Surfing Waves

Hello all... I've been surfing for almost 5 years, and while it took some patience I'm finally at the level where I would call myself a surfer... I can paddle out on my longboard quicker than most, catch waves of various sizes in various conditions, and do so with etiquette, and I even surprise myself every couple sessions with that "whoa, holy crap I can't believe I just rode that wave like that" feeling. My problem, which I suppose isn't really a problem, is that all of this is somehow programmed into my muscle movement and happens without real "mindfulness" of what I am doing. What I mean is that I start paddling for a wave and when I feel it moving me forward before I know it I am standing up and riding without any real thought as to my form, foot placement, etc. I think this all stemmed from pearling over and over again as a newb and teaching my body to just get up and stand as fast as possible. Any advice on how to slow down the thought process? It happens so fast I don't even really know how I am popping up anymore. I'm having fun and it's great that I can pop up without thinking about it but I'd like to progress and I think this is going to hinder me in the long run. Thanks for listening

Try slowing it down and holding the "cobra arch" for a couple of seconds before springing up? Steer the board down the line while doing so? Holding it just a split second longer then picking your spot timing wise and aim wise helped me get more control.

I like surfing really steep really fast waves, there is no time to think. Think and it's too late to do anything. It's all reactions. I do things I have no idea how I know to do these things but notice them like an observer. It's like OMG how did I know to move my front foot to the inside rail on this steep almost freefalling wave? Or why did I popup forward of where I normally do? I love to be in waves in conditions where I can't possibly think about it.

So I forgot to add my suggestion is ride slow waves then you have lots of time to think.

Why do you want to think? If you are doing it 'wrong' then, sure, think. But if you are doing it right then it should be automatic. By this I mean the basics - paddle, pop up etc. You don't want to be thinking about that stuff, you want to be thinking about the wave, how to turn, the type of turn etc. Baseballers don't want to think about how to throw, they want to think where to throw.

I do find that I would like more time when I'm on the face of the wave ie instead of just 'screaming at high speed' along the face (as it sometimes seems), it would be nice to have some time to go 'hey, time to turn, time to do this or do that'. But a lot of that is actually part of 'not thinking' - instead of having to think 'should I turn here by doing this', your body goes and does it without your brain really making any effort. Of course, you don't get to the not thinking part until you have a lot of skill, until then you are thinking. But if you are popping up without thinking, you have 'mastered it', don't worry about it anymore.

I know that isn't an answer, the above two have some good suggestions. But I'm not sure why you think its an issue to start with.

Here's something else to consider.....

Have you watched someone surfing and seen that they move almost in slow motion, elegantly and smoothly? Change topics and remember the first time you ever rode a bike or a motorcycle, or drove a car, and how everything seemed to be happening at once and one after the other and how FAAAASSSTTT you were going......at 45mph......nearly a blur!!!

Practice more....the more experience you get, the more you know what to expect, the better you react consciously and unconsciously, and the speed of the activity slows down......it used to be that I felt like I was just hanging on driving a car down a residential road at the speed limit.....years later things can move in slow motion as I spot a turn, eye the apex, downshift and brake going in, feel the g forces tell me when to accelerate and upshift, powering out of the turn......

Surf more and problems solved!

dtc wrote:Why do you want to think? If you are doing it 'wrong' then, sure, think. But if you are doing it right then it should be automatic.

I agree!

It's also like keyboarding. At first you have to remember which keys go with your fingers and the WPM are slow, Later it becomes muscle memory and you can focus on writing instead of typing.

When I am able to surf like you (which is not often enough) I have the most fun.

No-one else seems to be getting the "mindfulness" bit of the question! But I completely get what you're talking about.

I'll be out back and I've identified something I'd like to change about, for example, my pop up - maybe because I think it's not quite right, or to try something new, or because I think it would just be a slightly different way to surf - and then a wave comes along, I'm all focused on the "thing"... I paddle for the wave... and then a split second later, I'm doing a bottom turn having totally failed to alter the "thing" and wondering how I got there

Surfing by instinct is great... unless you have a bad habit and need to fix it.

What is it that Wkkchan says? Something like "practise doesn't make perfect, practise ingrains bad habits unless you're doing it right" (okay, it was snappier than that, but something along those lines).

So, anyway... how to get round it? Personally I can only do it if I go and find somewhere to surf on my own - otherwise too many distractions in a crowd. And it needs to be a wave that a) isn't that challenging and b) is pretty consistent so I can go again and again... and again and again... trying a few different things, and then once I've got it down pat, doing it enough times that it feels natural. Then surfing consistently enough that I don't go back to my bad habits*.



*I have many bad habits

If I want to change things I think about how I want to surf while I am at home. I pretend I am standing or laying on my board and pretend to be doing whatever it is that I want to change. Then when I go out in the surf while I am waiting for waves I think about doing the same changes. Gradually the changes will become the norm.

mjames wrote:Any advice on how to slow down the thought process? It happens so fast I don't even really know how I am popping up anymore.

I don't think you asking to slow down what you're thinking or doing, but just to remember what you did. If you can do an action or maneuver without thinking, most people would dream to have that talent. For your skills to be 2nd nature and not having to make a conscious effort. You can currently tie your shoe laces without even thinking, right ? Do you really want to go back to singing " Over, under, around and through, Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through" ?

Consider yourself lucky that you're not over thinking.

Adrenaline.

I write a report after each surf, partly because by reliving it, I can feel the joy even more than while actually surfing. While surfing things mostly just happen.

But often It's difficult to remember what exactly happened, I think this is because of the arenaline rush I experience when surfing serious waves.

Definitely not able to give you any surf related advice as I am a complete noob, however from a sporting point of view, sports people wouldn't look to change their technique during a game, they would do this on the training pitch.

Obviously different in surfing but why not identify what you are trying to change and then work on it at home. if you think your feet are in the wrong place when you pop up, tape some rough dimensions onto the floor at home with target X's for where you want your feet to land. Then next surf, spend the first few waves focussing on that practise.

This video series has the user (you) write what you are working on on a silver piece of duct tape and put it on the board right under your nose.....never done it but I bet it would work (RE mindfulness) - in the video @ 5:51.


*Really good series by the way; youtube has some excerpts from the three full instructional videos, and the whole first DVD is on the tube.

Tudeo wrote:Adrenaline.

I write a report after each surf, partly because by reliving it, I can feel the joy even more than while actually surfing. While surfing things mostly just happen.

But often It's difficult to remember what exactly happened, I think this is because of the arenaline rush I experience when surfing serious waves.

That is interesting. I may start doing this but oddly adrenaline makes me remember waves rather than the other way. This ultimately might be useful in learning to surf over a long period of time. Just to keep track and document problems/successes you had with whatever board/fin configuration

Big H wrote:Try slowing it down and holding the "cobra arch" for a couple of seconds before springing up? Steer the board down the line while doing so? Holding it just a split second longer then picking your spot timing wise and aim wise helped me get more control.

Great idea, I'll find some slower waves and give this a shot. I do notice that the more experienced surfers in the lineup tend to hold the cobra arch a lot longer

Big H wrote:Here's something else to consider.....

Have you watched someone surfing and seen that they move almost in slow motion, elegantly and smoothly? Change topics and remember the first time you ever rode a bike or a motorcycle, or drove a car, and how everything seemed to be happening at once and one after the other and how FAAAASSSTTT you were going......at 45mph......nearly a blur!!!

Practice more....the more experience you get, the more you know what to expect, the better you react consciously and unconsciously, and the speed of the activity slows down......it used to be that I felt like I was just hanging on driving a car down a residential road at the speed limit.....years later things can move in slow motion as I spot a turn, eye the apex, downshift and brake going in, feel the g forces tell me when to accelerate and upshift, powering out of the turn......

Surf more and problems solved!

Great analogy, that's what I'm talking about... some of the more experienced guys just look like it's slo-mo and so smooth. Perhaps you are right, this maybe the result of thinking even less than I do now, and relying more on subconscious and muscle memory. Maybe my goal is to be even less "mindful" than I am now. Huh.

dtc wrote:I do find that I would like more time when I'm on the face of the wave ie instead of just 'screaming at high speed' along the face (as it sometimes seems), it would be nice to have some time to go 'hey, time to turn, time to do this or do that'.

Yup, that's what I was thinking about when I wrote this. Sometimes it seems like I'm paddling for a wave and them boom, screaming across the face of the wave.......wait, how did that happen, if I would have popped up earlier/later would I be on a different part of the wave? Where were my feet when I popped up... I guess they weren't too far off because I'm flying right along here... hmm.... haha, sounds like I'm thinking too much.

I'm bringing some duct tape and a sharpie to the next session, making some notes afterward and recording the conditions as well.

mjames wrote:I'm bringing some duct tape and a sharpie to the next session, making some notes afterward and recording the conditions as well.

And for what purpose will that serve ? You already said you're flying down the line. That's awesome. Why "try" to fix what isn't broke ?

Any who, how will you figure out to make the marks ? By looking down to check where your feet are at ? I would recommend you NOT do that. Where you look is where you go.

There's is a famous line in the movie The Last Samurai. " Too many mind ".

Tape and sharpie are for making notes to remind you what you are working on, sticking it on the nose of the board like in the video, not to mark out foot positions.