Surfing Waves

Hey guys!

Since I moved to the coast, I think I'm managing to improve a lot on my line surfing, but there are still lots of things to work on.

I'm starting to get a good feel of pumping for generating speed (mostly frontside, still gotta work on my backside pumping), using my torso and arms to drive my body up and down the face. I think I still have to work on my knees, bending and straightening them in the right times to get the most out of each pump, straightening the legs a lot at the bottom and bending it a lot when higher at the face, but I'll work this out with time.

I still prefer backside waves for attempting some sharp top turns (don't think I can call them snaps already, they don't even throw spray yet! ), since for some reason it feels more natural. Maybe because surfing backside I'm looking where I'm going when I do a top turn. But I still have to work them to get a powerful turn, maybe get some spray flying around. I heard I have to push my back leg and get it straight on the turn, but I'll still have to figure out the weight balancing to do it. Any tips? Need to visualize what I'll have to do, maybe with some land exercise (this really helped me with pumping).

Yesterday I also did my first f/s "cutback". Not really one of those sharp powerful cutbacks that end on a crazy vertical snap, but just a top turn extending all the way until I was going back to the pocket and then facing the line again. I didn't really plan it, guess I went for a turn and realized the shoulder was getting fat, so I went all the way back.

A more experienced friend told me my stance is a bit low, but I didn't understand exactly how this would be a bad thing (as long as I'm not bending my back and getting the "poo stance"). Hard for me to get help without any images, I know.. . But how can a low stance affect your surfing?

Now about the non-technical things I have to improve:
-Positioning while paddling in the inside:
This last week I stayed in others surfers ways while paddling back out about 2 or 3 times (the big crowd sunday didn't help). I just wonder if this eventually happens even with the more experienced ones. Sometimes I just misread the wave. I'm not one of those that paddle to the shoulder because I don't want to duck dive, but sometimes I do it because I want to stay away from the pocket, where the surfer supposedly would want to be most of the time. I don't know, guess this is going to be improved with time, but this issue has been pissing me off a bit (and maybe pissing other people off too ).
-Creating muscle resistance:
I'm still getting tired faster than I want paddling. Yesterday I really pushed myself to the edge, went in the water twice and stayed quite long. It didn't help I played a "heat" with some friends, which got me paddling a little more aggressive to get in position faster and get a few waves before time was up . But at some point I just had to go out, because once I'd get a wave I'd be tired on the inside (which brings us back to "getting on others way" issue). Yesterday I also got some pain on my shoulders, but seems to be gone now. Felt like an inflamed shoulder maybe? Think it's just my muscles pissed that I asked them so much!

Still wondering about getting that chinese "GoPro" like camera (you're probably all tired of hearing that already! )

Congratulations on the cutback. I often do stuff by accident that makes me look like I know how to surf better than I really do. The first time is a bonus then you have to do it on purpose. Learning to surf is about repetition so you need to find waves to repeat the maneuvers on. Low stance is often a good thing but if you want to do a powerful turn you want to start crouched low then extend your legs during the turn to put more power into it. I think as you get older there is limitations to how much you can surf or train. You need to pay attention to your body and don't overdo it.

IanCaio wrote:A more experienced friend told me my stance is a bit low, but I didn't understand exactly how this would be a bad thing (as long as I'm not bending my back and getting the "poo stance"). Hard for me to get help without any images, I know.. . But how can a low stance affect your surfing?

There's a difference in "being low". Are you squatting ( poo ) or coiled up ? Just lowering you weight /center of gravity lower is not the same as coiling up small to then explode /extend out at the right moment.

Find a sequence shot of Kelly, Mick or Parko during a round house / full wrapping cutback. They get really "low" at the apex of the turn,

When I was relearning how to surf I found it easier to do a backside bottom turn and smack the lip than a frontside bottom turn and smack the lip. I am only now catching up with the frontside bottom turn and off the lip turns and I surf frontside most often. Why? Not sure but I guess for me backside bottom turn to off the lip was the only thing I could do. I couldn't do a speed turn or gentle turn. I am also getting better at backside speed turns. A lot of surfing is about shifting your weight so I do daily exercises where I go in my surf stance and move my weight around in a circle one way then back the other way and practice drop knee stance at the same time too. I think this has helped me to turn better. I imagine watching others surf helps too because it creates in my mind a form to follow. Like Kelly Slater watch what he does not that you will be able to perform like him but that will create a form to hold in your mind.

OMS,
Thanks man! I was so stoked after I finished the cutback, even though it was probably a little lame
The closest break here has a crumbling slow wave (at least most of the time) and even though it's more chubby than the break I started at, I actually think it's helping me improve my line surfing, because it opens a nice wall and the low speed gives me more time to think my moves.

Waikikikichan,
To be honest I'm not sure. Tomorrow I'll practice some pop ups in front of the mirror and check my stance, but I don't think I make a poo stance or at least it doesn't feel like it. But there's a difference between what we think we look like and what we actually look like, so I'll try to notice it . I also don't think I'm extending much on the turns, so I might not be getting the full potential of every move. Maybe that's what this friend meant.

I'll look for some videos and sequence photos as you said, to get a better idea!

IanCaio wrote:But how can a low stance affect your surfing?

Because being low doesn't help you one bit - it's getting low ... and then getting high getting low getting high getting low... that gives you drive and speed.

Similar to what wkkchan said – from the top to the bottom of the wave and into the first turn, you're compressing (not compressed!) until the apex of the turn, and then you're extending as you come out the turn and up the face, then... repeat...

If you're staying low throughout the wave, then there's a very good chance you're stuck in at least a semi-poo

Staying out of the way is easier the further you can ride the wave out....if you fall or end prematurely guess what? You're right in the middle of the playing field esp. if you don't get back on your board and "clear your lines" immediately since where you fell or ended was presumably on the wave and you're right in front of the next guy if you dawdle.....


Paddling resistance? Try doing some shoulder stretches and improving your posture.....sitting right now pull your shoulders back a bit and puff out your chest a little....now turn your head....less resistance right? Better posture lends to that....anyway, I did lat stretches (hang on my chin up bar), tricep stretches and a few other shoulder stretches and use a foam roller and a softball to do deep tissue release....do some youtube searches; a little more mobility and better posture improved my paddling technique, power and more importantly my stamina; I think because I was not fighting myself so much....anyway could paddle longer and better almost immediately after starting stretching and posture attention.

Paddle into the curl and you won't get in anyone's way....get back out faster or linger inside until the set clears then go back out but if you catch the first set wave then ride it halfway then angle yourself to paddle back to the peak, it's like a dog walking on the highway........

Here they are....there is some overlap from video to video, but watch them all and you should be covered....

Hey guys,

Went surfing today, think about a day where things go wrong but it still feels like a good day. I locked my bicycle, putted the key under my john as usual and went for a session on a more hollow break that was having 2ft hawaiian on delayed series. Was so stooked, catched a beautiful right (backside) and just as I said, my b/s surfing is more Bottom turn/Sharp top turn and so on, while my f/s is more like cruising with some eventual sharp maneuver. But it was a great ride, all the way to the shallow, than I paddled back to the line up and realized I lost my keys!
No money for a locksmith (that would charge me more than I payed in the locks), no money for bus. Two cops tried to help me by trying to open the locks with a knife, didn't think it was going to work but it was worth a try. Then I took a lifeguard's bike to go home and catch the reserve key. I rode 30km in bikes today!
Once I got back, checked if the lock was still opening after we tried opening with a knife and, since I was there, I went back to surfing until it was dark!
Turns out this lifeguard who lend me the bike also is into big wave surfing, he said he surfed some big days on a spot I know with tow in. Would be a nice guy to give me some pointers on big wave surfing!

Well, back to topic

BigH,
I've seem the first and second video I believe, it's from a channel that has some streching for surfers right? I was looking for some rotator cuff exercises and ran into it. I'll try it, not only for building resistance but also to stay away from injuries!
Today I was paddling really agressive when I was on the inside, to avoid being in the way. This tired me a bit more, also I was tiring faster because I had no resting time, sorry to say but I was on fire . I catched lots of waves, made a few until the end. There were even a few that a white water section was ahead of me and I could pump a bit to get across it and reach the pocket. First time I did it!

Drowningbitbybit,
I don't know, I feel like I'm straightening my legs a bit while pumping, so I don't think I'm crouched all the time. Maybe I'm just not straightening them hard enough to get lots of speed. I noticed though that when I'm a little high at the face and it's getting hollow I tend to crouch, maybe to get more balance once I'm going down the line again. Not sure if it looks like a poo stance when I do it

Another thing that happened today (and has happened before a few times). I dropped the wave, started pumping for speed and when I got fast at the bottom of the wave, on the straightening part of the pump, my board just slipped back. I don't know if this means I went to the flats, which doesn't sound like a good idea while pumping, or if it was just some balance issue.

I am not sure what you are describing but recently I was doing a series of speed turns and the board kind of popped out of the wall and tilted sideways on the face but my feet reconnected with the board and I was able to just continue on. I am not sure what is the straightening part of the pump. But you can do speed pumps that use the whole face of the wave from the lip to the bottom, the more the elevation change the more speed you generate per turn and if you get into the flat water it's still ok as long as you get right back up the face again......if the wave requires it.