First breakthrough and a thanks to all

[cbouza3]

First thanks to everyone who posted in this thread:

"Still going ot one knee on pop up..."
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=22103

No matter how much time I've spent reading about how to surf, watching YouTube on technique, etc (everyday for the past 5 weeks), being in the water is the answer.

Using tips in the above referenced thread, I had my first breakthrough yesterday. It's a small milestone, but still a milestone. Took me till my 4th time out, but I found a nice sandy beach break with good whitewash. In the beginning I was right were I'd been the previous 3 times, I'd catch the whitewash, go for the pop up, but could not get past the "one-foot/one-knee" stance and would eventually lose balance or wave power.

I've always been a very methodical, data/research driven person when it comes to learning something new. Played "play money" in online poker in 2004 for 6 months before depositing any money, that kind of stuff. Past reading up on etiquette and such, I was spending too much time learning and not enough time doing. I live on the beach (but Long Beach doesn't have waves due to breakwater), am within a 25 minute drive of countless breaks, but still have only gotten out 4 times in 4 weeks of board ownership. Each time out I've been so conscious of my short time in the water, so much so that I've been too timid on pop up, wanting to take it slow as to not fall and have to start over. My body felt slow and sluggish. I was mentally hindering myself.

The thread above got me to just say "f@ck it" and throw myself up no matter the consequence. Once I gave in and caught the next whitewash, I popped up TOO far and was more shocked I got my legs to move that fast, almost completely out in front of me. Next wave I dialed it back a a bit and found the sweetspot. 4 sessions, 1 clean pop up/ridden wave: 1 perma-grin. I didn't care what it looked like, but I threw my hands up in victory for the crowd (my girlfriend and random ladies sitting on the beach who I heard later laughed at me). It was almost time to leave and I wanted to "leave on a win" so I ran up the beach and could not stop smiling. I even tried to stop and could not.

I thought I was hooked *before* that ride. Even more so now. I imagine it will be the same once I ride my first green wave, make my first confident bottom turn, etc. I'm just happy where I'm at for now.

Thanks again all.

[Dead_One]

i know the feeling, and it just keeps getting better and better the more you do it:-)

[dtc]

great post!

Committment is the key

Although your girlfriend may not be laughing when you buy your 4th board and store it next to the TV, insist that Hawaii or Morocco is a much better holiday than Florence or Paris, you have 2 wetsuits laying around (wet) and another in the car and sand everywhere and disappear every morning for 3 hours...