Mortified to my surfing PLEASE HELP!!!

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Mortified to my surfing PLEASE HELP!!!

Postby idkanymore » Tue Jan 03, 2023 8:49 am

I’ve surfing for about 9 month and weight around 105 pounds. I recently checked a video of myself surfing and is mortified to see my stance and pumps as people surfing for the same time as me always do better. Please help any suggestion is vitally needed!!

Video link: https://streamable.com/tqv4vh
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Re: Mortified to my surfing PLEASE HELP!!!

Postby oldmansurfer » Tue Jan 03, 2023 9:13 pm

My suggestion is to put in more time surfing. You seem to be doing okay. To get better you need to surf more in my opinion. The only way to do it faster is to surf more hours a week. Otherwise it will just take time. For much of the issues of surfing it requires more hours in the ocean although I guess it would be quicker if there were more hours doing something specific. In that case work on your bottom turns and work on taking off deeper.
So what is worse.... dying or regretting it for the rest of my life? Obviously I chose not regretting it.
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Re: Mortified to my surfing PLEASE HELP!!!

Postby PipeDreams » Tue Jan 03, 2023 10:12 pm

Honestly man, there is always gonna be someone better, you will always find something bad about your surfing, but just have fun! That is pretty damn impressive to be able to ride a wave like that in 9 months, whoever you are comparing yourself to you need to blank out and focus on your own surfing. Give yourself time and be patient with your improvement, think positively about your surfing and take it slow. This is the mistake I made too, but surfing is about having fun, and the only reason to improve is to have more fun surfing. Don't get caught up comparing yourself to pros or even better surfers at your local because you will never realise how much you have already improved. Slow down man and give yourself some breathing space, have fun out there. Wish someone had told me that earlier in my progression. But in terms of improvement the pumping is because you are going from side to side, you need to try and jump up the wave and then fall back down the wave. As OMS said surfing is the only way to surf better, so get out there!
When the wave breaks here, don’t be here. Or you’re gonna get drilled…
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Re: Mortified to my surfing PLEASE HELP!!!

Postby waikikikichan » Wed Jan 04, 2023 1:06 pm

As best as I can tell from the video,

On the first off the lip / turn down, it seems you are just using your back hand/arm for balance, recovery and to not fall off. It should be used for drive and to twist the body away from the face.

On your attempted pumps, Yes you are moving your hands/arms, but they're not done purposefully. They're just being swung back and forth. You need to listen to the wave. You need to be timed to its rhythm.

idkanymore wrote: Please help any suggestion is vitally needed!!

You need to slow down. You need to learn how to trim. You need to learn to set your rail and release your edge. You need to learn how to roll from inside rail to flat bottom to outside rail and back. And these all are very hard to learn if you went too short too fast.
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Re: Mortified to my surfing PLEASE HELP!!!

Postby waikikikichan » Wed Jan 04, 2023 1:09 pm


Watch how this rider uses his back arm to create drive and to assist the torso/upper body to twist in and out of the turns.
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