Where should I be looking?

[Hoolio]

I'm almost exactly a year into taking up surfing - a painful process at times but am totally hooked and making progress slowly. Have no issue catching waves now and popping up but still tend to just go where the wave takes me rather than surfing across it. Think this is probably down to two reasons - first, find it difficult to turn (9'1" McT Fireball) so moved fin forward and this is now easier. Second, I find myself just looking down at the nose of the board - I figure this may be the key, kind of 'look where you want to go and the rest will happen' - is that the case? Any tips or advice appreciated. Cheers.

[IB_Surfer]

Time for a new fin. Get a cutaway, will be more responsive and still have enough drive.

[phillwilson]

Hi there.

I am maybe a little further on in my surfing (im getting down the line most times but rather kooky still) but very much still trying to get out of this habit of looking down too.

how do you hold your arms?

I seem to be caught in a weird self-confidence problem where i am dropping my arms down and stuff kinda BECAUSE I know I DONT RIP and I think i sub consciously feel that if my arms are giving it all "mick fanning" while im actually pootling along on a 1ft wave, I will just look like a dick!!

I know that i need to get my arms up, but without some kinda input form others i dont know where to , i dont know what constitutes a good position cos one thing is for sure its that i can watch vid after vid and think i am replicaitng some of this, but on the actual wave its very differant.

[Hoolio]

Phillwilson - hadn't worked that through in my head but you're exactly right! Figure I'll look at total xxxxx in some super crouched position when I'm riding a ripple that no-one decent would even consider worth the effort - consequently suspect I stand totally upright and actually have no idea what I do with my arms; if the wettie had pockets my hands would probably be in them! So maybe my overall position is the key to turning.

[drowningbitbybit]

You need to be looking at where you want to go.

A good training tip for this is to actually point where you want to go with your leading hand (left hand if you're a natural). You'll look a bit kooky (actually you wont - noone will care) but you'll be surprised how well it works. First off, it raises your arms. And it makes you turn your body in the direction you want to go. Finally, it makes you look where your pointing.

It also helps when you want to start swinging the board about a bit as it makes you lead with your shoulders.

[codyguy]

i haven't been surfing for too long, and recently i've found that watching the wave instead of your feet or board will help dramatically. i used to awkwardly shuffle around alot, and now if i concentrate on the wave and how to react instead of staring at my feet i can walk around way more comfortably.

[IB_Surfer]

Ok, to expand on my last comment, getting a cutaway fin will allow you to adjust better than a regular fin, thus if you are headed in the wrong direction you can correct it easier than a standard long sweep fin.

So, besides trying to correct where you are looking, get a cutaway fin to correct your direction easier.

[Hoolio]

many thanks everyone for the input and advice - re. the cutaway fin, what size should I be looking at? is 1 inch for every foot of board right?

[phillwilson]

if the wettie had pockets my hands would probably be in them! So maybe my overall position is the key to turning.

Hoolio, You and I should start a new trend "casual surfing" ... you are so right, I would do the same lol. Im just about ot head out for a session and as painful as this is to admit, i have just done some pop ups in front of my bedroom mirror and tried to get my arms coming up to a stance that looks ok..i have then tried closing my eyes and letting my body "rememeber" what this stance feels like for when i cant actually see it. time will tell how useful this proves.

[garbarrage]

no one who has just had a good wave looks stupid. the last thing you should be thinking about on a wave is what people think.

some of my best surfs have been when i've just learned to do something new (snap, cut-back whatever). straight away I've felt like i'm ready for the pro tour. anyone looking probably thought what a weak snap or there's the guy who can do one move.

one thing you can be sure of tho is that if you ever do pull something even remotely cool... no one will be watching

[IB_Surfer]

I had a 8.5" on my 9ft and a 9" on my 9.5ft, so about right.

[coldhands]

You guys let people watch you surf!?

[phillwilson]

Just had a sesh yesterday,

conditions wher ebigger then expected but Im getting those arms up!!!


the extra balance it gives is also not to be underestimated..

took a 3 foot drop which is HUGE for me and my preferances... and MADE it for the first time,

bounced about all over the place on the way down, felt like i was on a jet ski.

must admit i was probably looking at my board again cos i just wanted to know where it was in relation to me!!

but having those arms up definatly in my mind, contributed to me making the drop.

[Hoolio]

congrats Phillwilson - also had a couple of good seshes today. concentrated on getting the arms up, crouching more and looking where I was going - massive difference! felt like I was going across the wave - reality probably that I was about 2 degrees off my normal straight run in! anyway - in my mind the pro tour now beckons, can't believe it has taken me all this time to look up from my board, I mean - I don't stare at my feet on the pedals when driving!researching fins now after themathteacher's advice - a whole new world of comlexity!Keep us posted on how you're going.

[phillwilson]

Thats GREAT Hoolio,

I had exactly the same thought about not looking at ur feet in a car..actually, when learning to ride a motorbike i was told never to look at the front wheel as you often begin "micro adjusting" left and right and then the speed wobbles set in and you fall !!!

as an interesting new one..from all this looking up , i seem to have speeded up (dont know why) so now im getting ahead of the breaking wave...now i gotta learn how to slooooow down , wow surfing is so complex and yet "natural"...it alll makes perfect sense once you actually tell it to your brain!!

As for fins...i have a few and I am starting to notice the differance, right now I have a thin hatchet style fin forward in the first 1/3rd of the box n my tri-fin board , this was just a rough guess but it works well , the sidebites seem to give me hold going into the turning manouvers and once im set it just holds me there .

The single fin on the other hand is a Turbo Tunnel which certainly handlys differantly, id say that despite this one being on a shorter board (9'2 compared to 9'6) with this fin i catch waves easier, however there is a little less response in my feet asking it to turn and the board moving UNLESS my back foot is directly over the finbox, in which case it handles really well (in my mind I picture doing something like a little wheely on a bike)

good luck with the search.....they look pretty on yor window sill if nothing else

[drowningbitbybit]

as an interesting new one..from all this looking up , i seem to have speeded up (dont know why)

Your head's a big heavy thing. If you're looking down, all that weight sits like a sack of potatoes in the middle of the board. As soon as you start looking where you're going, you start leading with your head, which pushes the weight forward and onto your front foot. Hey presto - not only can you see where you're going, but you get there a lot faster

As for getting ahead of the breaking wave - you don't want to slow down, you want to learn how to do a cutback. So turn round - weight the back foot, lead with your arm and shoulders, look where you want to go exactly as before, and... you'll fall off
But practise it a few times and then you can turn back towards the breaking wave, and then back again (that bit's a bit crucial) so you're in the pocket again. Easy. Kind of.

[phillwilson]

oooooooooooooohhhhhhh.....

its like when i learn the first "Finish Him" move on Mortal Kombat lol

I've been given my first "special move" lol.

cant wait to get in the water and try this!!!

cheers dbbb

[HBSurfNerd]

Definitely try to stop thinking about what other people are thinking/saying about you. If you make a sweet drop and get a nice ride out of it, who cares? Surfing is somewhat selfish, in a sense that it's all about YOU having a great wave. You're not out there to make something look good for somebody else, you're out there so you can enjoy yourself.

I would suggest to get develop your standard tools before working on more. Make sure you're confident with every drop you make, that you can pull off a good bottom turn, and that you can get down the line before you start to think of cut backs and anything more advanced. Maybe instead of a cut back, you come out of the wave for a while and practice a clean exit while you're getting the other tools down? I don't know... just my $.02

[garbarrage]

also never look at your spray if you hear any... threw my first proper turn about 6 months ago. felt great... then i heard the splash behind me. tried to have a look and ate it..... hard!! lol

exception to the rule: spray is for other people to look at.

[phillwilson]

lol thanks guys...ive been making an absolute xxxxx of my self trying in as many situations as possilbe to get use to my arms being up!!!
i seriously never realised how i was the kinda person that always had my arms folded or in my pockets..weird think i generally lack self confidence in some ways !!