Surfing Waves

I dont know how many other surfers feel about this topic....but I think and have thought for a long time in my life that the 'take off' (or pop up as to what I think it is now referred to these days) is still the most vulnerable area of my technique....

And I appreciate some people will probably not relate to an analyitical diatribe in the form of this text but once I nail a take off just about most things I push or work for on a wave, most times, comes together....I do ridiculous things at time, but in the most part....and keeping in mind I go more for a cruisy type ride as I ride a 7'4 mini mal and I am not into the short board manouvre type thing..(I put that in for sake of context...and no offence to shortboarders because everything I say is in total respect for the awesome steps that shortboards have taken surfing and the many many great riders out there...)

But when I even flinch or split second falter in commitment on a take off the ride is compromised.....

Its like my pschic has to have everything absolutely perfect in the take off position otherwise I react...simple things like I am paddling in and I catch a glimpse of someone who I figure is going to be right in the zone that I am aiming for....or I dont anticipate the lip exactly and it puts me off.....it can be anything.....

I practice my dry land take offs, I work at my fitness with surf type related exercises and do this in an effort to build that aspect of my surfing....

By nature I am a diligent person in just about everything I do and when I have a surfing resurgence in my life, such as this spring... I surf as often as I can.....But I feel the one thing that has always held me back has been my inconsistency in the technique of taking off....and its still there....

I puzzle at why that is....and the more I am surfing the more I am finding a bit more hunger for bigger peaks (within reason of 4-6 feet) and whilst I have been spending time on secondary peaks I have drifted more into the line up and my overall confidence seems ok...

I try to watch other surfers really closely and it seems that in spite of how steep a section is, or how a lip might be throwing over they still nail it and the attititude of the board, seems to me to always be relatively flat at the point of pop up and its like a really quick shift in board angle once the take off is complete....

Am I reading that right or is it better explained in other terms....

I figure that when things are moving very quickly, that the point where I seem to faulter...and I am trying to figure what I need to work on to get more consistency......

I am happy with my surfing generally but its the one area that I feel if I could genuinely improve would likely catapult me to a new level....

Anyway, just some thoughts from me and any comments will be appreciated...but dont be too cruel....I am kind of sensitive new age guy.....lol:) so dont be too harsh on me......

Rossa

I am not sure exactly how you think you need to improve but this is how I learned to take off. I started where I felt safe and gradually pushed over to where I didn't feel as safe. Eventually I learned to take off over from most people which is useful in a crowd. I think taking off well requires quick reflexes and good balance. So my advice other than what I have said is to do exercises that train your sense of balance and speed up your reflexes. I have seen some pro surfers do an exercise where they stand on a ball and have someone throw tennis balls at them which they catch and throw back. I wondered why they did that but it is probably to gain reflexes and balance. I used to rock hop and do downhill runs on mountain sides for fun and to gain balance and reflexes. My skill at surfing is only starting to get where I think I may need to work at my balance and reflexes but I do balancing exercises but no reflex exercises.

I know what you mean. I surf very badly in crowds as I tend to get distracted by anyone close by who "might" be going for the wave, or someone on my inside if I don't know exactly where they're going to go

I find that as soon as I start to paddle I know that I've made it or I haven't, way before the wave gets to me - and, of course, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So for me, the take-off success/failure ratio has got nothing to do with technique, but everything to do with focus, and - when surfing in crowds - a "forthright" attitude to whose wave it is. It's probably the area where, like yourself, I could improve most.

thanks for replies....and I have been searching on the web for excercises and I think its amazing whats out there in terms of information...The generation I grew up in was basically self taught and we didnt have any where, if any information to learn from other that glossy mags of guys at the bottom of huge Sunset bombs and we would go...aaawwwssommmeee....but there is a long way between dry land and a bottom turn on a Sunset bomb and for me I am still stuck in Sydney beach breaks,mostly, and trying to get my act together...LOL.....such is life....but its good fun and I am determined to overcome my shortcomings, if it is at all humanly possible....

One method I have found precribes a series of excercises that ensure a good push up, good core strength and not raising the front of the body up and then bring the feet up....

I think I have a deeply engrained habit of doing a half push up and then popping up...Its like when I am raised on my arms I still feel in control and can abort the take off or go for it...but in steeper faster waves I dont really have the luxury of that amount of time, so I figure I am using the same technique but in faster motion it is still, in reality a two step process...

In doing some floor drills tonight and following the you tube clip, I realised how much harder it is for me to lift the body fully like a push up and snap up in one movement.....

So I am going to try doing these exercises as it is a new approach for me and I will see how it translates in the water....I am hoping that if I can feel stronger in the take off that I will feel more confident overall and then distractions, hopefully will have less power over me....

Rossa

What are your home breaks 55, I grew up on the northern beaches starting at Dee Why and then Avalon, started before there were home units at Dee Why.Keep doing your take off drills. My knees fail occasionally , old rugby union knees and I just have to take it like a rat!

Hi Jaffa,

When I was younger we surfed just about everywhere on the northern beaches.

Within this spent a lot of time at Nth Steyne and Queenscliff, Curl Curl.

AT the moment I head mostly up to palm depending on conditions, Queenscliff and Curly.

I went out early this morning and caught some ok waves at Queenscliff and I feel a bit of gain through practicing the drills.

I saw a gut do a fantastic late take off under the lip and I thought, yep thats where I weant to get to,,,

I think I need to keep working on both my movement and strength...Bit by bit but with a few more sizeable waves this morning I was feeling a lot better with trying to work on a better technique...

I love Avalon too....North Av is fantastic fun...I was out there a few Saturdays agio but it was only small....

best regards

Rossa

I have re read and thought about this again. Here are some additional thoughts. Make sure when you take off that you are in the same position on the board paddling so the same amount of board sticks out in front of you. If you are in a different position paddling then you will stand in a different position and that will affect how the board responds.

Thanks and I agree that is important

I have 2 boards that are quite similar only one is 8 foot and the other is 9 foot 6 inches. I dinged my 8 foot board and had to ride the 9'6" board which I got for bigger waves while the other board was getting fixed. I had a hard time till I realized I was keeping the same amount of board in front of me as I paddled which means I was more forward on the board. I backed off to where my feet were in the same place as my shorter board and it worked much better. I still need some really big waves to try that board in fortunately I am in no hurry.

How big are the biggest waves that you ride in your area?

I have a great respect for people who ride bigger waves. I generally ride small surf because that is what mostly prevails along East Coast Australia.I will have a crack at overhead if I am fit and in the swing of things but most beach breaks in Sydney cannot hold a big swell and the few places that can are then so really crowded that it is hard to get lots of consistent experience....

So at my age I am just happy with what prevails and if good days come then great and just enjoy everything in between....

The waves I have ridden since starting surfing again vary between knee high to triple overhead. I am sure it has been bigger than that in other areas of the same beach but I never felt comfortable going to those areas at those times. Where I surf larger waves it is a sandbar break but way outside from the beach. When I have surfed it triple overhead it has not been breaking top to bottom so there was an area at the bottom of the wave where you could escape from the breaking portion of the lip and maybe go around it if you had enough speed. It hasn't broke that big since I got my 9'6" board maybe 8 months or so ago. I am just happy to be surfing at all. If there are waves then I want to be surfing them whatever size they are.

An average day for me is about head high.

That's awesome