Surfing Waves

I haven't posted in awhile and been picking up most things through water time and trial and error but I got a question on something that continues to plague me and am interested in y'all's opinion.

I have gotten pretty good at not only paddling for waves but also getting in the position to pick the wave off. But I notice, more so when tired, that sometimes when I paddle in and take the extra stroke to get into the wave that I will be rocket launched down the face which makes it difficult to popup and puts me in the flats. To cure this I've stopped my extra paddle depending on the wave shape and pop up and use front foot pressure to drop in. This works to some extent but I notice when watching other surfers that the back of their board seems stuck and glued in the face of the wave is there a trick to this? I think this might be due to fatigue more than anything but still appreciate input.

Just FYI in order to prevent this when I'm tired I just started sitting deep inside and spinning and sinking the tail in order to takeoff. I have had outstanding success with this but in our walled up sections waves it makes it difficult to gather the speed to beat the initial section.

Are you on a longboard or a shortboard? If your on a longboard you may be too far in and catching the wave too late (when its breaking). The key to catching a wave is timing and practice. You want to catch the wave as it is forming so you can get a nice glide down the face of the wave. If your at a hallow break grab the rail of the surfboard as your dropping down the face. Another tips is to angle your board a little bit to the side of the wave you are going this will help you get down the face. Just practice and learn the break and you will see progress!

oldenglish wrote: But I notice, more so when tired, that sometimes when I paddle in and take the extra stroke to get into the wave that I will be rocket launched down the face which makes it difficult to popup and puts me in the flats. To cure this I've stopped my extra paddle depending on the wave shape and pop up and use front foot pressure to drop in.

Sounds like when you're tired you're not going for the entirely clean face anymore and the broken curl is propelling you down the face? And/or the face has got too steep.
If you're catching the wave a little late, and so trying to stand up a little earlier (if you follow me), then you'll need to use that front foot to make sure you dont get left behind. The guy taking the same wave who isn't as tired and has paddled harder for it, gets in a bit earlier before the curl has broken and controls the fall on the steep section with his back foot.

Doesn't sound to me like you're doing anything wrong except getting a bit tired, and we all do that!

I agree with DBBB...it happens to me often. The reality is you need to sit further out and paddle your ass off to get the wave and be up and riding before it "jacks" up too much. i have often found myself bodyboarding my surfboard due to being propelled down the face and not having the time to pop up.

Damn, i need to get fitter!!!

Two things: 1) Arch your back, sometimes when you are tired you don't and your nose tips down. 2) Paddle faster so you can stand up earlier on the wave, before it pearls you over. Begginers usually take off too steep and slingshot down the wave face, try catching it early by working harder

It does depend on the wave as well. If you are surfing beachies (or reef), sometimes they just jack up straight when they hit the sandbar and then break, and are quite steep. So you have to be in the right place and up straight away.

But if the wave is a bit fatter, you can arch your back and dig the tail into the wave and actually cruise along like that for a second or two, then pop up.

Secondly, remember that when a wave breaks it breaks at the 'lip' - so you dont want to be on the lip when it breaks otherwise you either fade out the back or get thrown downwards. So you actually want to be part way down the wave (on the face) before it starts to break. Doing the 'up early and use the front foot to go down the wave' is good so long as you are able to pop up and then get down the wave before it starts breaking.

Actually, I suspect when you get tired what is happening is that you arent arching your back (its not natural so the first thing you forget to do) and hence don't dig in the tail, and perhaps take just a fraction longer to pop up and moving a bit slower (less paddle speed). The combo means your tail is being hit by the breaking lip while you are still laying down - all your weight is forward (your upper body is much heavier than your lower) - and you arent going fast enough. Result is you are being shot down the wave.

I have to say of all the things in surfing I hate being rocketed down the wave because I am late popping up - because you know you are about to fall straight onto the board that is now 4ft below you...

Agreed! Damn frustrating! Only time in the water on a regular basis will improve all these "issues" some of us are experiencing.

I think dtc hit the nail on the head. I don't pearl often and I think why I can handle steep no paddle take offs is that I'm much more weary of nose diving and dg the tail in. When I'm tired I'm probably just lazy and slow on sinking my tail with an arched back after a hard paddle and get sling shotted forward. This is on a shorter board. Thanks for the input guys.

Agreed with everyone that says arch your back. Whenever I get that feeling of pearling or being shot down uncontrollably I pop my shoulders backward and lift my chest. It's really just a feeling you acquire but that feeling becomes a feeling with time in the water. Whenever my takeoffs don't feel right I make a mental note to arch my back, lift my chest and pop up. This fixes my problem instantly...... Good luck - remember it becomes natural with time in the water. There really is no substitute for time which is why so often surfing is hard to explain. Everything comes with time.

So I went surfing today, the first session was horrible broke a fin box, then the next session later today, I think I broke a rib and then got run over by a foamie. But that's besides the point, it hit high surf advisory this party well so 6-8 hawaiian, not white boy, making it was cranking, for some reason on my bigger board, I couldn't get in early enough to hit the face hence the broken rib feeling. I've been riding open faces for a minute, and today I just couldn't get in early enough to do anything but crack my ribs. I don't get it. I'm so frustrated, and I want to throw my board at the wall but then I wouldn't be able to ride anything tomorrow.

There is a great video on youtube that demonstrates how to paddle into the wave and make the drop, it also demonstrates some interesting facts about the pop up. Overall it is a great video, and is definitely worth checking out! If you search surfing pop up on youtube it should be one of the first videos you see. It is by zorrik voldman. Check it out!