Surfing Waves

do you grab the rails and pop?
or do you have flat hands (like in a push up) when you pop?
and is there any diffrence?

I put my hands flat on the deck. I feel that it allows me to push up a little bit higher than when I used the rails. This gives me more room to pull my feet up.

I tend to pop up with my hands on the deck unless its a crumbly wave when I find having them on the rails settles the board slightly

well i used to grab the rails, and now im trying to get used to holding em flat, didnt really notice any diffrence to be honest

2 cents...i used to grab the rails when i first started just cuz i felt it was more stable...its alot more comfortable to just push up now tho..

on my shortboard I don't have enough room to put my hands flat on the deck, so I grab the rails. On any thing else I really have never paid attention, I would assume rails because I'm used to it.

tomcat360 wrote:on my shortboard I don't have enough room to put my hands flat on the deck, so I grab the rails. On any thing else I really have never paid attention, I would assume rails because I'm used to it.

same thing here, i never really paid much attention to it..maybe i do it too quick that i dont even think about it..they say the correct way is hands on the deck, like u do a push up, but i think it's whatever you are used to..i dont know, i may be wrong

I agree with dondiemand, the push up variety pop up is how the surf schools recommend you do it as a beginer anyways...the basis for this apparently is if you go to grab the rails and your hands slip all you get is a face full of fibreglass....you shouldnt really slip at all in the push up position cause it should be nice and waxy about there..thats the theory anyway.
After a while I think everyone moves to whatever feels the most comfortable and it kind of becomes automatic but I know from personal experience the feeling of smacking face first onto the deck after my hands slipped on the rail....then again I am a kook..

Honestly, i'd never thought about it. I guess I hold onto the rails during the popup. Just seems natural.

i normally push up holding the rails, used to slip so i put some wax in the area on the rails where i push up from... it probably effects the performance? but its better than looking like a muppet if u slip!

Well after a few sessions, holding your hands flat makes a diffrence, the thing is you pop up alot faster and the legs feel easier to place, much better way then grabbing the rails.

Ive surfed for years and never even realized where exactly i put my hands, I guess i semi grab the rails. The trick for me to pop up as fst as i can is that when i push down with my handsto take as much weght off my lower body as possible to slide my feet into place. I pull down at the same time as pushing off the board to get my upper body supporting much weight.

Another thing...
I tend to place my hands more by my chest/rib area, not up around my shoulders. I feel that this keeps more of the weight in the center of the board, and allows you more leverage and room for your legs.

Where I surf, if I dont grip the rails hard and hold on for dear life, the wave will rip the board right out of my hands (wax or no wax). It depends on the waves is what id say.

I just started surfing and never really thought about this either.
I grab the rails to pop up though. maybe i should try using the deck, might help me up a little quicker.

I'll have to give it a go.

I had been popping up holding on to the rails, luckily I had never fell on my board yet, but I heard it is better to put your hands on the deck. I am trying it out too.

I put them flat on the deck, because if I grab the rails I tend to pop up onto my knees. I have no idea why.

well if i saw this post yesterday i would not know how i pop up, but i just looked at some shots that my dad took and it shows me using the push up method. on occasion i know i grab my rails to pop up cuz my left wrist will be out of wack so putting presure on it when it is bend will cause me to fall to my left and end up in the water. now i don't know if it's because i don't usualy use the rail method, but when i do i have much more trouble surfing since my hand does slip off alot. but i guess i've been lucky since i haven't gotten a face full of fiber glass . try them both then chose the one that come more naturaly to you.

I find that grabbing the rails is more convenient seeing that straight after paddling the rails are close to my hands than the deck. As the others have noted, make sure u wax those rails if u'r gonna grab them!

When the wave is lazy I notice that i'll push from the deck seeing that the board is more stable.

hah i have no idea... its like asking someone how they balance on a bike so easily... you just end up forgetting about it.