Surfing Waves

Hi all! First, let me introduce myself, my name is Alex. I've been surfing on/off for about a couple of years now and I could say I'm quite comfortable using a 7S 6'3 short board. I could duck dive, pop up, read the ocean quite well and position myself quite okay. I'm very patient on the line up and I enjoy watching others do their thing.

Problem is, I can't seem to progress from popping up. The waves I surf on are usually chest - head high and quite mushy (maybe with the ocean floor). I can't seem to pop up before the waves break. For some reason, I need to have the force the broken waves need for me to be able to pop. Since the waves are mushy, they don't break all at the same time. But when that happens, its quite too late for me to trim down the line as to both sides have closed already. I've been stuck with this problem and I can't seem to practice my pumps to catch up on the unbroken part of the waves. When I get to pop on those broken waves, the ride gets kinda rough and there's nothing I can do.

Any advice you guys got for me? =) I would appreciate it!

Sounds like the waves you surf aren't quality waves or maybe the wind isn't working with them. It's really hard to do anything but trimming turns in whitewater and it sounds like your just either popping up in whitewater after the wave has broke or you are catching it just before it breaks. Depending on conditions at my local breaks there usually isn't a whole lot of face time to be had because the conditions are less than optimal. Some of this is wave selection but a lot of it is because of bad conditions on the gulf coast.

Popping up is usually way easier on the face than in whitewater but catching the wave on its face is a lot more difficult than getting blasted by a broken wave.

It could also possibly be that your board is too small for your ability level and/or your weight, and that you need the extra push of the whitewater because you can't paddle it hard/fast enough to catch the green waves.

Couple of questions:

1) What are the rest of your board's dimms?
2) How much do you weigh
3) What kind of fins do you have on it? Not just FCS or Futures, but which ones specifically

Hi all, thanks for the pointers. Regarding the wave conditions, I would agree that it doesn't have that quality of waves. I remember when I went to bali a year ago, I just borrowed a board from one of the people in kuta and I was able to catch some pretty decent waves in canggu. Though that board was a few inches taller, narrower in width and a little thinner. What I'm just wondering is that the locals seem to be able to do things I could do when I was in bali. They'd pop on the same wave with two/three paddles. get it just right and take it from there.

I weigh about 137-140lbs and as for the board I use a 7S a777. Its an old p/u board with the dimensions 6'3 x 19.75 x 2.25. I use the stock fins fcs g-x 3-fin thruster not those kickass honeycomb ones but those plain dull white ones.

So I'm confused if it's me and my paddling skills? The board? Or just the ocean?

When I read your posts I'm confused on your behalf too, but it is not the ocean ( which part of the oceans are you learning in?) although crappy surf doesn't help! The 7s boards should OK but I think you may be riding a little small, if you were to stick to the 7S I'd look at a 7' 3" model and go epoxy for extra float.

It is about you your timing and perhaps an unrealistic view of how you should be progressing! ( that was brutal I know) skills do not come over night and lots of work getting thenm is necessary!

We have a guy I think may surf like you at my local break, he paddles half strength and waits for the wave to catch him, so if he is paddling on a green wave he paddles shoreward until the wave breaks and then he has caught the white water or if he catch green he waits till he gets to the bottom to stand up!

Have a really good read of all the tips on pop up in the forum the answer is there then apply it to your surfing

The prescription is lots more water time!

Oh sorry, its not FCS g-x. Its FCS m-5

Hey Jaffa, don't worry about it I appreciate brutal critics haha. Its an honest feedback. Well, the thing with the paddling is also confusing. When I try to go out at the same time with a local, we kindof get at the lineup at the same time (he might get ahead or I do because he or I get to give a few more paddles after duck diving)

What do you mean btw of unrealistic view of progressing? Can you talk more about this?

Sure I can talk more about realism in progress are you trying to pop on the face of the wave or in front of the white water? When said you rode alright at Gaangu what did you mean by that?
When I hear somebody say they can't pop up, I begin to think a very raw beginner, and often a beginner's perception is a little over eager! Nothing wrong with that we all did it.

A few more details of how it isn't working for you and where you are trying to surf would help us help you.

I'm trying to pop on the face. When I was in Canggu, I was able to pop facing slightly to the right towards the shore. The board planes on the face and I could turn it slightly to the right. So when I stand up, I'm already at the direction I want to go. I could bottom turn, and make turns at the face (not those aggressive kind of snaps and kickass bottom turns) I could do it, but on a level of someone who recently just learned how to do it. I was stoked when I learned this in Bali.

So when I got back here in the Philippines, I started trying to do it here also, problem is I can't seem to just pop facing slightly on the right, the wave leaves me behind and I don't plane. If I try to chase the wave and paddle harder to not get left behind, it closes. And as soon as it closes, i would feel the kick of planing and i'd pop at that same moment. Thing is, its already closing to both directions. I find it hard to bottom turn on that and pump on it. I get disappointed and frustrated coz i can't do it anymore.

If I can't do it, I find it hard to practice my turns, pumps and other stuff. So basically, I'm stuck at popping up when the wave just broke. Btw, the board I used in Canggu was 6'6 x 19.5 x 2.25 (not sure about the width) the 7S i own is a swallow round pin tail and that one from Canggu was a squash they probably were same p/u.

You are experiencing learning using a shortboard, it's great once you get it cause you develop that board as your go-to board, but it's harder and takes longer, which is why we always recommend getting a big board for begginers.

So, wanna pop up and ride a wave every time? Store your board, buy a bigger one, then take it out next year and see how much easier it is. If not, then just keep practicing, you'll get better.

Yes I am!! =) just wanna know at which point exactly of the "learning on a shortboard" phase I'm at. What should I focus on and what am I doing wrong?

Alex you are at the next stage after, beginner on white water shot board learning .
See if you can get a bigger board, it will give you a more stable platform to pop up!
A swallow tail and the length you are trying to ride is just not working for you, just that little increase in length enabled you to do better in Bali.
The good news is that if you choose to stick with what you have, some day,with lots of practice,in the distant future it will work for you.

So if I'm at the next stage after, what should I focus improving on specifically? So I could go progress that and experience the wild maneuvers? Lol. Given that you guys know I'm having a hard time catching unbroken waves and the mushy condition of the wave where I always surf at. I don't get to surf as often, maybe 10-14 days in a month. Is there some kind of workout program I could do while I'm in the city that's applicable for surf when I go out of town? The place I surf at most of the time is 5hours away. Sucks big time.

Swimming and just working on your pop up when the surf is there, even dog of bech cn have good dys just trying to get them. When you work is the issue.
have a look at the exercise program on the website do that and concentrate on practicing pop ups at home.
Build up upper body strength and speed in the chest movements with the program.
At the moment the only thing for you to work onis fitness strength and coordination and getting a bigger board, are there ny other beaches you can try.
You have been graced with the workers curse, not enough time to surf, and anything you achieve in a session is lost in the work time. One counter measure is to get a bigger board.
Mush burgers need bigger there is not the drive for smaller in mush.

One last thought if you are not planing then you are standing too far back, and that too will make almost impossible to pop up.

Get it. Got it .GOOD

the board is fine, you are fine. The only advice I have is next time you go surfing that you go back to the whitewash, practice your pop up a couple of times, then go to the lineup.