Surfing Waves

One of my prime frustrations with the typical onshore mush we get in Pacifica is losing all a wave's oomph when I've barely gotten going. So I've been spending the last few minutes looking around for vids on how to maintain speed. There are quite a few but one of the more interesting ones is by Holly Beck, who shows that even when the waves are complete crap, there are ways of enjoying being on a board . . .



I'm 59 years old and am now tempted to go out and get my first skateboard. (Whatever I can do to embarrass my 21-year-old son.)

Well it's kind of funny because the surfer they show supposedly pumping for speed is just doing turns not for speed (but maybe just to keep moving.) At least I would never call those speed turns. They don't even generate speed down the line but maybe make the board move faster while not moving down the line much. What you need most for speed or anything else is a good bottom turn. Then it is about using gravity to generate forward motion with the incline plane of your surfboard. To maximize the speed you need to maximize the use of every part of your body but if you are riding waves like those in the video speed isn't needed just motion. I find in fast waves it is just about making that bottom turn so first being in the right place on the wave where you are going to get a quick steep drop and then paddling hard enough to get into the wave and make a bottom turn before the wave passes you by and then making a fast hard bottom turn that projects forward and back up the wave then you are set up to make speed turns on a fast wave.

RobSF wrote:I'm 59 years old and am now tempted to go out and get my first skateboard.

Make sure not to get just "any" skateboard. The one Holly is using is equipped with the Gullwing Sidewinder "double" truck. She explains at 1:35 mark. I own those and they are great for big open carves. One draw back is it makes the center of gravity up real high ( draw back of a truck on a truck ), which makes it a bit scary for beginner skaters. Also because it can turn /lean so much, you can get "wheel bite", so some wide decks/ noses might not work.

For me and my students, the best I've found for pumping for speed and turning practice ( especially if you don't have a large slopey parking lot area like in the video ) is a Carver skateboard.
Here's a good instructional video:


Using a regular street/park/trick skateboard, you'll have to tap or "tick tac", which is kind of like doing the "Huntington Hop" she was alluding to.

Actually, 18 hours later, my senses have come back to me. I watch that video, and all I see is the falls I've taken in the water, and the scrapes and bruises and breaks I didn't get because it was _water_.

If I were 14, or maybe even 24, I might think differently.

Well you could make your son really embarrassed by getting all the gear (helmet, elbow and knee pads, gloves and wrist guards). I started skateboarding again after not skateboarding for about 20 years when I was about 40 years old. I didn't injure myself but saw the potential for it and quit while I was ahead.

oldmansurfer wrote:Well you could make your son really embarrassed by getting all the gear (helmet, elbow and knee pads, gloves and wrist guards). I started skateboarding again after not skateboarding for about 20 years when I was about 40 years old. I didn't injure myself but saw the potential for it and quit while I was ahead.

I bought a Carver and took it out. It was a fun, but then I had a face plant and was out for a month. I'm sticking to surfing because wipeouts in water are much preferable to slapping down on concrete. If I had the flexibility of a yogi, I might pullout the skateboard, but I've decided that surfing is all I need.

RobSF wrote:Actually, 18 hours later, my senses have come back to me. I watch that video, and all I see is the falls I've taken in the water, and the scrapes and bruises and breaks I didn't get because it was _water_.

If I were 14, or maybe even 24, I might think differently.

I'm 66 and ride a long skateboard every week. Napa is mostly flat but I used Google Maps to find spots with hills, fresh pavement, wide streets and light traffic. With a helmet, elbow pads and gloves, I slalom down the slope and never go faster than I can run. Before the speed gets out of control I turn uphill, slow down and carve a turn to continue the ride. The downsides are rocks, street reflectors, and parents of my students who recognize me behind my gear! Skating is FUN and helps my surfing. I get a lot of practice keeping the angle of my body in sync with the angle of the board during turns.

There may be a safe spot or two in Golden Gate Park.

maybe I'm imagining things, but I feel like I can generate a bit of speed by pumping my Penny cruiser clone...

If you do the right thing on a wave you can generate speed but I am really sure I could go faster straight on that wave than that surfer was doing with turns so generating speed compared to what?

pmcaero wrote:I feel like I can generate a bit of speed by pumping my Penny cruiser clone...

My Globe Bantam cruiser has oversized wheels that are "cone" shaped. Switched out the stock trucks for old-school Indy freestyle trucks with super soft Kiro bushing. Your knees almost have to be touching when riding, but it's so smooth.

I love my carver....ride it several times a week and am convinced that it has helped improve my surfing.

But to be fair, when I was a teenager, I used to skateboard for fun and for transportation....I might not be so keen now at my age (46) if I hadn't ridden so much when I was younger.....my brother in law who is very athletic asked to try the board....he had never ridden a skate board he said.....he put one foot on the board and the next thing he was flat on his back, literally a blink on an eye.....he laid there a few moments and said as I stood over him that he didn't want to try again. Not easy to learn at an older age I think.

waikikikichan wrote:My Globe Bantam cruiser has oversized wheels that are "cone" shaped.

sweet board!

notice that they do it on longboards rather than "surf" skateboards....maybe the Carver style boards are too easy to turn and don't translate that well towards surfing?

pmcaero wrote:notice that they do it on longboards rather than "surf" skateboards....maybe the Carver style boards are too easy to turn and don't translate that well towards surfing?

I guess you mean about what the girls were riding in the video. But i can tell you that riding a Carver is the closest thing for surfing on land. "Freebord" is the closest thing to snowboarding on land.

waikikikichan wrote: But i can tell you that riding a Carver is the closest thing for surfing on land. "Freebord" is the closest thing to snowboarding on land.

I've heard contradictory reports on the Freebord. I've been thinking of making my own if I find an old longboard at a garage sale, as I have a Ripstik from a garage sale , which would provide the caster wheels.
But I think even longboard trucks are much narrower than the Freebord's.

I bought a Razor Ripsurf which is a lot of fun to play around with, and cheaper than some of these other boards. I doubt it's any kind of close match for actual surfing maneuvers, but its a good way of practicing your balance.

If you really want to take up skateboarding, then by all means get one of these skateboards. But as a little side activity to surfing, the Ripsurf is pretty fun.

pmcaero wrote:I've heard contradictory reports on the Freebord.

1) what did those contradictory reports say ?
2) have you ridden a Freebord down a road before ?

waikikikichan wrote:

pmcaero wrote:I've heard contradictory reports on the Freebord.

1) what did those contradictory reports say ?
2) have you ridden a Freebord down a road before ?

just looking it up online and people were saying it's not like a snowboard. Which makes sense because pavement is not snow

I haven't ridden one yet so can't tell if it's a good snowboard simulator. I have a Razer Ripstik and I can tell for sure that does not ride like a snowboard at all. If I found a cheap longboard with wide trucks I might consider trying to build a board like the Freebord.

Rolling at a great speed is an exciting skateboarding experience, yet you must also be careful and learn to slow down when needed.
If you want to speed off to 50 mph, you may do the tuck stance. In this stance, you bend your knees and position your thighs close to your chest. It is also used in skiing and diving. If done properly, you will surely elevate the speed of your skateboard.

Pumping is addictive once you learn how to do it. To push better on your board, you need lots of practice. Make sure to move your center of gravity on your front foot. Then rotate to the side at a 30-45 degree angle. Then push the ground and avoid the back wheels.