Wrecking my foot...

[noddyinbude]

Hi all a basic question from someone who's been surfing for around a year now and has gone from 'Knees and up' to a bit of a disjointed 'pop'

I'm goofy and try as I might it appears that I plant my rear foot and almost drag my front (right) foot causing alot of bruising and swelling on the top of the foot and sometimes I even manage to get the weight on top of the foot (kind of painfull to say the least!!) and the right knee which is bruised up too.

I accept I have to keep on trying and regularly try at home on the rug in my lounge but wondered if anyone had any tips that helped them?

Having said all of the above when I finally get to my feet my waveriding (for a kook) is fairly pleasing and I can usually trim across waves fairly well and with some sort of control!

Cheers all and happy surfing

[mart8235]

seems to me that you need to re-address how you do your pop up, try to get away from knees on the deck at all.

when your in the water and start to pop up, push the board down the wave, do a press up and bring your knees up to your chest and swing your feet through to possition at the same time, keep your body low, don't try to stand up before your feet are planted. only when your feet are planted should you then let go of your board with your hands, try to do this in a smooth action, it will be a 2 or 3 stage action but the smoother you can do it the better, the more you jerk the harder it is.

If your letting go of the board before your plant your front foot then your will drag your foot in your wobbley effort to stay up.

i've not been surfing long so take this with a pinch of salt, (pleanty about!!) but this i what i'm doing and it works...... most of the time!!!

but yeah your right, keep trying

[aaron d]

my rear big toe is all bruised and my front foot;s toes are cut from me dragging my front foot across toes-down across the wax while popping up - just to let you know your not alone in your pain. I think / hope with more practice comes a better technique, therefore eliminating things like this.....

[drowningbitbybit]

The normal cause for this (apart from lack of practise) is hand placement.

Make sure that you put your hands by the bottom of your ribcage, not by your shoulders like a press up.
if your hands are by your ribcage, you'll do a pop-UP, but if they're level with your shoulders you end up doing a pop-ALONG, and end up dragging your knees and feet up from behind you.

[noddyinbude]

Oh my God nail on the head drowningbitbybit, I've just leapt on the floor and tried with my hands in the lower position and it felt loads easier to get my feet up and planted, bring on the decent waves I want to go and try this out!

Fingers crossed that's the answer and I can stop moaning at my girlfriend about my sore foot and knee (especially as her pop up's spot on!!)

Cheers

[aaron d]

No shortage of decent waves here tonight - evening of the summer...
Yes thats the hand position allright, and i do that when i train on the floor but perhaps dont follow through in the water.
Ive also noticed that on the steeper waves it becomes much easier to do the proper thing - really push down on the front and sweep the legs in under, but on the less steep waves, the foot-dragging tends to arise, gravity i suppose......?

[noddyinbude]

Yup too right Aaron the steeper waves are easier for me too but like you say it's gravity and the fact that the board is falling away from our feet (so less damage lol)

Nothing here again tonight just a really stiff onshore wind and lots of white water and chop...bring me some high pressure offshores please )

[aaron d]

offshore again here tonight......
has my foot bleeding! - gonna have to throw the boots on tomorrow, damn things always get caught under my feet and make me fall when im not used to them. I was thinking there on the way home about some sort of neoprene sock for protection. Ah well, glad im not the only one struggling with this one...