Paddling help - Worlds worst surfer (but im cool with that)

[Namu]

Andy you are holding back your own progression trying to learn on a shortboard. You aren't getting any younger. Get a 9' longboard, you will catch so many more waves and learn how to surf so much faster and have much more fun in the process.

One of the advantages of a long board is that it allows you to catch waves early before they get steep and hollow. I will surf a longboard in close-out dumping shore breaks since it allows me to get a good bottom turn and top turn/floater on the unbroken face of the wave before it breaks. If I try to catch the same wave on a shortboard or fish I will catch less waves and I have to catch the wave when it is steeper and about to break which is much more difficult since you have way less time to react. if I make it to my feet I rarely have enough time for a decent bottom turn let alone a top turn before the wave breaks all around me.

Longboard = higher wave count = faster progression
Shortboard = low or zero wave count = Slow or no progress.

W-Chan laid out the perfect progression of surfboards for a beginner, its great advice, he is a surf instructor and competition surfer. There is loads of good advice in this forum if you are willing to listen.

[Big H]

Something about that traction pad on that longboard in the Witt video irked me though.

Not to be agist or anything, but if you're 36 and just learning you probably won't ever get good enough to surf a shortboard. I say this as a 35 year-old who has been surfing for 15 years. I've only got probably 10 years of short-boarding left in me and then I'm definitely switching to a longboard.

Boogie-boards are a lot of fun, just do that. And I mean that in earnest. They are fun! You'll get the deepest barrels of your life on those things.

I surf shortboards and started at 43years old....will be 47 next month. You might surprise yourself with what the future holds so long as you stay fit.

[pmcaero]

if money is burning a hole in your pocket, or are lucky to find one, just commission or buy a big - over 7' long, 20" wide and 3" thick - floaty board with pointy nose, lots of rocker and a swallow tail.
This way you can make late drops but be a crappy paddler too. Trade-off is, probably won't be that fast down the line.

[kookextraordinaire]

I surf shortboards and started at 43years old....will be 47 next month. You might surprise yourself with what the future holds so long as you stay fit.[/quote]


I hereby retract my statement, Big H!

[RobSF]

Stay on a shortboard is my advice. Because it's cool. Just use a 9' shortboard.

[oldmansurfer]

The Op hasn't checked in since August but this thread typifies the kind of beginner posts we see quite often. He is a beginner and at least he admits that which they often don't and then says he has figured out that bigger boards don't help to attempt to cutoff any responses in that direction. But realize he is a beginner and he doesn't know much. We can't see him paddling or we could say something more useful but obviously he has problems paddling and he wants to stay on a shortboard. Perhaps he needs to reach out more forward when he paddles or perhaps he needs to dig deeper into the water. I don't know if you watch beginners paddling but they often have horrible mechanics. It sounds like that.

But I love my 8 foot shortboard and my 7'6 shortboard and my 7 foot longboard. I know that among my friends who still surf they ride a variety of boards most common among them is a SUP and then next would be a longboard but they also shortboard but just don't do it as much because it kills their shoulders.