Making progress, but need some advice.

[Zealex]

Sup,

Been surfing for about 2 weeks using a wavestorm that's 8 feet. I catch waves generally well and ride and stand up but I need to fix things.

The issues:
-My calves dangle off the edge of the board.
-When riding a wave, when the power stops, my board begins to tip down from the back and nose rises and I fall off.
-I feel I'm losing speed.

This one time I was able to bring my lead foot up more to the middle of the board and I was able to maintain speed and balance for much longer. So I figured it too far back if half my leg if dangling, but I then moved up and I pearl dived... I heard I'm supposed to keep the board almost leveled with the board and that resulted in a total fail. Perhaps I need to paddle and stand up faster? Also to fix my loss of speed and back tipping, make sure my front foot is up further? Maybe try taking off at an angle too instead of straight?

Apologize for any typos, posting from mobile.

Thank you for any advice, looking to head back to the beach to improve my performance.

[oldmansurfer]

You have to learn where to be on the board for what situation. More back for turning and more forward to faster but not so far forward that you pearl.

[Zealex]

Thanks for the reply however, aside from feet I feel my body my be too far back. My calves dangle off the end of my board.... If I could move my body up I'd be able to have my feet shoulder width and my lead in the center but if I bring my torso up I pearl so idk maybe I need to just play around or paddle harder?

[oldmansurfer]

Your body goes where your feet go. I think maybe you should get some lessons with a person who can watch you but hold on till the others check in here. Some of them teach surfing and maybe know exactly what you are talking about.

[BoMan]

I've found this and the other Surf Simply tutorials very helpful.

[dtc]

When you say your 'calves dangle off the end of the board', I presume this is when laying down and paddling? The nose of your board should be about 1-1.5 inch above the surface of the water, move your body until this occurs - then you are in the right position. Wherever your legs end up. You can arch your back and stuff to adjust the nose as you paddle and the water surface changes etc.

You are NOT perling because the nose is too close to the water. Perling is caused by the wave picking up the tail of the board and pushing the nose into the water. The wave does this because you are not paddling fast enough ie the wave hits your slow board and pushes it upwards instead of pushing it forward (which it will do if you are going fast enough). Think of a rear end car crash - back car at 100km/h hits front car at 10km/h - result, rear of front car gets pushed into the air and all sorts of damage. If back car at 100km/h hits front car travelling at 90 km/h, result is that front car gets a little push along. You need to be the front car at 90 km/h or all sorts of damage

Its a 'classic' beginner error to think that moving backwards and lifting the nose will fix perling, but moving backwards pushes the tail into the water which slows the board down - which leads to perling... its completely the wrong thing to do, even though it seems to make logical sense. You need speed - maximise the efficiency of the board (keep it flat), maximise your paddling power (and maximise your positioning, although this last factor is experience and trial and error). Get a flat piece of wood and pull it along the surface of water when the wood is flat to the water. Then angle it so the tail of the wood is under water and the front of the wood is slightly above the water and pull it directly toward you. Which is easier? Which creates more speed with the same effort?

Similarly, when you are riding the board, if the tail digs into the water then you are slowing the board down. So as you lose power, you actually need to move forward and put more weight on the nose and keep the board flat. Of course, at some stage you will have insufficient power to push the board no matter what you do. But at no stage - when you are trying to go forward - should your nose come into the air (it should when you are turning, but not when you are going straight). If this is happening, move your feet! On an 8ft board, you should physically be moving your feet up and down the board as conditions change; in this case you need to move your front feet forward and put more weight on the nose and keep that board flat (ie the nose just above the water). Sometimes you might get it wrong and push the nose into the water and fall off, its a matter of learning and experience.

oh, and watch the video linked above.

[saltydog]

dtc gave awesome explanations/suggestions. Follow that closely. That video is really good as well. Once you feel the lift from the wave, arch your back more as you give the last few power paddle to catch a wave. That usually helps me unless the waves are a lot faster and steeper.

[Zealex]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I realize what I'm doing wrong and what's right, and hoping to apply this knowledge the next time I can get my feet weet.

Perhaps I need to work on my paddle technique, my arms are quite sore and I'm not going very fast.

[waikikikichan]

-My calves dangle off the edge of the board.

Question 1, are your calves dangling off the END of the board ( tail ) or are they off the sides ( rail ). Some beginners "grasp" the board with their legs to try to control the board as they paddle.

Question 2, did you put wax on the deck of your Wavestorm ?

[Zealex]

-My calves dangle off the edge of the board.

Question 1, are your calves dangling off the END of the board ( tail ) or are they off the sides ( rail ). Some beginners "grasp" the board with their legs to try to control the board as they paddle.

Question 2, did you put wax on the deck of your Wavestorm ?

Tail and I do not. I Was told foamies don't need wax and looks super poser, but more so cause I was told it's unnecessary.

[waikikikichan]

I Was told foamies don't need wax and looks super poser, but more so cause I was told it's unnecessary.

Question 1, WHO told you foamies don't need wax ? I recommend you put on some wax like hash marks. Don't need to wax up the whole deck like hard boards, just a few slashes like Wolverine's claws.

Question 2, What looks more "Poser" ? a) slipping back and forth/ side to side on the deck. b) having the board stuck to you and moves with you.

Trust me, put wax on your board and you'll help solve some of your positioning and pearling problem

[Big H]

Super poser on a wavestrom........


......at this point swallow whatever misguided pride you might have about your image and just learn to surf.....once you do you won't be a super poser like those on boards too small for them that spend more time on the beach than bobbing around the lineup.

[saltydog]

Super poser on a wavestrom........


......at this point swallow whatever misguided pride you might have about your image and just learn to surf.....once you do you won't be a super poser like those on boards too small for them that spend more time on the beach than bobbing around the lineup.

This.

I spent the first 4 months on a wavestorm. I looked exactly like a middle aged kook. Very embarrassing to the least. But considering all those real deal posers who would bring CI Al Merrick boards along with the beach chairs and sunbathe the whole afternoon, flailing about in the white water is still a whole lot more of honest to goodness surfer in the making. Then there's always a guy or two with a biggish shortboard who can't catch much of anything the whole session while I (still a middle aged kook after a year) can manage at least a half dozen rides on a longboard or a minimal. Keep surfing. You'll surpass this stage eventually.

[Big H]

BTW....unless you are like 6'8" your calves shouldn't be anywhere near the end of the board on an 8' wavestrom....I'm 6'1" and my toes are on the end of the board up to around 7'6" boards...would say a lot of the issues that you state are due to being too far back on the board when paddling carrying over to being too far back on the board when you pop up, stalling out immediately due to being in the wrong spot. You need to paddle with the nose of the board a few inches above the water for that board....pearling is because you still aren't able to paddle fast enough, are in the wrong position, timing is off and paddle too early or a combination of a couple few of these....get forward on the board to paddle, keep at it and your paddle will improve....look at those on boards similar to yours in the lineup who are successful in catching waves and try to emulate them in terms of positioning and timing......give yourself more than a couple of weeks; it is a process and no one picks this thing up as quickly as they think that they might should.

[LostAtSea]

Like others said - your calves should not be in the water. Either your too far back on your board (fear on pearling?) or your legs are hanging over the sides of the board which is a no-no - it creates way too much drag and you'll never build up proper speed to catch a green wave.

Hopefully you put your time in the whitewater getting your pop-up automatic and quick. Once you have it down get out back. Watch the Surf Simply Video and make note of where to catch the green wave. If you are trying to catch them as they break you will pearl almost every time - unless you can popup like a cat under the lip and drive down the face like JJ Florence - but you can't (neither can I). If the wave is too steep/breaking it will tip the back of your board up and you will pearl. I see a lot of people make the mistake of instead of going ALL the way out back once they learn to popup, they go just a little further out - into the breaking waves - often the worst place to try and catch waves. I made this mistake too. Those breaking waves have some height to them and will flip your board forward in a hurry and you'll get a sinus cavity full of seawater.

Get all the way out back, just past the foam line (where the wave breaks) and start reading where those suckers are breaking, and how fast they are jacking up. This is where your surfing education really begins. It's trial and error, but start working on catching waves at the right moment, when they are steep enough to paddle into, but not so steep to pearl you. Work on adjusting your weight on the board when paddling into a wave - head down, feet up/kicking, weight forward paddling hard to get into the wave (sliding down the face), and next, to keep from pearling as the wave steepens, getting your arms back at your ribs, pushing up on your arms, arching your back to get ready to pop to your feet - it's all timing and getting to know the feeling of the wave jacking underneath you. Also, this timing changes as the tide/wind/swell changes and the waves become steeper, flatter, faster, slower, etc...but get out back. It will start to come together and surfing becomes even MORE fun, if you can imagine such a thing.

I'm just at this stage now and it's great because every session is so rewarding with learning in leaps and bounds. Once you get this going you will be also learning turns, wave reading, trimming, etc, all the fun stuff is about to happen for you!

[Zealex]

Thank you all for the detailed responses.

On reddit r/surfing there was a huge thread about using wax on foamies and how it was kook. I don't care, but I read it as oh foamies don't need wax and I googled it and some sites agreed. I found some sex wax on the beach(literally no on the beach but me so I kept it..) but it doesn't seem to stick well, perhaps I should try a different brand?

That video was very informative, as well the posts and as such I have moved my body up more and really working on my paddling however the waves have been crap lately. Yesterday the waves were like a blender...literally constantly coming at you but they weren't curling just breaking before curl..hard to catch and past the impact zone and when a good one came I didn't have enough time to paddle fast enough since I kept getting hit as there weren't sets rather just constant oncoming waves. I did manage to ride a few....and I felt the front of my board dive down the wave and I did my pop up up to avoid pearling and rode the wave. That was fun! My pop up is automatic and quick, I just need a good day to practice catching some waves!

Supposed to have off shore winds tomorrow really hope there's some solid waves!

EDIT: BTW out of curiosity since I still need to ride waves better, what does upgrading to say an epoxy or fiber glass board do? If I wanted a longboard that's 8 feet but not foam, so say like a bic.....wouldn't it be harder to surf? what do I gain out of it though? Because I see no reason to ever swap my wavestorm unless I'm looking to go shortboard which I eventually hope to do. Most websites just say foamies are for beginngers because easier blah blah but it doesn't compare the cons to other material. Just wanted some clarity if anyone has the answers.

[dtc]

Foam boards are slower and harder to turn. Lack of speed can limit your options on a wave. There is a limited range. You can't press for a really hard turn without risking the fins popping out

However if you are just going down the line on non sectioning small waves or no major turns then you may not notice much difference

[saltydog]

Wax doesn't stick that well on wavestorm. Mine is so old that the plastic film has peeled off so it's a pain to wax and then it'll stay on for only 10 min or so. I've tried base and top coat together but at this point nothing sticks. I've been contemplating on getting rid of it (I actually have 2) but they are quite useful as a padding between hard boards. I also put one on a set of step stools horizontally and lay my longboard on top for practicing pop up. It has a nice balance of stability/instability for a beginner. In addition, it's always good to have a back up board in case my go to board needs a repair.

I made a switch to a hard longboard after 4 months of weekly sessions. The longboard paddles better and pearls less. Even when the nose goes underwater, I can shift my weight and the nose pops right out. Not so with my wavestorm. With all that buoyancy it was harder for me to control it or to hold onto it during wipeouts. It could be that the wavestorm was soaking up at least 2-3 cups of water each session (and slowly drained out over the course of 2-3 days after each session.) I do say that I was growing to appreciate the wavestorm toward the end of the 4 month period so I was a little unsure of my decision when I first took out my longboard. But before I was out back I was totally sold and I haven't look back. Well, not to the point that I'd chuck the good ol' wavestorm in a heartbeat. Every now and then I'm tempted to take it out with a pink single fin. I wonder the booties would grip the deck enough???

[Zealex]

I was able to get my feet wet yesterday, surfed for about 5 hours!

I took the advice, paddled faster and once the board dipped, did my pop up and then instantaneously shifted my front foot higher up the board and my back foot off the traction pad moreso to the middle. Not only did I go faster, but longer as well and was able to turn and zig zag. Lots of fun.

Essentially my technique is be up on the board and paddle for dear life and catch the wave and once I feel it drop a little, pop up to and shift to the middle to reduce weight in the back and drag since my pop up is still kinda back...How's that sound? Was able to catch a ton of waves and ride 'em out...after 3 hours though I kepy pearling and losing my balance but I think i was just exhausted my paddle was weak and pop up slow.

I saw a few longboards take off sideways and surf down the side of the wave as it broke rather then straight to the beach, how could I do that?

BTW there is no lineup at my beach..basically a free for all..if you read the reviews at WannaSurf, its funny because everyone says it's disorganized. I just go further away since it's a large beach break but yesterday saw a SUP surf through like 5 people without a worry in the world...

[Big H]

I saw a few longboards take off sideways and surf down the side of the wave as it broke rather then straight to the beach, how could I do that?

So much to learn right?!? Your surfing journey is just beginning!