noob - adult surfer - need to learn faster!

[CarlsbadSurfer52]

Hi everyone,
Not sure which forum to post under but here goes.
I am 52 yo and started to try surfing about 1 year ago (San Diego area). 5'10" and 185 lbs. Pretty good physical shape although not athletically gifted at all. Since I live 2 miles from the beach I go quite often for about 30 to 45 minutes. So I must have had about 100 times during the past year. Still struggling a lot in just the mush with a 8' Costco foamy (22.5" wide and 3.25” thick, 86 liters volume weighing 15.5 lbs). I can pop up but can't straighten up - usually 2 hands on board. Sometimes I can take one hand off the board but leave the other one on. I feel that I need to change things up significantly to increase my learning rate. I think I must be missing something big here to make progress so slowly.
- I also have a 9' foamy (24” wide, 3.5” thick and weighs 21lbs. volume ~ 111 liters) which makes many things easier but is so heavy to drag around and so I only use it on very light days.

Some ideas i am looking for feedback on:
- 9' long board ?
- get more 1-on-1 coaching locally?
- stop mucking about in the mush and spend more time trying to catch a green wave?
- anything else?
Greatly appreciate any advice y'all can provide and thank you Jaffa.

Ram

[oldmansurfer]

Get a 9 foot board, get lessons, surf frequently, go for green waves all good things. There are three main factors in surfing well actually four. The fourth is the crowd if there is one and you need to learn surf etiquette for that. The first factor is you. You need to get into good shape and have the muscles and conditioning to surf. The next is the board and it sounds like you need a board around 9 feet longboard type. The next thing is the ocean. This is perhaps the most difficult part for older beginners. But you need to learn to read the ocean and understand it's many moods and waves. Often beginners think surfing is about standing up and riding a wave and that is the fun part but before that happens you need to be able to tell if the conditions are right for you to go out and know where to go out and how to get through the surf and how to lineup the break and which waves to go for and which ones to not go for. All of this takes time but you need to be thinking about it and trying to learn that or it will all go a lot slower. Lessons help but once you can actually ride unbroken waves then maybe a surf buddy or two will also help.

[CarlsbadSurfer52]

Thanks oldmansurfer. 9' or 9' 6"? any suggestions on width or volume?

[jaffa1949]

If you pardon the pun, good to have you on board, I’d look at something at 9ft, itmay be heavy and awkward on land but floats your boat on the water. Stay with the 9ft foamy, pop ups need to be a bit like an exaggerated burpee not a slow hand over hand climb to your feet.
At this stage I would suggest a couple more lessons to be able to pop up cleanly in the white water after learning clear and functional paddling positioning on your board. Learn to not be worried about wiping out. Soft board so driving for a fast up to your feet, a wipe out on a foamy, no worries.
Swim too, learn to body surf, grab a bodybody board spend some time playing and learning how waves work.
You are now seeking guidance, things can improve, let’s also get real about your level of fitness for surfing, be blunt in your review, we certainly will be truthful with you!
Another thing if you have a partner and a video camera get them to do a video of you doing your stuff. It will be brutal ( we all flinched when we first saw ourselves surfing) but it will gives the best review to advise genuine ways of helping
Hang out with us here it will be good!

[BoMan]

Some ideas i am looking for feedback on:
- 9' long board ?
- get more 1-on-1 coaching locally?
- stop mucking about in the mush and spend more time trying to catch a green wave?
- anything else?

Choose a spot that has conditions in your wheelhouse...perhaps Tourmaline on 2-3 foot days. Use forecasts to help select the best dates and times to ride.
http://www.surfline.com/surf-forecasts/spot/old-mans-at-tourmaline_4804/

I would go with the longer board because it will increase your wave count. Catching more waves gives you more time to practice take offs, popups, turning and of course....having FUN.

A private lesson will be helpful if you have specific goals like turtle rolling, or getting to your feet without holding the rails. If possible, talk with the instructor in advance and check references.

You can also learn from friends and web resources like the Surf Simply tutorials...

and WKKKChan's blog. (scroll the archives to find what you need)
http://alohaki.jugem.jp/

[oldmansurfer]

Thanks oldmansurfer. 9' or 9' 6"? any suggestions on width or volume?

I am not sure but 5' 10" 185 lbs you are kind of stocky? Wide chest? I guess you are big enough you don't need to worry about a standard longboard being too wide. Thickness yeah you don't want it too thin but just your average longboard around that size should be good. Don't get into the numbers game at this point. Somewhere in the ball park is good enough for you at this point. You can catch waves with an 8 foot board so the 9 foot should be a lot easier regardless of thickness or width just don't get a 9 foot big wave gun (pointed nose).

[CarlsbadSurfer52]

Thanks. I could stand to lose about 10lbs. I do have wide shoulders, 33” waist. Can do about 6 pull-ups.

[jaffa1949]

The good advice rolls in ! How does knowing you are not alone help? A good portion of the guys here are in a similar age group, someoong time surfers , some noobs, we are all in it!

[oldmansurfer]

I started surfing when I was 18 and surfed for a while and then quit. When I restarted I was older and overweight and out of shape. I originally got a 9'6" big wave gun which was alright for me having some previous experience but it was actually made for someone smaller than me (very thin). After surfing on it for a while I got a 9'6" longboard and that was even better. Then after a while I got a board made just for me by a local shaper. I call it my oldmanoverweightoutofshape board and that is the board I currently use. It's a 8 foot fungun something like a big shortboard. I am no longer so badly out of shape however still old and overweight and I have 2 other boards that I use from time to time 7'6" and 7 foot board. But try to stick to one board mostly for now because the other boards will work differently and you need to learn how to use one board. I am 64 years old and 215 pounds (and gaining)(hopefully not for long though)

[dtc]

Can I suggest a different approach? A bigger board will make things a bit easier, but if you can’t pop up on a wavestorm in white water then you won’t be able to pop up on a bigger board. A wavestorm is a perfectly good starter board for you - it’s not the board that is the problem. It’s you

You need to fix up your pop up mechanics first. Lessons are a good start, land based practice is a good start. The biggest flaw for many people is having their hands too high - move your hands down to your lower rib or even belly button level, then pop up. It’s a fast explosive action, if you try to do it slow then you will fail (even though the brain is saying ‘slow it down because this is unusual and slowe seems easier’). If you are popping up explosively then your hands just can’t ends up still in the deck

Edit: another common problem is looking down at your board when you pop up. Puts your head in the wrong place and you overbalance. Look up at where you want to go, never down at the board

Practice on land. Do some burpees as well to loosen up the lower back. I assume you can do push ups, so it’s not a strength issue - could be mobility or technique

Finally, an easier pop up technique is the ‘Aussie sprinter’ pop up (google it and there is a good video). It’s not the purist technique and it only works on long boards, but it works - and at the end of the day that’s all that matters

Summary: the board is the wrong thing to be focusing on. Focus on your technique. No harm in getting a good 9ft board, it will absolutely be worthwhile pretty soon when you start catching green waves (although foamies are still good at the start). But a new board won’t solve the problem

[waikikikichan]

1) I must have had about 100 times during the past year. Still struggling a lot in just the mush with a 8' Costco foamy I can pop up but can't straighten up - usually 2 hands on board. Sometimes I can take one hand off the board but leave the other one on.
2) - 9' long board ?
3) - get more 1-on-1 coaching locally?
4) - stop mucking about in the mush and spend more time trying to catch a green wave?
5) - anything else?

0) The Red board on Craigslist is a good deal. If you have the funds, i would keep it for your next step board. I would look into a Molded Epoxy board like Torq, NSP or BIC. Why ? You've been so used to the carefree bump into anything and no damage of the foam boards. Traditional Fiberglass your bound to get a lot of pressure dings and shatters especially if your on your knees in the soup.
1) Until you get over this, nothing else matters. You'll never be able to ice skate, if you don't let go of the rink wall. As the song says " LET IT GO !!". You need to get your feet under your butt and rise straight up. There's way more than that, no time to explain here. ( oh and STOP looking Down at the board !! )
2) Or bigger. at least 23 inches wide and 3 inches thick.
3) Coaching is great. but why so late ? You've been doing it for a 100 times and still riding the soup. Where / Who first taught you ? However long it took you to make the habit, IS how long it'll take you to BREAK the habit.
"need to learn faster".............. sorry you got a 100 days to get back to 0.
4) The mush whitewater foam is where the ride is over. It's where the energy of the wave is given up - finished. It's too turbulent and not enough inertia to keep you ( or anyone ) going. Imagine a slide that is 5 degrees ? No fun and you got to scoot yourself with your hands and butt to go forward. Now imagine a slide at a 50 degree angle ? Lot of momentum and no need to create momentum just let your hands go and woosh. You're trying to ride in the flats, get out of there.
5) Posting a video of yourself will be helpful, but nothing matters until you can get over the hand not letting go problem.

[CarlsbadSurfer52]

Thanks dtc and waikikichan. Can pop up with arms near shoulder or lower - same issue. I will focus more on not looking at the board. For a while there I used to just arch my back and never pop up. I eventually got rid of that bad habit by practicing many pop ups at home as a single step rather than a deconstructed multi-step version. I only took a group lesson once during which I popped up once. I think I will take some 1on1 lessons with a local here and see what happens. I am sort of over-analytical and it is hard for me to let my body do it’s thing.

[jaffa1949]

Please do stop being over analytical,among all those we try to help here, people who do that make the slowest Progress! One thing becomes quickly obvious if you have to think to react you are already too late..

Get fit, get braver, face the wipeout, change how you do things, and try do, not thinkdo!
That board as a reward , the Torq or NSP because you need to get beyond the cautious zone.

A direct thought, you PMed me for help, that shows me you thought too much about what others may think!
Enjoy the fact that we are all help helping you really go,surfing

[dtc]

as waikikichan said - if you can get someone to video you, it will be quite helpful. If you are popping up in the white water, then 10 minutes should get to film 8-12 attempts, so it wont be too much effort for the camera operator.

[CarlsbadSurfer52]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful and candid responses, especially waikikikichan and Jaffa for not trying to sugarcoat. Stuff I needed to hear. I feel like I made more progress in 1 day than I did in a year. I will start working through some of the ideas here and update soon.

[saltydog]

I'm 44 and only started surfing 2 years ago, only surfing once a week on average. Keep working on it as you follow good tips from here and in person, and you'll progress eventually

Hi everyone,
I can pop up but can't straighten up - usually 2 hands on board. Sometimes I can take one hand off the board but leave the other one on.

How's your stance once you pop up? Your feet need to be over the stringer with your back foot just about perpendicular to the stringer while your front foot should be at 10-11 o'clock (for a natural footer) or 1-2 o'clock (for a goofy footer.) Or maybe you need to practice balancing. Balance board like goof board really helps. I have a diy plywood like this one (pic not mine) Also, skateboarding helps so much in developing a sense of balance.

[garthtrickett]

I had a bunch of trouble learning to popup. If you practice 5-10 of the below a night you will be sweet.

If you follow this video and learn how to popup like this on land you will have no problems in the water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSOD4qsG9Go

A few more points to add when practising this

- (Assuming your left foot forward) Do the whole popup looking at a 45-degree angle to the right. Your surfbboard will go the way you're looking
- At no point look down to check your feet eyes up the whole time.
- Keep your feet in the air the whole time before the hip suck so you don't cheat and use them to get up.

[oldmansurfer]

I probably do something like that popup however I am sure I can't do it anywhere near as smoothly on land as I do in the ocean. Old people may require different popups because of arthritis, back problems, lack of flexibility, slow reflexes etc. Everyone is different but one does need to popup to surf.

[CarlsbadSurfer52]

Thanks guys. Taking a 1-on-1 session on Thu with a local instructor on a 9'. Hopefully he can see what the problem is. This morning on my 8' board I noticed that many a time my front (left) foot is pointed to the left rather than the right when I do it on land. So this led me to think maybe I am lying too far back and when I try and pop up the back end sinks stalling the board and not leaving enough room in the front to get my left leg between my hands and oriented correctly.

[oldmansurfer]

Fantastic! Nothing beats having someone right there who knows what they are doing. Let us know how it goes.