Surfing Waves

Have a very frustrating problem which I need advice with

Can't seem to get both feet up on the board - I always land fine with the front foot, but back leg lands with the knee and not the foot

So I go across a few waves like that, on one knee ! still fun, but...

No matter what I try I can't break the habit. Have started doing pop-ups every day now, fifty a day, hoping that will help me get out of this habit because the frustration is bumming me out

I don’t know what the problem is. Doing popups on land is fine, im up smoothly and quickly and quite fast. But on water, it seems to me that everything is moving so fast, and I don't have time to popup properly.

Also I can only seem to go RIGHT - my mind/body seizes up when I try to go left on the wave. I take off at an angle.

Final question - do any surfers popup with both stances? By this I mean, if they want to go left, goofy. If the wave breaks right, natural?

Is it worth trying to train yourself into this habit ?

Any help/info/advice would be great

Rodrigo wrote:Final question - do any surfers popup with both stances? By this I mean, if they want to go left, goofy. If the wave breaks right, natural?

A very few surf both ways round, but almost everyone surfs one or other. And most people find going forehand (ie right if you're natural) much easier. Although there's quite a few on here, including me, that prefer backhand. Go figure

As for the knee thing - its a bad habit that needs to be broken, thats all. So keep practising.

not sure how to break the habbit (never witnessed it my self) but as with the forehand n back hand thing, it's better to find what you feel most comfortable with (which foot) rather than swapping, because the leash will get in ya way n it will come naturally when you get better, and can pop up, you'll learn to turn both ways, it just takes time and practice

the leash will get in ya way

doh ! never thought of that ! of course...

many thanks for the replies

welcome any more about the knee-thing, becuase im going mad trying to break out of it

Rodrigo wrote:
welcome any more about the knee-thing, becuase im going mad trying to break out of it

I had the same problem. It seemed that the more I thought about it the more I would get to one knee when practising in the water. It was weird cos my legs wouldnt do what my brain told them to do!!

Practice your pop ups lots and lots at home, its easier to practise there as you dont have the dristractions of a moving surfboard, waves, other water users etc.
It obviously is very different to popping up in the water but keep practicing until its your body's reflex to get to your feet first time. I didnt practise enough so still struggle a bit, but I no longer to get to my knees and dont have to think about what Im doing so much.

I had the same problem. It seemed that the more I thought about it the more I would get to one knee when practising in the water. It was weird cos my legs wouldnt do what my brain told them to do!!

thanks for that, this is exactly how i feel - my body is disobeying my brain ! you really hit the nail on the head

reassuring to hear someone has or had same problem

many thanks again

any more tips out there to help me out ?

Rodrigo wrote:Have a very frustrating problem which I need advice with

Can't seem to get both feet up on the board - I always land fine with the front foot, but back leg lands with the knee and not the foot

So I go across a few waves like that, on one knee ! still fun, but...

No matter what I try I can't break the habit. Have started doing pop-ups every day now, fifty a day, hoping that will help me get out of this habit because the frustration is bumming me out

I've seen guys with this same problems several times. Doing pop-ups on land is easy compared to popping up on a board. The problem is your brain short circuits the pop-up move because it feels the situation isn't stable enough to pop-up.

The best advise I can give you is take a bigger (longer) board. It will be much easier to do your pop-up and you shouldn't have the dragging knee problem. Once you get your confidence back start surfing your shorter board again. Good luck.

I just thought of a thing you can try at home if you have someone living with you. Do pop ups on command from another person. Have them very the pop up command in different time intervals any where from 5 seconds to an minute. That way you have no idea when your going to need to pop up and it may become more instinctive without you thinking about it. Lay on the floor in the same position you would be as if you are paddling for a wave (head up back arched). Instead of a sound have then put their thumb up that way you have to have your head up to watch for the thumbs up. I hope it makes sense.

I had the same problem when I started. I had to just drill into my head "NO KNEES" even when I was out of the water. It will come to you. As far as which way you take off on a wave, it will come to you as you practice.

I have the same problem, only at the end of a session. I`m so nackered i can`t lift my legs anymore, i just flop back onto my chest. Time to get out.

Rodrigo wrote:reassuring to hear someone has or had same problem

LOADS of people have/had the same problem! I think my worst habit when I was learn to pop up was I would bring my front leg up on the outside of my arms rather than inbetween to try and swing it round to try and compensate the fact I couldnt do it properly. Ive seen people doing it at Puts when they're trying to learn. I didnt even realise I was doing it until a surf instructor pointed it out to me - i kept losing balance and falling of sideways.

When you're practising on your floor at home mark the floor with some tape in a x shape. Lay with the bottom of your rib cage on that x (I think your hands should be parallel to this too) and then when you pop up, try and get your front foot up to that x. This is what I have been told, I still cant manage it and now its the fact that I cant get my front foot far enough foreward that is keeping me back.

Practice, practice, practise! Good luck!!

oh and check this out:
https://surfing-waves.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7465

Another idea, for what it's worth:

Focus your attention more on the foot that's not making it up. You know the front foot will make it. So concentrate only on getting the other foot planted.

Use this as a mental focus training as you do what ever land pop-up practice you do. Also, don't do your land practice as a "mechanical exercise." Instead, visualize as realistically in your mind as you can that you are catching a wave. Feel it in your mind, sun, wind, salt and sound, and then do the pop-up "at the right time" with the focus on planting the other foot. Imagine you've paddled back out. Visualize catching another wave with the same focus.

Then, as you are catching a real wave, focus your mind as much as you can on the same thing--planting the other foot. Even if you wipe out because you "forgot something else," you are training your other foot to get where it needs to be. Maybe let the things that are working just happen on their own.

I had the same thing with my back nee on the board, when i moved down to a 6'6.Im not sure how to explain this but i'll have a go and hope it makes sense,
One of the dudes from SSW helped me cure it like this....

First marke a cardboard cutout of your board, I drew on my tailpad and where my front foot needed to be.

1)lie with your hands flat on the board at the bottom of your rib cage, not chest (& not grabbing the rails)

2)with your toes OFF the ground, slide your back foot (instep/heel part) up your front foot leg,to the calf area, which forces your back knee to bend out away from the deck. This also starts to pre twists your hips into the right direction as you pop.

3)pop up as normal. the back leg kinda slips down onto board in the right place anywaythe leg slide happens a milli second before your pop, so its not a thing to itemise step 1,2,3 etc, just do it at the time you push your chest up, it just pushes the knee out and up leaving your pop to concentrate on the front leg more?? Now i've read it, sounds like double duch, its easy to show someone how. Its so simple and after practising for a week i went out and was cured!! although i dont think i deliberately do it now?? but thats cos its become natural and i never think about the pop? Hope that hasnt confused you lol, just trying to help

^^ that guy mentioned what i was gonna say, but make sure to try this:

when your going to pop up, think about where your hands are. if they are further up the board, then it is going to require you to drag yourself up, which may be how your ending up on your knee. if you have both your hands placed further back by your ribcage, it will pop you right up into a standing postion, and you will be less likely to go to a knee. hope this helps.

Keep practicing, the muscle memory will take care of you before long. Then when you put your knee first, it will ruin your ride and you'll know why you're not supposed to do that!

When you do it naturally on your board, when you can take off without thinking about it, you'll have arrived.

thanks guys for all your excellent replies

lot of good tips in there, i will try them out this weekend