Surfing Waves

Hey guys,

I've been surfing for 6-7 years now but the only board I've ever owned is a 7'9" Bic natural surf I was bought as my first board (started out at 13). Now being 20 and finally able to afford things, and having had years of experience on the Bic board, I bought myself a 6'6" "short"board about half a year ago and since then, I've only managed to get up on the thing once. I guess it's a technique issue, I have absolutely no problems on the Bic board whatsoever, but I find it nigh-on impossible to catch waves on the shorter board and when I have, even harder to get up on the board. What techiques should I be empolying, asides from later takeoffs and catching waves later than usual? Been 6 months now and still no progress, to the point that when I need a good surf I just take the Bic.

(I've attached a pic of the board, to give an idea)

Cheers,

James

there are things that you need to tell us before we can figure out what the issue is:
1) how heavy are you?
2) how tall are you?
3) how many times a week do you surf?
4) have you tried any other < 7' boards?

is it just me or does that board have a semi-gun/step up board shape rather than a larger shortboard? could just be the photo. what are the dimensions of the 6'6"

Well I weigh 13 1/2 stone (about 85 kilos I think), 6'2" tall and fairly athletic. My local (Praa Sands) is pretty temperemental so on a good week I'll surf about 3-4 times, although usually 1-3 times a week. Although going to Uni means when I come back I do have a little bit of re-learning to do. Haven't had any experience shorter than 7', and that was a rented soft-top, which was unsurprisingly just as easy as the Bic to ride. I would go for an intermediate board between the 6'6" and the 7'9" to help the step-down but can't afford another board.

Board dimensions are 6'6" x 19 1/2" x 2 1/2"

gabjam wrote:Well I weigh 13 1/2 stone (about 85 kilos I think), 6'2" tall and fairly athletic. My local (Praa Sands) is pretty temperemental so on a good week I'll surf about 3-4 times, although usually 1-3 times a week. Although going to Uni means when I come back I do have a little bit of re-learning to do. Haven't had any experience shorter than 7', and that was a rented soft-top, which was unsurprisingly just as easy as the Bic to ride. I would go for an intermediate board between the 6'6" and the 7'9" to help the step-down but can't afford another board.

Board dimensions are 6'6" x 19 1/2" x 2 1/2"

My first instinct would be to get a different board. But as your budget dictates otherwise the only other advice is perseverance in other words lots of practice. I mean jumping from a bic to that is gonna cause significant frustrations particularly as all you have ever known is the bic. Maybe you might consider selling the board and getting a different shape. Theres nothing wrong with the dims except the shape. You would probably find it a whole lot easier if it had a much wider nose width and overall surface area rather than something sleek and what appears to be geared up for bigger waves. TBH if you aint getting knowhere on it in 6 months of trying i imagine it might take equally as long before you start getting somewhere However practice in 99% of cases is the cure.

The nose on ur head should be only just behind the nose of the board when paddling
When paddling for the wave ur back should be arched big time so your center of gravity is back
Catch the waves as they break on you.
As you catch the wave lower your head to move ur c of g forwards to take the 'late' drop

Easy !

esonscar wrote:The nose on ur head should be only just behind the nose of the board when paddling
When paddling for the wave ur back should be arched big time so your center of gravity is back
Catch the waves as they break on you.

That's really helpful, thank you. I've always adopted a take-off method of being slightly further back on my Bic so that I don't force the nose down into the water and flip arse-over-tits, as it really doesn't like punchy waves if I'm too far forward, and it's bouyant enough to catch swell pretty early even with my centre of gravity towards the back (self-taught technique, worked for me). Looking back, I think I've been doing this on the shortboard too through a combination of sheer habit, and getting nowhere trying to get down the face of the wave and wondering why I can't catch anything. Will be trying your advice asap.

And 'isaluteyou', yeah, I think I'll be giving it another few months of totally changing my technique and see where that gets me. Practice, practice and more practice. If no luck I may take your advice and swap my longer board in for a slightly shorter one, or, who knows, I may be able to afford a new one by then!

Cheers for the advice guys, genuinely appreciated

James

The one ting i would chip in is when i get off my 8'6 onto my 7'2 shortboard (i'm 6'5 and 17 stone) You need to alter your pop up to suit.

You can't simply drag your back foot up and stand up as you like, but i find when i make the transition onto my short board i am popping up with most of my weight initially on the back foot and stalling out of waves i have pretty much caught.

So try to analyse your pop-up to make sure you are not doing the same thing as me. In my case i do know better and it's bad technique but i always seem to lose the first few decent waves of a session when i switch to the shortboard until i wise up.

This of course may not be your problem at all but it may help.

twerked wrote:is it just me or does that board have a semi-gun/step up board shape rather than a larger shortboard? could just be the photo. what are the dimensions of the 6'6"

Yep this looks very much like a 'step up', a board you ride when it's a bit bigger. A tail like that (rounded pin) is for big or hollow waves. That kind of tail isn't good in weak waves and you can't do slashing turns as easily with it like you can with a swallow or rounded square.

A tail like that is for more controlled turns at high speed. As there is less tail volume, it'll slow you down in smaller waves.
I've got two rounded pin semi-guns and they don't really work in everyday conditions, but in the big juice they come alive.

No doubt the shaper has shaped other aspects of the board with big waves in mind, which will be counter-productive for everyday use.

You need more nose and tail volume if you are coming down from a big board, what kind of waves do you get where you are?

[Edit] I just Googled Praa sands, nah wrong board mate. Ok some of you English guys are going to flame me, but you don't need a semi-gun where you are. Maybe a few times a year if you are lucky? Think big Hossegor that's where this baby wants to be. [/Edit]

More basics, what kind of fins does it have?

Aloha wrote:

twerked wrote:is it just me or does that board have a semi-gun/step up board shape rather than a larger shortboard? could just be the photo. what are the dimensions of the 6'6"

Yep this looks very much like a 'step up', a board you ride when it's a bit bigger. A tail like that (rounded pin) is for big or hollow waves. That kind of tail isn't good in weak waves and you can't do slashing turns as easily with it like you can with a swallow or rounded square.

A tail like that is for more controlled turns at high speed. As there is less tail volume, it'll slow you down in smaller waves.
I've got two rounded pin semi-guns and they don't really work in everyday conditions, but in the big juice they come alive.

No doubt the shaper has shaped other aspects of the board with big waves in mind, which will be counter-productive for everyday use.

You need more nose and tail volume if you are coming down from a big board, what kind of waves do you get where you are?

[Edit] I just Googled Praa sands, nah wrong board mate. Ok some of you English guys are going to flame me, but you don't need a semi-gun where you are. Maybe a few times a year if you are lucky? Think big Hossegor that's where this baby wants to be. [/Edit]

Dude big Hossegoer would kill him. I know, I surfed it during Hurricane Andrew. Behave.

esonscar wrote:Dude big Hossegoer would kill him. I know, I surfed it during Hurricane Andrew. Behave.

I 'surfed' it in a storm in 1994 wearing only board shorts when it was freezing. I wasn't in France to surf so I borrowed a board off a guy at the camp site nearby, I caught one wave and had to come in, and that night I caught a fever and tonsillitis.

Shortboard surfboards are designed for advanced surfers with high performance in mind. These boards are usually 5’ 5” and 7’ long with a width of 16” to 19”. Shortboards usually have 3 fins: 1 large fin in the middle and 2 smaller fins towards the rails, although twin-fins and Quad fins are also popular. This design allows experienced surfers the ability to quickly change direction and perform advanced maneuvers.

<edit>

Aloha nailed it with the board coming alive in powerful surf...not what you are ready for. The consensus of wider and fuller is the vote I will cast. You need to take baby steps when progressing to more advanced boards. You took a leap. Keep trying but I think you should trade in for a 7 footer with some more volume.

Andrew39 3 fins with larger in the middle...r u sure?

dont know if this has been said above but how are you pooping up! for the past year & half I have been strugerling pooping up on a short board but can do it no problem on a long board. on a long board i poop from my toes but you cant do tjhis on a short board coz ta toes are hanging off the end.

Have a look on U tube - on a short board you should be pooping from the hips / knees - practice practice practice

Johno wrote:dont know if this has been said above but how are you pooping up!

teehee

I recently stepped down to a 6'10" board with a similar template (though a wider/more rounded tail) from a 7'10" nsp and was suprised how easy it paddled and caught waves - it was less of a length drop than you have done but I think it was mainly down to the volume for the board I reckon which is 2'5/8". If you can sell and buy another shorter board but with more volume in the rails I would say go for it. If not, just stick with what you've got and follow the advice already given.