paddling position

[purplevinyl09]

hey everyone! im new to surfing and im still learning my roots so bare with me.
im learning on a 7x21.5x3 shortboard type shape (probably not the best) and im wondering if when im paddling if my feet should be hanging off the end of the board, or if they should be on it so i can push myself up with them when i pop up.
i ask this because ive read a good way to combat pearling (what ive been doing) is to arch your back and put weight on your toes to help offset the weight, but im curious if maybe i should just be paddling with more of my feet/legs hanging off the end of the board.
an easier way to word it is should i be doing a shortboard popup without using my feet or a regular popup using my feet?
and im 5'7"

any advice would be much appreciated
thanks!

[billie_morini]

Whether your feet hang off or not is not quite the answer I'd give. What's more important is the orientation of the board in the water when you are paddling to the outback or to catch a wave. You want the nose of the board to almost be under the water surface. When this is correct and you're paddling out or up / down current, the nose is just slightly submerged by the swells that you encounter. So sometimes the nose is just above the water and sometimes it is just below the water. At this point, you need to remember where you are on the board. Maybe your chin lines up with a decal or something like that. Your feet may hang off or they may not.

If you watch short board surfers, you'll see the only way they can paddle is with their feet and, sometimes, legs hanging off the board. They paddle and when they pop up they draw their feet to the board through their arms.

If you watch longboard surfers, you'll see their feet are on the board. They may be able to use their feet as they draw their legs through their arms to popup, but short boarders demonstrate it isn't an absolute requirement. If your feet are on the board when the nose in the correct place in the water, then it's OK.

Your comment about pearling makes me wonder if you are often catching waves too late or have bad waves to surf on. Yes, many of us find we have to combat pearling every now and then. But, it's usually because we take off late. You don't really want to be pealing because it messes up the popup and going on with the ride. But, what say you are doing to overcome pearling is the correct thing - raise body with arms & arch back to put weight rearward.

Question for you: where are you surfing?

[purplevinyl09]

im surfing in long island ny, and so far the only times ive gone out the waves have been small and very crappy, and i know that this is definatly most of the reason i was pearling, but i just want to make sure i understand what to do so when it gets better i can surf good.
from what your saying it sounds like my feet should be on the board, according to the board orientation when i paddle. im a little less stable when i paddle with my feet on the board, but if its gonna help me in the future ill bear with it for now.
ive read that the nose should be at least 3 fingers out of the water when you paddle, and this works for me with my feet on the board.

[Wave4Surf]

As I noticed while surfing, you better don't keep your feet in the water, because they slow you down when you're paddling.

[billie_morini]

hey purple,
oh, Long Island! Yeah, not the best formed waves. Could be worse, but small-ish waves that stand up quickly provide more pearling than larger, better formed waves.

Keep the stoke! If you learn to surf in a place like that where the water is not warm and the waves are poor, you'll really enjoy when you make a trip to a warmer place with better waves.
billie

[zandvoortsurfertje]

Hey Purplevinyl09

Right here at surfing-waves.com we have a special "how to surf"topic which provides a lot of info about surfing, even about paddling: https://surfing-waves.com/surfing_lesson_two.htm
Just copy this website and paste it in your browser and read it all and you'll be one of the best paddlers in the world xD, I read it as well and I really felt the difference, I could come a lot further than in my first position

Good Luck

Zandvoortsurfertje