Still going to one knee on pop up...

[cbouza3]

Hope it helps somebody.

Thank you for your post. It along with the other posts in this thread will help me personally. And hopefully more as well.

[surf patrol]

Great first post SP_surfer, welcome to Surfing Waves!

[sjb79]

Hi Guys,

This is my first post on this Forum, and I'm surprised to hear how many other people are having the same issue as me when it comes to popping up. I've practiced with a Surf board on my bed (fins taken off , also tried just floor pop-ups, both I've mastered but when it comes to the water it is a totally different game, I feel like I am glued to the board - is this gravity keeping me down with the movement of the board?

[pandarturo]

It's your head game, you have to be committed it happens all the time when we get a big swell. I need a few waves to realize that I've done this before and just charge.

[BigFlorider]

Thanks SP...I will try the "look where I am going" method when I get back out there.

[jaffa1949]

ASAP and AOAP

[cbouza3]

It's your head game, you have to be committed it happens all the time when we get a big swell. I need a few waves to realize that I've done this before and just charge.

Exactly this. Just yesterday I found it was the commitment that kept me from fully getting there. Once I gave into the mentality that "if I pop up hard and fall, so be it"...I went for it and, surprise, actually "over-popped-up", throwing my feet too far forward and fell. I went from not far enough/fast enough to too far forward. The next wave I backed it off and hit the sweetspot. Rode my first ever (whitewash) wave into the beach at the very end of my session. I laughed at myself that I literally could not stop smiling. Perma-grin isn't just a myth.

[martskies]

Have been reading this thread with great interest as the problem discussed has been blighting my surfing for the last two years since I started.

I surf on average probably only once a week and so progress has been slow. The issue of the one knee pop up and has held me back ( I even have a permanent lump just below my knee from it!), I find that once having caught the wave I am struggling to one knee (front one), shooting down the wave and then get to both feet at the bottom of the wave, I am usually then in front of the wave by that time and lost speed, I then have to turn into the wave to try an catch up by which time it is usually breaking and I am surfing white water (again).... It doesn't feel right, is ungraceful and forced, I hate it and the harder I try the worse it gets, spiral of despair follows (and yet I keep surfing)...

Have tried pop ups at home, have tried getting feet on back of board to push up, have tried delaying pop up, have tried popping up earlier, have tried back foot up first, have tried knee pop up only, have tried everything and it hasn't worked.

Despite this I love surfing, I love being in the water, immersed in an alien but familiar environment, I love the wildlife, the light, sun rise and sunset, being alone or sharing a smile with strangers. I love the feeling of the wave picking me up and (when it goes good) letting me play with it's power and graceful energy.I even love being helpless in it's grip, reminding me that mother nature owes me nothing. I love the green wave, that silence and speed. I just love it.
BUT the knee is an issue.
I went out on Saturday, waves were not good, onshore was firing, 2 foot lumpy wind chop swell, but when I get the chance I have to take it. Normal first hour and then something happened, caught a wave and whilst on the shoulder, before the drop, my feet suddenly appeared beneath me in one fluid subconscious motion and I was surfing, about to take the drop....I don't know how it happened but it did and it was awesome, on a par with the first green wave... It happened a few times more too, it just felt right.

So how did this happen, not sure but one change that I have tried recently is just concentrating on the back foot, "Paddle paddle paddle, catch wave, Back foot up". By not thinking about the 'bad' knee and thinking only of the positive back one it happened. I think also the fact that I have got fitter and have been doing yoga exercises to strengthen arms and shoulder (Shiva Rea) has helped a great deal, losing 10 pounds has also helped.

So no doubt I will get out there next and be back to knee but hoping not, and I now know I can do it. So all I can say is keep going guys and gals, it will come... Also we need to remember, it’s not a destination, it’s the journey that counts….

[dtc]

So no doubt I will get out there next and be back to knee but hoping not, and I now know I can do it. So all I can say is keep going guys and gals, it will come... Also we need to remember, it’s not a destination, it’s the journey that counts….

Good post - pop up is just one of those things that 'clicks' for some reason and then it works. And then you look back and think 'how did I find that so hard for so long'. Its like long division...

[AJR]

I was able to make my first no-knee pop up today. Focusing on my back foot helps plus making sure I arch my back and pause before I push up. I'm sure I'm not consistent by any means but it felt good to get one finally...

[tryintopopup]

Hi all, im also new to this forum and to the pop up. SP awesome post. I have been trying to pop up properly for around 3 years, yes i should have given up by now but i caught a wave early on and just loved it and totally hooked. I can pop up easily at home and doing it both regular and goofy footed but when i get out in the water both my feet land together as in side by side and i have to take a step once im up to get into the right position. i cant figure out why my brian wont let me pop up the way i do at home but SP im going to give your suggestions a try.

[tryintopopup]

SP i just tried popping up on the floor at home and the looking left bit and it really works. hopefully i can repeat out in the water where it matters-awesome

[waikikikichan]

I have been trying to pop up properly for around 3 year

How ever long it took you to create the bad habit, will be about the same time to break it.

SP i just tried popping up on the floor at home and the looking left bit and it really works.

Other than looking, which is very important, try to focus on pointing your hip forward, not your belly button. Land with your back foot at 3 o'clock and your front foot at 1-2 o'clock ( regular footers ).

[Beginner77]

This is probably stating the obvious, but with any activity you have automatic subconscious things that you do, for example an experienced cyclist balancing a bicycle with subtle handlebar movements, which is totally automatic for the rider; and you have conscious things that you have to think about doing, which are typically new skills you're learning. When you learn a new skill, everything starts conscious and gradually gets shifted to the subconscious with practise, for example a child learning to ride a bike is conscious of the handlebar movements he uses to balance a bicycle, but after a while they're shifted to the sub conscious and he can concentrate on something else, like where he's riding or chatting to a friend. In my main sport of motor racing, we don't tend to think about controlling the car when amongst traffic, we just do it instinctively, but novices frequently lose control when amongst traffic, because they haven't committed car control to the subconscious.

Again, this is probably stating the obvious, but what's happening in your case is that when you're focusing solely on popping up without your knees on dry land, you do it, because you're at home with no distractions; but on the water there are so many other things flooding into your senses and brain that you resort to the subconscious, which for you is unfortunately the pre-learnt method of popping up via your knees.

With coaching in any sport it's normal to isolate a new skill by reducing or removing other things that your brain's trying to process. For example, when learning a new windsurfing manouvre it's normal to practise in very light wind on a big board, to minimise the stuff you have to think about, so you can concentrate entirely on the new manoeuvre. Similarly with swimming, when learning a different skill it's normal to do it out of full stroke so you can isolate it. As you do the new skill more and more it becomes more subconscious and you can gradually bring back in the other elements, until finally you're back to the level you were at, but with the new skill added. So with surfing you could try following a similar approach: dry land is step one, which you've cracked. Step two could be bringing in some white water surfing on a big board, keeping your brain's other tasks to an absolute minimum and just focusing on your pop up. If even that's two far, try a step 1.5 on flat water on a really big floaty board or SUP. Step 3 would be nicely formed green waves that are easy to catch, and so on, until you're back at your present level, but with a better pop up.


Another common coaching technique is picking something to focus on. With the pop up, this could be thinking hard about putting your front foot where you want it - and if you think about just that, you may find you skip the knees stage altogether.

[Big H]

I second WKK and everyone else who says look where you want to go. Chin up and head high, look where you want to go when you pop up.

[JingleJangle]

Thank you!!! I just read this thread after two years of getting to my knees, including this morning’s surf. Read this, chatted to a mate about it and just went out and knees are no longer part of the equation!

The key for me is placing my palms flat onto my board instead of holding the rails. It just changes everything. I honestly can’t imagine getting to my knees anymore although I need a few more sessions to consolidate my learnings.

Thanks again!

[jaffa1949]

A good result was had