Surfing Waves

Hi all,

I've been wonderin this for a while - I'll put it to your expert judgement!

I was taught that, to stand up on a surfboard, you should spring to both knees first, then stand up. Using this method I can ride white water into the beach. But it seems that this method is not very useful for anything bigger and I'm eager to change it.

I keep practising popping up in my front room, at work, in public toilets, anywhere I get the opportunity! But in the water, fight as I may, my body won't let me do anything except spring to my knees. I've searched this forum and taken all your comments on board (excuse the pun) about keeping your hands by your ribs, not on the rails, etc, and it's all been put to practise.

I get in the water about 3 times a week, and I'm hoping that the more I practise 'popping-up', this will create a new memory that will overule the old knee method.

So I have 2 questions.

1. Should I stay out of the water until I am never tempted to use my knees again? Or should I stay in the water, mostly using my knees but keep on trying to get over this?

2. Can I practise popping up actually on my surfboard in my front room, rather than on the carpet? Will this wreck my board? (A new, 7"2, custom minimal)

Thank you so much..
MARTI
x

Remove the fins and your sorted for practicing in your room if its a haggerd bic but not a glassed board. but I wouldnt advide it on a hard floor. put a towel down underneath at least.

As for out in the water, the pop-up is aided as the board drops away from you down the face of the wave. If your riding the flats then you won't get the benifit of this. Get out there are ride some green!
Keep up with the exersises at home, work, public toilets!!! :O it will help your muscles strengthen.

Just make sure you've got the right technique. Google it, quie a few videos out there.

DON'T PRACTISE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM!!!!

You'll wreck the board!

Practise in your living room, but on the floor. Cut out a shape from cardboard if you think it'll help.

Keep practising in your living room.
Keep practising in the water.

If you find you're still going to your knees, practise (in your living room) popping up to your feet even if they land way too far back and then practise moving them forward, inch by inch, until you can swing them into a proper position.

Dont worry, you'll get it

Ignore me, posting nonsense again...

Aye I noticed on re-reading the orignal post after i'd posted lol :p when to edit and you'd posted too w00p!

We're still at it - went back and re-read your thread, thought I was losing it, editted my thread... maybe I am losing it

Ta very kindly.

I knew it wasn't a good idea to start bouncing up and down on a new board in my front room.

I think I'll practise on the cardboard cut-out that I will making tonight.
I'll have to sellotape a lot of cereal boxes together.

If you've got a board bag then take the board out, draw a line with a permanent marker along the length of said bag to mark where your stringer is on your board, then work out where you want your feet to be when youve finished poping up, then on this practice popping up marking a spot on the wall at eye level infront of board bag, so when you pop up you are lookin at said mark (not at your feet). If after a month you still find your gettin to your knees first, then go home and give yourself the worst carpet burn you can possibly take on your knees (this can be done in an enjoyable way....think about it) . now go back out surfing and you will soon learn that gettin to your knees=pain and hey presto- bobs your mums brother

HI Kid Wales,

Not only am I gonna be spending the rest of this evening making cardboard cut-outs of surfboards, I am gonna be defacing my board bag and drawing all over my walls.

When I decided to take up surfing I never knew what delights were waiting.

And you are also actively encouraging me to get carpet burns on my knees... Whatever do you mean, Mr Wales Kid, simply shocking.

Still, I will do as you say and will make sure my knees get very sore indeed.

And all this, just so I can stand up on a surfboard. Dear me.

MARTI
xx

also I've got no idea what my stringer is. Or where it is.

Stringer
The bit of wood that runs up through the length of your surfboard.

Its for strenghth.
In bodyboards it aids the re-flex in warmer waters.

with me, some times i still use my nees to pop up even if im surfing 5ft+ waves, youv just got to learn to do it realy quikly. most of the time i only do it when im tired after a long session tho.

ok, thank you.

also it's encouraging to know that the knee method does occasionally have its place.

I'm still gonna work hard to get rid of it, everything everyone has said has been so helpful, thanks so much by the way.

So stick around! join the randomness :p

yep, randomness suits me very well indeed. I'll raise my glass of Chardonnay to that, and drink your health PapaWala..

Marti x

Welcome to the forum!

First off, the cardboard is a great idea. I still do this, get out the cardboard, and watch TV while doing pop-up. Start off doing 15, then break a couple minutes, then up to 20, then up to 30....so on and so forth.

The more you do and the more frequently you do it, the easier it will be on the water. I've done so many fleshin' pop ups on the ground I do it without thinking on the water.

Good luck!

iomarti wrote:also it's encouraging to know that the knee method does occasionally have its place.

No it doesn't...you shouldn't do it...

Doing lots of push-ups helps too.
10x Standard push-ups
10x Knuckles
10x Hands spread out farther than usual
10x Hands closer (make a triangle with your index finger and thumbs)
then...
raise your feet up (use a chair or a large ball for added difficulty) and do it all again.

I guarantee you'll be popping-up a lot faster in a week or two!

okay...drifting you are my personal trainer!

At the very second after I click 'submit', I will do your exercises. I'll let you know how I get on....

Deep breath...

.... ...
my arms can barely write this messag now.... iv deleted so many letters from each word here as my fingers are like weights of jelly.

Tough. I had to pass on the legs elevated and repeat, but I'll definitly do them each night as well as I can. I'm only a skinny runt of a girl so it should be easy before long. If you can guarantee me popping up better in a week or so, that'll be pretty cool. Popping up at all, even.

I went out at Fistral today, about 4pm, which was really too big and fast for a beginner like myself. But I was pleased and excited by the power of the white water and although I did still pop up to my knees, I was really chuffed by how it feels like a nice quick jump. Wow I thought, popping up to your feet at speed when you're riding a fast wave must be the best feeling ever, like flying.

I cannot wait to be able to do it. I'm gonna work my *** off till I can.

MARTI
x

It could be worse, you could have to lift up 180 pounds like I do!