Pop up question: twist?

[juju72]

I am a real surf newbie and practicing for my next surf trip. I feel like my pop up on the floor is quite ok but my front foot and body isn't turning/ twisting much. Front foot is quite straight until i stand up and correct it slowly. Will that be a problem? How to improve that?

Thanks a lot in advance!

[dtc]

An helpful (hopefully!) tip for twisting is to put one hand lower on the board than the other for the push. So for a natural footer (left foot is front foot), you put your right hand a bit lower down. That gives your body a natural twist.

Another tip is that if you are looking where you want to be going (down the wave), that will usually give you a little twist into that direction (which normally is good - going front side you twist a bit more, going backside you twist a little less). But DO NOT look at your feet or down at the nose of your board. Its possible you are doing this (consciously or otherwise). Looking down or looking straight ahead will cause your body to stay chest on

In any case, front foot should be pointing around 1-2 o'clock (for a natural). If your foot is straight, you just have to remember to turn it more! (although if you are going backside, pointing your foot more toward straight on is a good technique - but thats for another day). Having your front foot straight is less stable and means you cant shift your weight from side to side as needed

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[waikikikichan]

Front foot is quite straight until i stand up and correct it slowly. Will that be a problem? How to improve that?

You will NEED TO always make corrections with your feet (pressuring the heel or toes, lifting up, pivoting, etc.) on every point on the wave. Especially after you get to your feet, making it down from the steepness of the drop, getting ready to bottom turn, all the angles have change. So does your feet placement, especially on a longboard ( which as a newbie, you should be learning on ). Being a GLUE FOOT not only looks bad but will lead to a lot of unnecessary arm swinging and upper body movement. Get comfortable moving your feet, it's a good thing.

Oh, one more thing............ Stop Looking at your Feet.

[juju72]

Thank you very much! I will try to follow your advice!

[pmcaero]

takes some practice. as a beginner you should ideally be using a longboard and angling your takeoff in the direction that will give you the longest ride.