Surfing Waves

Posted: **Fri May 01, 2015 10:59 am**

My local break has some slabby waves even in small conditions - think 1-2ft reported surf. Perfect to learn on my 6'3" shortboard, but challenging to pop up to someone used to boards longer than 7ft.
I know I'm supposed to use the stomp pad, maybe bring my back foot under me more, but , any does anyone have a better description on the pop-up on shorter boards?

Posted: **Sat May 02, 2015 12:23 am**

This video has been posted on the forum a couple of times recently...

http://www.bestsurfingholidays.com/surf ... board.html

The "chicken wing" pop up does help on a shortboard as it puts your back foot in the right place to start with and tends to help you land in a surfing crouch rather than bolt upright. Don't go mental with it - just a slight kink to the leg of the back foot.

A pop up on a shortboard is, obviously, quite a bit trickier than a longer board. One thing is to make sure you're popping up at the right moment, i.e. when you've definitely definitely caught the clean wave as the board starts to fall away beneath you. If you're too late (in the whitewater), then your shortboard will bounce around like a toddler on a trampoline, but if you're too early (haven't really caught it), the wave will just slide straight underneath you.

Once you've popped to your feet, don't stand straight up - stay low. If you stand up, you'll just stall the board and lose stability too.
I used to do a training exercise where every time I was up and standing, I'd touch the board with my trailing hand (or, on your backhand, just grab a rail!) to push myself down into the right position. In fact, I still do it occasionally if Im feeling a bit rusty.

With a shortboard, rather than the pop-up itself, it tends to be what you do immediately after that causes problems/success.

Posted: **Sat May 02, 2015 2:01 am**

I have no idea what I do popping up but it varies with the board and wave. It's however much more challenging for me to popup on my 6'2" board or I would say something more than this DON'T GET OLD

When I was younger I could popup with my fins on on my 4 foot paipo board. Now I fell like some kind of circus act popping up on the 6'2" you know ..... like I should take a bow after doing it.

Posted: **Sat May 02, 2015 5:59 am**

pmcaero wrote:I know I'm supposed to use the stomp pad

The answer is NO. Your back foot should be over the fins when you turn. You are popping up to catch the wave, later when get set to bottom turn, THEN your foot moves back.

Stop thinking like your on a longboard. On a longboard you catch the wave BEFORE it breaks, giving you a lot of set up time to pop up. On a shortboard you catch the wave AS it's breaking. Things move faster, timing is more critical, gravity plays a much bigger role.

pmcaero wrote:maybe bring my back foot under me more

Think of it not as push up and getting your body under you, but more pushing the board down and you jump back on it. Because that's what's actually happening.

My concern is the problem is not the pop up, but you not being able to get on the wave in time with the smaller board.

Posted: **Mon May 04, 2015 2:29 am**

waikikikichan wrote:My concern is the problem is not the pop up, but you not being able to get on the wave in time with the smaller board.

That's the other problem, these are pretty fast breaking waves, not the ideal learning environment but what I have to work with.
I noticed angling a lot helps, at this stage, to give me more time. I was able to pop up on my longer 7'4" board of similar shape in similar conditions going off the shoulder.

Later on when I get more comfortable with the shorter board I will attempt to drop more towards the beach.

Posted: **Wed May 27, 2015 9:32 am**

Preface this by saying I've been surfing for only 11mos but I have had a real at experience...

I started in a longboard and still use it frequently, but I wanted to learn to short board as well...I got a second hand tuf lite board and took the fins off and practiced (still do) popping up with sofa cushions underneath or on the bed (when the wife is not around.

so that my feet don't touch the ground. I greatly improved speed and consistency in foot placement as well as something that is harder to feel if practicing on the carpet, cardboard cutout or board bag which is a balanced finish which is aided in realism by wobbly cushions under the board. Hanging the end of the board off the cushions allows for a measure of fore and aft balancing on finish as well so that you can practice degrees of weighting the rear foot in the movement. Helped me tons and using the real board makes practice feel more real and translates to improved confidence in the water.