Surfing Waves

I stumbled on a Inertia Article regarding the Popup up.

http://www.theinertia.com/surf/tips-for-beginners-the-correct-way-to-practice-that-imaginary-pop-up/


And this raised a few questions for me

- Doesn't he get very high very soon?
- he looks down a long time but compensates with a stronger push from the Arms ( I remember WKK often recommends the latter). This seems easier on the back and neck, but still a bit straneg
- he stands very frontal, I would expect the lower body to be more rotated?

What is your view on this Article and Video?

All these well meant instructional video's were the surfer jumps up from a static and stable place to show what happens during takeoff miss the crucial dynamics that happen in the wave. For that reason I take these video's not 'literal', but rather as a rough guide of bodily motion.
These real dynamics depent on where you get in the wave. For a longboard getting in early the dynamics are much less (closer to a static and stable surface) then a shortboard making a late drop.
The shortboard has this falling down, pivoting, moment were the nose drops down. If you coordinate your popup movement with this push from the wave your body has to use much less energy to bring the lower body up and forward, the energy is provided by the wave.
Good surfers do this all the time and make it ll look ridiculously easy. For me personally I've got this notion of the popup 'just happening' or not. I suspect this has everything to do with the shape of the wave, and my (sometimes lack of) timing and positioning.
Even if you put in a lot of effort to 'dry practise' your popup, it's this reading of the wave that counts the most.

Even if you put in a lot of effort to 'dry practise' your popup, it's this reading of the wave that counts the most.

Good points. For me it is both reading and feeling the wave. If you are positioned well, this can be such a fluid and easy move. But as a landlocked surfer with weeks or even months without surfing, getting that feeling back takes time, so I want to prepare as well as I can in my time off. (Looking at a session tomorrow at 8° air and 11° water temperature... )

Do any of you use your toes to launch (like this video)? Is that recommended for longboard take offs?

If you can't popup it doesn't matter if you can read the wave and vice versa. Outwardly it seems like surfing is all about riding waves but riding waves is the sum total of a bunch of ancillary skills needed to get and stay there. Lately I have been surfing with lots of backwash and have been learning to time the popup with the backwash. If you time it right backwash can make it easier to popup but a little off and you land on the side of the board and can't do anything but turn in that direction or fall down. I love surfing. No matter how long you have been doing it there is always more to learn

JJGreenberg wrote:Do any of you use your toes to launch (like this video)? Is that recommended for longboard take offs?

If the board is long enough to use your toes then it’s fine. Not ‘perfect’ but if it achieves the end result then it’s effective. Of course two problems - if you go shorter then you can’t do it and may have issues adjusting. Secondly if you actually push off your toes and you haven’t waxed right to the tail of your board then...

Still my favorite pop up video.

No toes for me, not even on my 10’4”.

This is from our own surfing waves tutorial section.

https://surfing-waves.com/morepopup.htm

oldmansurfer wrote:I love surfing. No matter how long you have been doing it there is always more to learn

The learning coupled with the mistakes that happen in the water keeps me thinking about surfing and willing to absorb each and every little info about it just trying to understand it.
I write a post surf report every time and often can't remember what exactly happened, I think that's adrenaline messing with my already memory challenged brain.

Big H wrote:https://youtu.be/pti202SiePs

Still my favorite pop up video.

Looks like he is saying to use a rapid raising of the chest to start the popup in order to get your hands further back? I think I do this a little not sure but I do rapidly flex my back initially. He has the wrong foot forward too. I don't see why so many people don't know you are supposed to have your left foot forward

Yeah, I think you’re right. I do the same thing, arching hard without hands first. I think he’s saying to do it when the wave steepens....anyhow that’s what I do. Notice his hands aren’t really that far back as well as the amount of weight he puts on his shoulders after arching and putting hands down but BEFORE popping.

Big H wrote:This is from our own surfing waves tutorial section.

https://surfing-waves.com/morepopup.htm

The nice thing in this video is how a very fast popup goes instantly into speed generating moves. The moment his back foot lands the first turn is initiated. This is what you need to make fast waves.

Oldie wrote:

so I want to prepare as well as I can in my time off. (Looking at a session tomorrow at 8° air and 11° water temperature... )

If you really want to practice dry popups to get the feeling of a real wave, then I'd recommend trying your popups on some kind of incline like a steep driveway or a grassy hill.

Tudeo wrote:

Big H wrote:This is from our own surfing waves tutorial section.

https://surfing-waves.com/morepopup.htm

The nice thing in this video is how a very fast popup goes instantly into speed generating moves. The moment his back foot lands the first turn is initiated. This is what you need to make fast waves.

The admins chose well.....it is my favorite image of a pop up for the same reasons as well as the neck stretch down the line just prior to getting up.

Big H wrote:

Tudeo wrote:

Big H wrote:This is from our own surfing waves tutorial section.

https://surfing-waves.com/morepopup.htm

The nice thing in this video is how a very fast popup goes instantly into speed generating moves. The moment his back foot lands the first turn is initiated. This is what you need to make fast waves.

The admins chose well.....it is my favorite image of a pop up for the same reasons as well as the neck stretch down the line just prior to getting up.

The problem I had when learning to get to my feet (as an older beginner) was how the heck to get my feet below me and in position quickly. The video in the OP shows launching off the toes, so that would not have helped me, and the forum's video doesnt address that either.

I think some older learners come to the conclusion that a fast pop up is only acheivable by young people or by people who have surfed their whole lives - which is simply not true.

I struggled like crazy until I made a few tiny adjustments, and bang.

I agree that looking down the line, a few extra paddles, head up, etc are all important, but if you cant get up, then it doesnt matter. You can look down the line at the wave you had no hope in catching. Those are things that one can consciously pick up, but the motion of popping up itself is a muscle memory move that requires some mechanics unless you learned it as a limber kid.

I didnt spend a lot of time learning with tutorials, and when I did resort to them, I found most to do more harm than good (launching off toes, chicken wing, or showing a correct pop but not explaining any mechanics. Saying "slide your feet under" means nothing on a waxed board. Legs dont slide on a board.

Very few talked about the push of the wave having anything to do with it either. Thats super important. I started thinking surfers didnt want people to learn to avoid kooks in the lineup.

Tudeo wrote:All these well meant instructional video's were the surfer jumps up from a static . . .

I'm not trying to be the grammar and usage police because I know my posts are littered with mistakes. (Feel free to let me know if you see a mistake that needs special attention.) When I see one mistake frequently, I want to tell the author because I would want to know if I were making a particular mistake. Anyway Tudeo, I notice that you keep using "were" when you should be using "where" for that particular subordinate/coordinate conjunction (I think it's one of those) where "where" is needed and not "were" (past tense verb). Okay, I had to get that one off my chest. It's no big deal, but I thought you might want to know.

Rinky, you sound like a lawyer 'value adding' to commercial documents... (sorry, lawyer joke there)

the biggest thing for my pop up was moving my hands down. They are really low, like belly button level. I'm old but hit the gym and stuff and have no problems doing push ups or strength related stuff or burpees etc. But moving the hands down made the pop up so much easier

dtc wrote:Rinky, you sound like a lawyer 'value adding' to commercial documents... (sorry, lawyer joke there)

I looked at the cost benefit analysis and determined there was a mini mal value to add. <-- Good lord, that's an awful pun.

RinkyDink wrote:Anyway Tudeo, I notice that you keep using "were" when you should be using "where" for that particular subordinate/coordinate conjunction (I think it's one of those) where "where" is needed and not "were" (past tense verb).

Ah, you're right I was just juggling them around on good luck. I think I've got it now.
Let me try: Yesterday the waves were great at the spot where I decided to surf. Right? Thanks!