Surfing Waves

I've just switched from a 8ft 2" softboard which is incredible easy to paddle to a 6ft 8" shortboard. I can paddle on it but i'm extremely slow, i see other guys around me on shorter boards who just go straight past me with very little effort. Now i would accept it is an issue with technique but i've had 2 different coaches tell me i have a good technique and a strong paddler (this was on a 8ft board). I've tried having my body in different positions on the board but to no joy. I'm quite a big strong bloke, 6 ft weighing 85-90kg but also from doing a lot of swimming and rugby i have huge thighs/legs which hold a lot of my body weight. Could it be a case that the board doesn't suit me and due to a lot of my weight being at the tail of the board that there is too much drag? Or is there something i should be doing or try?

It shouldn't be a board issue. That being said, if you have two boards of similar shape the longer of the two will paddle faster. It likely has to do with your technique and an expected adjustment phase. You can be told a hundred times to paddle the board in trim but it's more effective to spend time on the board and get used to were you have to place your body. If you are feeling slow than you are probably too far back. Scoot your chest forward on the board and focus on arching your lower back and bring your head up while you paddle that will keep you from pearling. And with huge legs, make sure you are keeping your ankles either crossed or your feet together otherwise you'll be dragging water. Be patient, hope this helps.

An 8'2 softboard to a 6'8 shortboard is a big jump.
At 90kg, you'd have been better off going for something in the mini-mal range (7'4 or so) for a while before going for the shortboard.

drowningbitbybit, i stupidly made the mistake of buying the 6' 8" board to learn on before the foamie. I'm looking to push myself now and move on as i'm finding waves very easy to catch and begin to get my turning nailed. What would you recommend i move on up to? I had a friend recommend the following board to me in 6' 8" as its wide and thick so it will be able to handle my weight:
http://www.powerlinez.com/surf/surfboar ... ards-squid

Catching waves on an 8' softboard (which is what I assume you meant, rather than the shortboard) is a world away from catching waves on a shortboard, so forget about pushing yourself and moving on for the timebeing - noone ever got better at surfing by missing waves or being exhausted.

I'm 85kg, built like a rugby player, been surfing years, and sometimes I still think my 6'6 is too small for me.
My very first board was a 7'11 mini-mal piece of rubbish, but then I moved onto a 7'4 funboard and that really helped me to progress, and I really wish I still had it some days.
Think mini-mal or at the very least big funboard - its not about surfing the smallest board, its about catching the most waves and having the most fun.

Tell you what's really helped my paddling. Building my upper body strength up outside of the water!

Simple push up's daily will boast your strength gradually, meaning you'll get less fatigued & each stroke will be gaining you more ground into the line up!

Start with what you feel comfortable with & do 3 sets of them with 30 second rest periods between each set - over time you'll make the sets bigger as your strength grows.

It's surprising how much difference you'll notice!

Google wrote: Now i would accept it is an issue with technique but i've had 2 different coaches tell me i have a good technique and a strong paddler (this was on a 8ft board).

It's your technique, if they saw you on a 6'8" board they would have some more tips. Here are a few tips for paddling that maybe you have overseen:

1) Lift your head up high, arching your upper back, that way you can dig down and back when you paddle, rather than out from your shoulders. What's common with many begginers is that they lay flat on the board and scoop water sideways. Stroke forward, dig down, push water back, using your arms, shouders and torso to gain more speed, head up.

2) On an 8ft board it's easier to glide the board than a 6'8 board, you need to find the optimal place on the board to plane it. Too far back, you push water and go nowwhere, too far forward you are fighting against the nose rocker. Try adjusting where you lay your body on your board, if it feel better it probably is.