Popping Up-Knees

[Guest]

I'm clearly still a beginner (although one who is having an amazing summer learning) and am having problems popping up. Invariably, my natural instinct is to pop-up on one knee and not my feet... while I'm consciously trying to rectify the problem, I'm wondering if this is a common beginner's issue and if there's any helpful advice one could offer to help me escape the clutches of my inexperience.

THANKS...

[namino tsume]

For some this is a problem. For others its more natural to get up on there feet. I suggest taking a board and laying it down in the sand then practice your pop up over and over again untill you get it more naturally.

[Graham]

I'm clearly still a beginner (although one who is having an amazing summer learning) and am having problems popping up. Invariably, my natural instinct is to pop-up on one knee and not my feet... while I'm consciously trying to rectify the problem, I'm wondering if this is a common beginner's issue and if there's any helpful advice one could offer to help me escape the clutches of my inexperience.

Well also being a beginner and being a bit older (and more worn out and less fit!) than the average young surfer, the "one knee and twist up" is the one I was using when I learned.

It takes less than half a second longer than a straight pop-up and if you find it easier don't worry about looking a bit "less cool" as it's better than falling off or missing the wave entirely! :-)

[Guest]

Thanks Graham...

Can you tell me how the one-knee-twist-off works? Clearly, I'm not worried about how I look at this point!

[Graham]

Can you tell me how the one-knee-twist-off works? Clearly, I'm not worried about how I look at this point!

There's one description here: https://surfing-waves.com/surfing_lesson_four.htm

Although it seems to suggest twisting first, wheras IIRC what I seemed to do was to:

1) push up off the board, bowing my back

2) bring my knees level with my hands

3) bring my front foot up whilst tucking my back foot toes under and then

4) twisting my hips as I came up.

The most important parts I found, however, were keeping my hands down on the rails at stages 2 and 3 to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible and making sure the front foot comes to the *centre* of the board otherwise as soon as you stand up the board would tip you off!

[IrishGirl]

I'm clearly still a beginner (although one who is having an amazing summer learning) and am having problems popping up. Invariably, my natural instinct is to pop-up on one knee and not my feet... while I'm consciously trying to rectify the problem, I'm wondering if this is a common beginner's issue and if there's any helpful advice one could offer to help me escape the clutches of my inexperience.

Well also being a beginner and being a bit older (and more worn out and less fit!) than the average young surfer, the "one knee and twist up" is the one I was using when I learned.

It takes less than half a second longer than a straight pop-up and if you find it easier don't worry about looking a bit "less cool" as it's better than falling off or missing the wave entirely! :-)

Don't listen to Graham!! (sorry Graham!)

Get out of the habit of using your knee when popping up as it does slow you down. And in order to progress you have to pop up as fast as you can. Dropping your knee is a terrible habit to get into and worse trying to get out of it.
I got into the habit of dropping my knee during winter of my first year (as it was colder and I was stiffer!) and it took me ages to get out of the habit again.
What I did to get out of the habit was just practice at night (in between tv ads!) popping up from a lying down position to standing.

and if you find it easier don't worry about looking a bit "less cool" as it's better than falling off or missing the wave entirely!

It's not that it's "less cool" it just looks better and I think it's better to learn the right way from the beginning (even if that means falling off more) than to start with that habit.

Seriously, it took me AGES to get out of it, now that I have it doesn't even enter my mind about my knee!