Surfing Waves

Hi guys I am having trouble with my top turns and stalling out. I will complete the top turn but it's like I have to wait for the wave to catch up before I can drop down the wave agian. Sometime if the wave doesn't Catch up in time I completely stall out. Can someone please help me to correct this

If you are a visual learner like me the videos may help. The first is a short overview and the second is a detailed look with a GoPro camera. Hope this helps.

Most likely what you need to do is to aim for a more critical section of the wave, maybe a couple to a few feet deeper than where you are turning. Another possibility is that when you make your top turn you need to be leaning down the wave already and then when you complete the turn you will bring the board back down the wave a little to get back under you. If you stand up right in the top turn then your weight is stuck at the top of the wave but if you are leaning back down then your board should follow.

I think that could be to problem that my weight is to far forward (towards the lip) rather than leaning back down the wave. Once I complete the turn when I transfer the weight into my front door to re-enter that's where the lag is so I will try leaning down the wave earlier.

It's also possible you are going too high on the wave? That is where I get stuck or sometimes if I bobble and stand up at the top. Ideally as you start to turn you lean back down the wave. It makes for a more powerful turn but also keeps your center of gravity in front of the wave rather than at the top.

If you get to the top of the wave THEN turn, it's too late. You have to turn about mid way up. Due to momentum, the distance the board travels and the time it takes for your thought to reach the bottom of your feet.
Just like in Chess, you need to be a move ( or 2 or 3 ) ahead . Before you reach the top, you should already have spotted your landing. Before landing, your mind should be already on how you should make the bottom turn.

waikikikichan wrote:If you get to the top of the wave THEN turn, it's too late. You have to turn about mid way up. Due to momentum, the distance the board travels and the time it takes for your thought to reach the bottom of your feet.
Just like in Chess, you need to be a move ( or 2 or 3 ) ahead . Before you reach the top, you should already have spotted your landing. Before landing, your mind should be already on how you should make the bottom turn.

What wkk said. That go pro one linked above is good - you will see he turns his body and then a second later the board appears and it hasnt even started turning yet, then it turns - but his body is already in position to go down the wave.

On a steeper face you can get away with more. The wave is steep and you are going back down one way or another. Also the lip will be pitching forward and that will smack your board and push it back down the wave and make it harder to turn too high on the wave or if you do it will be a floater. It's when you top turn on a shoulder or a less steep part of the wave, that is when you can get hung up. if you are going fast enough you can go up on the back of the wave and make it back down on the face again. Long ago I used to play around doing stuff like that just for fun. So slower speed turns on the weaker parts of the wave is where you are most likely going to get hung up and at least in my case choppy waves makes for me turning less accurately.

Yeah I noticed from both videos that they started their top turn well before the peak. I think that is one of my problems. Will try and initiate the turn alot earlier and see if that helps.
Thanks all for the advice