How to stay ahead of the breaking section on a small wave?

[surfing_cat]

I just recently figured out how to turn on a wave and ride along the face but my problem is the breaking sections catches up with me very quickly and I have no choice but to straighten out or keep riding and be knocked off the board. I tried putting more weight toward the nose and it seem to make a difference but not enough to get a really long ride.

I noticed most surfers go up and down the wave a lot but the waves I normally ride are not big enough to go up and down. Still, more experienced surfers get very long rides on the same break without seemingly doing anything special.

[k mac]

Im no expert but..


Try to paddle in the the wave at an angle, pop up at steepest the wave is possible as you already said weight to the front(push on your frong foot) and keep your center of gravity very low (dont know what that does but it seems to help me on the tiny waves ) As your heading down the face/alomg the face you should find your self looking ahead at what the waves doing, try and position your self for it and youll be gradually slowing down try and climb the face of the wave gradually by evening out your weight distribution and bring your knees up and then do the reverse to get back down the face of the wave and this may help you get abit more distance on the little ones, Try getting at least one or two alright turns in on the wave as well, or just concentrate on that and you may forget about getting a long wave and find your self just naturally doing it! itll be good practice if you can do it in the crap stuff you will be laughing in the bigger waves.

[surfing_cat]

Is it possible that I lose speed because I turn too soon instead of going all the way down before making a bottom turn?

[parrysurf]

https://surfing-waves.com/forum/view ... hp?t=11997

tips in here...practice and wave reading are key. small dumpy beach break, you have to be agile and light on your feet. The cleaner you can take off the better, if you get speed early you will go a lot farther.

[garbarrage]

here's mick fanning explaining it... quite a good video... but as with all stupidly talented people his verbal explaination is a bit uninformative...
"em....i just sort of..em..go fast... em." lol
http://www.surfline.com/video/video_pla ... m?id=14307

[rich r]

If you stay in one spot on the face of a wave, it will catch up to you and you will slow down. the wave may be 'pushing' you, but you are a heavy, static object and drag will naturally just keep slowing you.

You need to move up and down the face of the wave to continually generate speed. Watching pros, you'll notice they shift back and forth very quickly. You don't need to do that (and it does take some skill to perfect that kind of minute movement) but we're not talking about big carving bottom turns, either.

as you move up toward the top of the wave, then shift so you are sliding down the wave face, then back up. Repeat.