Surfing Waves

Here are 3 short clips. Please give me some advice. I think I'm standing too far in front so I'm dangling my hands in the back to balance the board. I also can't stay on the wave for long period. I just slide off the face quickly and loses speed.

I try and not get in other surfers way but sometimes I have to or else I won't be able to catch any waves. I tried moving closer to the lip but it was packed and you have at least 3-4 all taking off at same time right next to each other.

Try keeping your leading arm (left for regular, right for goofy) back by your heel rail. This helps to balance your weight, keeps your head central rather than leaning over the toe rail, and prevents wipe outs!

Video analysis is really the way to go. Can't see a lot wrong in video#2

Pretty good. If you would set your rail or turn earlier you could continue with the wave higher on the face. Right now your going to the bottom and then kind of trimming slight bottom turn with no speed to keep away from the foam. You could go all the way to the bottom and pivot hard to get back up to the face and trim as well.

Remember high on the face means speed while low means slow.

I agree with SP. There doesn't look to be much wrong, video 3 looks nice, but you do seem to lose the pace.
It looks to me (and mine are not the most educated eyes) as though you turn off the wave rather than along it. By that I mean you seem to turn a little late and therefore istead of setting the rails in the wave face and then riding the power of the wave to run along the wave you outrun the wave and so when you turn it is too late and instead of running with the wave you begin to run perpendicular to it and the wave catches you up.
I would suggest try to paddle at an angle to the wave and try to pop up with one hand (depending on which way the wave is breakin) slightly further behind the other inorder to start the turn and set the rail.
Also try to move further forward on the board once you are up, this will centralise your weight and therefore won't cause the board to stall.
e.g.

I am no expert though. Hopefully the likes of the Oldman and Uncle Jaffa will take a look.

You seem to be doing ok. I think learning to turn and positioning on the wave face could improve your length of rides. On the third wave you got too high on the face of the wave. You might have run out on the nose of the board. On the second wave I would crouch down as I reached the bottom of the wave and use that force pushing into the board to carve a bottom turn to get back higher up and turn off the top of the wave. As far as being in the right position on the board, it's difficult to tell but it looks ok. On a long board I move up and back depending on the wave and what I want to do. It's takes some time to learn to surf. You seem to be doing ok.

To be honest, it looks to me like you do everything more or less right and then lose confidence and abort the ride as soon as you start slowing down or have to do anything other than 'stand there' (esp video 3). And rather than try to keep going - perhaps not knowing exactly what to do - you just fall off instead. It reminds me of learner skiiers, who ski across the slope but then panic when they have to turn and just fall over instead.

Keep going as long as you can, nothing bad will happen.

And as others have mentioned, learn how to pick up speed. For example, when you start losing speed, lean forward and try to glide down the wave (like its a hill) (or even move your feet up the board like in the Carbr6 video); or learn to do a bit of 'pumping' (go up and down the face of the wave) to get speed to get through the breaking part to the next clean face. Throwing both arms forward is another method of weight transfer.

Going fast is something that you need to learn and will get used to. Again like skiing, or riding a bike or ice skating or even learning to drive a car etc - at first it seems just too quick and too fast and too out of control, but after not too long you get used to it (more or less!)

Video 3 - you're riding backhand, but your shoulder and leading arm are pointing towards the shore. If you want to turn back up the wave (whether backhand or front) imagine you're reaching up to where you want to go. Turn your arm and your shoulders and the rest will follow.
Once you're up a little higher on the face, you'll keep on going longer as others have said.

Seems like you're doing alright though

When I had my lesson, the trainer told me to surf using my front hand and not my back hand to lead the way. When I look at how I surf and how other people surf, it is different. They seem to learn forward whereas I lean backward using my back hand to balance. It just feels natural for me to do that.

I always seems to outrun the wave by going straight down the face. I know I need surf along the wave but when I try that I don't know when the wave comes crashing down on me so quite often I end up losing the board. I can't turn fast enough or know when to turn.

I will take all your advices and try it out tomorrow. Need to try and keep the pace going. Most of the time I just loose the speed as I don't position myself correctly. As can be seen from Video 1 and 3 where other surfers are able to catch up to me because I'm not going fast enough.

Once again thanks for all the tips!

BaNZ wrote:When I look at how I surf and how other people surf, it is different. They seem to learn forward whereas I lean backward using my back hand to balance.

I think we might have just identified the problem...
Weight on the back foot will just stall the board and slow you down. To go along the face and 'beat' the wave, you need to drive forward by having your weight on the front foot, your head forward, and your leading hand out towards where you want to go.

drowningbitbybit wrote:

BaNZ wrote:When I look at how I surf and how other people surf, it is different. They seem to learn forward whereas I lean backward using my back hand to balance.

I think we might have just identified the problem...
Weight on the back foot will just stall the board and slow you down. To go along the face and 'beat' the wave, you need to drive forward by having your weight on the front foot, your head forward, and your leading hand out towards where you want to go.

To expand on what I said above and what DBB is saying, I found it really useful to think of the wave as a hill on land - want to speed up, you go down the hill. And when you go down the hill, you dont lean backwards, you lean forwards as DBB says. You wont crash at the bottom; anyway, you will probably have turned slightly across the wave or back up the wave before then. I love popping up and looking down the face of the wave and then leaning forward and zooming down as fast as I can - its probably my favourite part of the ride (we wont talk about what happens after that!)

Another suggestion, also based on one of DBB's comments, when moving your leading hand to where you want to go, put your arm straight out to the side (1/2 crucifix position) and actually point at where you want to go (stick your index finger out and point). You probably will feel stupid, but it works - so long as you have enough speed. The slower you are going, the slower your turn will be (wider arc) and the greater the chance of bogging your rails or simply losing speed altogether.

Going front side is easier for all of this because you can see the wave at all times, the steepness etc and you wont worry about the wave blindsiding you from behind - if you can find a front side break its probably worth sticking to that for a bit

All the advice you are being given is great.
However you have a little surf language confusion happening.

Backhand surfing, has nothing do do with your hand position it is about back side and front side surfing.
If you are a natural footed surfer then your left foot is your front foot and your front side direction is going right ( that is the direction in which you are facing the wave) front side or forehand!!!!
When you are facing the beach from the water, a right hand wave is obviously on your RIGHT.
A LEFT is your backhand/ backside wave and your backside is facing the wave.
If you are a Goofy footer, your right foot is your front foot and all of the above is reversed!

Now about your actual hands.......... Your LEADING hand ( I've used a different term here so I don't confuse you)
Should be leading you along the wave face with your body twisted to begin pointing you in the direction you wish to go. Your trailing hand ( the other one) moves to correct balance. Learn to crouch and lean or move forward on the board, moving forward on a long board is the accelerator. Leaning or stepping back is putting on the brakes.

In the first video you could commit to the turn more and earlier, by the time you did your slow turn the wave had sped from you.
The first turn is meant to generate speed to drive onto the wave face in the best position.
You have improved, now stop jumping off!

Excellent advice from everyone as usual.
I love this forum, with every post I learn something new or develop my knowledge and understanding even more, regardless as to whether I asked the question or not!

One extra thought BaNZ, check out this video

It's from 312T4 and logs his progress from 0hrs to 160hrs surfing, I've found it very useful and insightful, look at his foot placement and wave position for turns etc, you can really see the difference it may well help you to identify your issues.

jaffa1949 wrote:However you have a little surf language confusion happening.
Backhand surfing, has nothing do do with your hand position

Okay, yes, I see what's happened now... I had wondered why the conversation seemed to go off on a tangent

drowningbitbybit wrote:I think we might have just identified the problem...
Weight on the back foot will just stall the board and slow you down. To go along the face and 'beat' the wave, you need to drive forward by having your weight on the front foot, your head forward, and your leading hand out towards where you want to go.

I lean back because of 2 reason. 1 If I put on my weight on front foot I gain too much speed and I can't turn back onto the wave again. So I try and stay on the face by not going so quick 2. Fear. I will only lean forward if it is 2-3 feet waves and anything over my head, I lean back.

I also think my feet position are too forward. I don't have those traction pad. But if I do, my back feet is probably at least 1 foot infront of the pad location. I think I should get a pad so I can feel that I have my feet in the correct position. Maybe I can't turn easily because of that.

jaffa, you're right. I got my lingo mixed up.

dtc- One of my friend told me the 1/2 crucifix hand posture. He kept yelling at me to do it. I kept telling him the wave is too small and mainly because it looks too stupid. Guess I'm the stupid one for not listening!

Did try all the advices today, wave was between 5-6 feet so a bit out of my league. 1/2 the time I manage to ride along the face. A bit later I was exhausted and the lip curls too much so I keep getting thrown off the wave as I took off to slow. But I had so much fun. Some times my front feet is too forward so the head of the board is flat on the water and it was too steep so it didn't end up well!

Took lots of photos! Please do give me advice. My friends say my back foot is too far forward which I agree. Plus I fail badly at nose riding... and it looks like I'm using the wrong arm to lead the way? I think I've surfed for far too long in the wrong posture that it will be hard for me to change.

Surprisingly this is cromer! not bad isn't it.

I think this will help.

and this

In a number of the first photos your front foots looks too far to the left - its not centred and I think the rest of your body is trying to adjust for that. But in the last couple, especially the last photo, everything is centred and you look much better.

Secondly, I'm not sure your back foot is too far forward; but you do sometimes appear to be leaning back (putting weight on the back foot).

However, its hard to give advice because a photo only shows that instant, and you may look weird or off balance or something, but its actually not a problem because you are turning or trying some manouvere or just recovering your balance

Is that good surf for Cromer?