I have three short 15 second videos. Made at the end of last summer, before winter swell kicked in. Probably pretty much the best day I've had.
Before you watch, I am standing on the ground here, instead of sitting on the board. Still trying to sit on the board, I have torn something in my hip (labral tear) due to stretching a year and a half ago and I couldn't even walk for a minute without excruciating pain.I am still a bit afraid to sit on my board due to this, but I will get to it.
All feedback is appreciated. I noticed, not so much on the video I think, that I look at my board instead of further away and where I am going. I also have the feeling I popup quite slow. And the last few weeks I've been reading about that I have to hold my chest higher, have to keep my head from moving to the sides, paddle as if I am reaching over something (elbows high) and not standing up straight completely right after the popup.
The waves are also super small. I feel comfortable with it though and when there is a day like those in the video's I am catching so many. I can actually focus on what I am doing and that's probably the only time when I think "Hey I did <this>, maybe I should try <that>". That's because I know I catch the wave most of the time anyway so I can focus on the other things.
jaffa1949 wrote:Time to change a few simple things for a start.
Watch the surf, (btw which Perth Beach?)
If people are riding successfully then everything that is stopping you is in you!
Do angled take offs, get a friend to video you. Forget the front mounted GoPro video , you will just look like you are having an epileptic fit in a shower.
Get a BIGGER BOARD, go out more often , take some surf lessons. Head south, to better WA surf areas, Cottesloe is not that great.
About the fireball, is it heavy? Then yes the board maybe waterlogged, but it sounds like you only used it once.
You are such a beginner your judgement on boards, what you need to do and your fears are unrealistic. So maybe the fireball would be helpful!
Get some lessons!
I had a few lessons at Mullaloo beach and Clayton's (near Mindarie). I usually surf at Scarborough. I have a hard time catching the waves at cottesloe and it is crowded as... Whenever possible I go to wedge island. but that only happened 2 or 3 times as it is quite a drive.
Maybe I should take a few lessons again indeed...hmm is the scarborough learntosurf school any good?
Yeah the fireball is quite heavy. It has so many (big) repairs and it seems that maybe even part of the middle has a crack (but not completely snapped).
My fears come from, well when I started and hitting the ground quite hard in the passed. Especially on mullaloo waves break in quite shallow water.
Beginner77 wrote:Definitely don't give up if you enjoy it. Fun is what it's all about.
In terms of progression, you may find that lessons or a week's surf camp would help. It's easy to get stuck in a rut just doing the same things all the time - it's happened to me with windsurfing in the last couple of years. That said, I enjoy it so I'm happy.
Yeah it's true I still enjoy it a lot. But I know myself, I do want to progress. And sometimes it feels like taking 10 steps backwards before moving forwards again. It may have to do with trying to surf on a beach where waves become to big when the swell is bigger. I guess I have to stick to smaller waves
Surf camp may be good indeed. I'll consider it next to individual local lessons.
waikikikichan wrote:It not a matter of looking, but when you start to understand. You don't know what you're doing or if it's right, so you get someone who DOES KNOW, to help you. So you've been surfing for 3 years and never once took a lesson when you first started ? How did you learn ? Youtube videos ?
I've had about 7 or 8 lessons in the beginning
But that was mainly the "push me so I can finally catch a wave"-phase.
steveylang wrote:Well, it's not that you can't surf but you are uncomfortable with bigger, steeper waves, so you have that base to work with.
Do you glance back when you paddle into a wave? That helps me a lot with pop-up timing, you can see as the wave is about to reach you and can pop-up with better anticipation, rather than wait to feel the wave, then set your hands and begin popping up (and sometimes pearling.)
Also, just try to keep in mind that your fear of pearling or wiping out on the bigger waves, may be exactly what is causing you to pearl or wipe out on those waves. I am guessing your timing is just a bit off, your movements just a little more hesitant, such that you end up pearling or getting crashed up when normally you'd already be up and going down the line on a smaller wave. So just see if on the bigger waves you can commit a little harder each time, even knowing there is a chance of eating it- I think that will increase your success rate and lessen your fear, and at one point it will become a virtuous cycle, right now it sounds like a negative cycle.
I am experiencing the same thing as I just transitioned to a hard board from a big-volume softie, and when I hold back I either miss waves or lose balance and fall. I think the faster speed and looser feel of the board initially made my body want to hold back a little. But when I started committing more, I've been doing much better. I mean you're not going to wipe out any softer by holding back anyways, right?
Where this aspect of surfing clicked for me was an experience I had skateboarding a few years ago. I'm not a experienced skateboarder at all, but went to a friend's who set up a quarter pipe, probably about 1 meter tall (but feels bigger when you're on it!) The advice I got was that you can make the drop, if you fully commit and put your front foot and weight down- it feels unnatural at first but you can then stick the landing. But if you sorta drop but sorta try to keep your weight back (which is your body's natural reaction) to make the drop 'softer', you're basically going to fall every time.
So when I got my new board (7' hybrid), I was able to put 2 and 2 together, and now feel like I'm well on my way with the board.
Oh yeah I can definitely see your point that holding myself back for the fear of "failing" actually makes me fail. I have to get through that mental roadblock. I am probably going for waves that are above my skill/comfi level.
I still like it and try to go 3 times a week now, consistently for the next few months it's just demotivating sometimes hearing about people learning to surf in a few weeks on holiday.
