Surfing Waves

Every time and take off on a wave I remind myself to do a proper cross-step technique but when time comes to trim the board I always shuffle. It looks like I've got a bad reflex which now I need to get rid off.

What exercises do you recommend on land to get proper technique in your blood? I know what I need to do, the problem is to actually do it on a wave especially on a critical part of the wave when it's time to start walking.

Same problem with going backwards as well.

I pulled the fins off my longboard and practiced on land using WKKKChan’s blog. Investing time to build muscle memory helped me with cross stepping and my popup. It may take a while to build the skill but you’ll be stoked when it works in the water!

http://alohaki.jugem.jp/?eid=527
http://alohaki.jugem.jp/?day=20130823

Here are resources from earlier discussions.

https://surfing-waves.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2281
https://surfing-waves.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31900

KitesurferAU wrote: I know what I need to do

Could you explain in detail the "Do" of what you "know" to do. There might be something you're missing.
Questions:
1) WHY are you needing to walk forward ?
2) WHEN you first think to move forward, WHAT is your first movement and HOW ?

waikikikichan wrote:

KitesurferAU wrote: I know what I need to do

Could you explain in detail the "Do" of what you "know" to do. There might be something you're missing.
Questions:
1) WHY are you needing to walk forward ?
2) WHEN you first think to move forward, WHAT is your first movement and HOW ?

1) I'm doing my bottom turn and stalling my board and I can feel that I need to move my weight forward otherwise wave will pass under me.
2) I put all my weight on my front foot so I can take my back leg of the board but instead of putting it in front of my front foot I'm ending up putting just close to me front foot and when I step with my front foot forward to maintain my wide feet position.

1) a Bottom Turn in essence IS a stall, so be careful not too add to much braking action. As you come out of the bottom, your nose already is pointed up. It’s the timing for when to create the foam pillow to lay the board back down on AND the patience to wait for the lock on the tail before you step.
2) How are your feet/toes pointed ? If they’re both pointed to the rail, your knees will bump and prevent the cross. On land, you should practice L and T ( for regular footers ) steps.

waikikikichan wrote:1) a Bottom Turn in essence IS a stall, so be careful not too add to much braking action. As you come out of the bottom, your nose already is pointed up. It’s the timing for when to create the foam pillow to lay the board back down on AND the patience to wait for the lock on the tail before you step.
2) How are your feet/toes pointed ? If they’re both pointed to the rail, your knees will bump and prevent the cross. On land, you should practice L and T ( for regular footers ) steps.

1) Tail lock - I have to feel it, right? I'm trying to start walking when I feel the push of the wave after my bottom turn, sometimes I need to point the nose of my board back to 45 degrees angle. I mostly struggle with fat waves when I don't have a good wall. I have to engage the whole rail of my board to get the speed, but I have a feeling that my tail is not properly under the lip, so I bury the nose.

2) As you taught on your website - back leg 9 o'clock, front leg - 10:30. I have a feeling that my initial stance is wide and I put my back leg over the front, it's too much pressure in front and I bury the nose. Should I first put the front leg closer to back foot so it would be easier to do the first cross step?

KitesurferAU wrote:1) Tail lock - I have to feel it, right? I'm trying to start walking when I feel the push of the wave after my bottom turn, sometimes I need to point the nose of my board back to 45 degrees angle. I mostly struggle with fat waves when I don't have a good wall. I have to engage the whole rail of my board to get the speed, but I have a feeling that my tail is not properly under the lip, so I bury the nose.

No, you need to set you Rail / Trim line before stepping. If you feel you're getting shoved by the wave, you're timing or positioning is off. But most of this is experience, trial and error. ( and that's not what your post was asking help for anyways )

KitesurferAU wrote:2) As you taught on your website - back leg 9 o'clock, front leg - 10:30. I have a feeling that my initial stance is wide and I put my back leg over the front, it's too much pressure in front and I bury the nose. Should I first put the front leg closer to back foot so it would be easier to do the first cross step?

As a Goofy footer, practice on a parking block doing reverse L's and T's. Pick up and place down the foot, each time touching the front of the toe or arch of the foot. Walk back and forth, front 1-2 back 2-1 , front 1-2-3 back 3-2-1 and so on.

As for the pressure all on your front foot and trying to pick up the back, that's opposite. Put so much pressure on the back foot, that the front foot comes up, then as the transfer of weight forward happens, it pull the back leg over. Visualize a pitcher throw from all his weight on the front foot without lifting it up first. Or if you know JUDO, you walk your opponent to the side to get him off balance, and when he recovers back the other way, then you flip him as his momentum goes that way.

BoMan wrote:I pulled the fins off my longboard and practiced on land using WKKKChan’s blog. Investing time to build muscle memory helped me with cross stepping and my popup. It may take a while to build the skill but you’ll be stoked when it works in the water!

My cross stepping needs a lot of work. I'm taking your advice and throwing my foamie on the floor for some cross stepping practice.

get a longboard skateboard and practice cross stepping while in motion / carving

pmcaero wrote:get a longboard skateboard and practice cross stepping while in motion / carving

You must have way better balance than me, and the trucks aren't as loose. I find it very, very difficult on the skateboard, and I'm leery of making iffy movement on it since the consequence is a lot bigger on the pavement

waikikikichan wrote:

KitesurferAU wrote:1) Tail lock - I have to feel it, right? I'm trying to start walking when I feel the push of the wave after my bottom turn, sometimes I need to point the nose of my board back to 45 degrees angle. I mostly struggle with fat waves when I don't have a good wall. I have to engage the whole rail of my board to get the speed, but I have a feeling that my tail is not properly under the lip, so I bury the nose.

No, you need to set you Rail / Trim line before stepping. If you feel you're getting shoved by the wave, you're timing or positioning is off. But most of this is experience, trial and error. ( and that's not what your post was asking help for anyways )

WKKKchan, would you care to expand on this?

A long winded explanation: The essence of surfing is TRIM. You need to be going across the wave's face to trim. The rail needs to be set properly to trim ( which includes weight, pressure, positioning, angle, speed etc. )
TRIM leads to:
1) good noserides as it creates a stable platform
2) good turns as you break trim to fall up or down the wave
3) good speed as you stay in the power of the curl
4) good tube rides

So to explain why I said if you feel you're getting shoved by the wave, you are then too close to the curl or too rushed in your movements. You need to be in the right place and the right moment. It is not as simple as bottom turn, point the nose up, then lay the nose down and walk forward.

Watch Brad Domke bottom turn, rise up and set his rail, stall and reset for trim.


You do the same thing to set up a noseride.

at :19 mark, after coming around the curl and coming up from my bottom turn, I wait for the right moment to step forward after I feel the tail lock.

saltydog wrote:

pmcaero wrote:get a longboard skateboard and practice cross stepping while in motion / carving

You must have way better balance than me, and the trucks aren't as loose. I find it very, very difficult on the skateboard, and I'm leery of making iffy movement on it since the consequence is a lot bigger on the pavement

maybe you just need the right board