Surfing Waves

Hi everyone. I've been working on popping up without using my toes, transitioning to better form for a shorter board. I've watched a ton of youtube videos and have been practicing for a few weeks. I feel like I am still having trouble creating space between my body and the board. Take a look at the video, I'd appreciate any tips.

Overall looks "okay", but you need to work on:

1) Not looking down. Pick an object across the room and never take your gaze off of it until you are standing.



2) Just letting your fingers come off the deck. You need to explode off the deck. Shove the deck away from you to force your torso up and back.



But look okay, I like how you get your back foot flat.

yeh, looks fine to me. Hands are nice and low to the body (you could perhaps go down an inch or so if you wanted, but not necessary). I think wkk point of looking up will probably fix most of your concerns - the head is a heavy thing, if you have it up and centred its much easier than having it low and stuck out in front of the 'balance line'

Having said that - when you are popping up, on the initial arm push dont think of it as being to lift your shoulders. Its to lift your hips - so you need to brace your core. As your shoulders are pushed up your hips are being pushed up at the same time (ie its not 'shoulders then hips' its 'shoulders and hips'). Its like a push up - both move at the same time; rather than a cobra pose that then moves into a downward dog movement (if you know your yoga positions and, no, the analogy isnt quite correct).

So at the moment wkk has in his first pic, the hips should already be just a little higher. So in addition to looking up, brace your core as you push and see how that feels. Maybe it will make no difference or feel wrong, in which case ignore me!

Thanks everyone. I'll be back in two weeks!

I'd say your hands are too high up the board when you are in the push up position. Try moving them down more towards your waist.

Thanks for the tips all. Here's what helped me right away:
Lifting the head - easy modification, huge impact on rise up
Hands lower down - I was surprised at what a large effect hand placement had on the fee;
Bracing the core - I am trying to move to one motion throughout my entire core, rather than separating upper and lower body
Exploding off the deck - Still working on upper body strength (small build), but pushing off the deck rather than simply lifting my shoulders makes a difference.
https://youtu.be/ITZ9XrmCPwM

Well that looks very good now. Fast and stable.

Next step is focus on the arms after you stand up (you don’t want them hanging straight down...) Front elbow up etc (check out wkk’s blog http://alohaki.jugem.jp/ (it’s better not on a mobile device)

The video cut off your feet. I don’t think you’ll get that big of a wind up with you feet. Remember ( on a short board ) you’re going to be doing some flutter kicks before popping up.

How is it working in the water?

I notice (in the second video) that you first flick your lower legs downward, I guess to help your upper body "explode" off the board.

Can anybody comment if this the "legit" way to go about it? I'll have to try it at least.

I just learned a shortboard-style pop up myself, but it's a little different. I simply push myself up like a "cobra" pose (yoga). Because my back is arched like a bow under tension, straightening it "springs" my lower body off the board and makes room for my legs to pull through. I also flick my lower legs, but the movement is upward rather than down and at the same time I spring my back. This seems to throw my legs even higher and forward (and keeps my feet from hitting the board prematurely).

I'll have to post a video tomorrow when I have time.

If your pop up works, it works. It’s like a golf swing - it can look ugly and be effective or it can look beautiful and get nowhere. If it’s fast and stable and consistently puts your feet where they need to be - that’s all you need.

XiloRider wrote:I notice (in the second video) that you first flick your lower legs downward, I guess to help your upper body "explode" off the board.

Can anybody comment if this the "legit" way to go about it? I'll have to try it at least.

Yes. I certainly do this in a subconcious sort of way. Popping up is like a body-pop. You need to create space under your lower body too. If you just use your arms alone then all you'll do is some kind of useless push up which won't lift your lower body off the deck. Having said that, on a steep take off you can almost just use your arms to push the board away from yourself and just 'fall' into the gap with your feet.

XiloRider wrote:I notice (in the second video) that you first flick your lower legs downward, I guess to help your upper body "explode" off the board

When I try to popup with static legs my body feels locked to the ground. A little motion in the lower body engages my core and starts the motion. I'll experiment with the flick up vs flick down. I'll also see if I can do without so that my legs are available for kicking.

LostAtSea wrote:How is it working in the water?

Beaches in New Hampshire opening today! Swell is another matter.