets so learning the skill sets required for a longer board will mean you have to learn the skill sets for a shorter board eventually and if it isn't too difficult then go a little shorter now if that's what you want. Maybe you can see if you can try out a board around that length

[dtc]

Hey fellas! No idea how to reply to all your responses but there seems to be a consensus which is good. Cheers for the advice!

How would you approach learning and practising manoeuvres on bigger boards? Now that i'm comfortable and ready for a , what does someone transitioning to intermediate turn their focus to?

Have a look at the surf simply ‘tree of knowledge’ and figure out your level. Then find some skills/abilities in that level you don’t have and work on them

https://surfsimply.com/surf-coaching/th ... knowledge/

(You will need to look on a bigger screen than a phone)

This is also an interesting sort of related article

http://barefootfts.com/surf-simply-2/