need a little help with my turns.

[electricorange]

Hi, I hope there isn't a long thread about this already I've been hunting around for a while and didn't see anything...

Anyway here is my question. I've been surfing for about 10 months I have made some pretty fast progress (pretty much addicted), I'm surfing on a nice fat (plenty of volume for me) fish shortboard.

I have been trying to nail my bottom turns and turn to go back up the wave face (and of course then learn top turns) but can't seem to do it. I have watched countless videos, lots of good surfers at my local breaks and read quite a few instructional websites as well trying to figure this out. It could be i have too much info floating around in my head

anyway when I go for a turn (lets talk frontside but it happens about the same backside too) i am able to compress and bend my knees, look in the direction, rotate, touch the water with my trailing hand and turn down the line, but then something happens, either the turn stops and i can't continue around and head back up the face, or i go up the face at such a gentle angle that i basically reach the top so far in front of the whitewater that describing it as a "lip" is not even close to accurate ( and of course have no speed when i get there making a top turn impossible) So it's like i can turn to about 9:00-9:30 down the line but cant continue through the turn to 12:00 (up the face). It's like when i get to a certain point in the turn the board feels like it's fighting me and no amount of leaning or body rotation will make it go any father. i've tried rotating more (fall off from rotating too far in desperation once in a while), looking at the lip, weighting my back leg and still the same result. what is it supposed to feel like when you head up the face? what do i need to focus on? what am I doing wrong? how do i get the board to finish the turn and go straight back up the face?

thanks!!!!!

[jaffa1949]

To me it sounds like it could possibly be one of two thing or a combination of both.
The first I think you are trying to analyse your turns too much and put every part of your body in the position in the correct obligatory position even down touching the wave as per instructions. Here is a for instance; a bee has been proven by aerodynamic science to be incapable of flight
Does the bee then walk, no!
So what does this mean for you, get up surfing and try to belt the first turn out with power and strength, forget about the hand jive and stuff , do it again and again and again, the first turn is about speed and direction get that and then take it further after you get it.

The second if you are riding a fat fish then perhaps the surf you are trying get the turns in is mushy? (Question) and unless you are quite skill you won't be driving turn top to bottom in those conditions.
Go for a surf try little turns get them happening and gradually increase the intensity while maintaining control and speed, lose speed and you lose the turn and bog. When you look at the line up the competent surfers can always generate speed, look at the pros they seem to grab speed out f nowhere and that is the difference.
You will know when you bottom turn is really working when you come out of it with more speed than you went in with.

[electricorange]

To answer your question yes sometimes the waves where i surf are a bit mushy. Sometimes not. I have the same issue no matter the mushiness though. I supose i could try what you suggest and do sort of the trial and error thing however im 32 and i dont want to figure it out by the time im 50 and start getting osteoperosis or something. I notice though that most of the good surfers i see including the pros pretty much look about the same (like body position and movement) for the same manuever so that means there must be a set of somewhat mechanical "steps" to get the board to respond and do what you want. Im just trying to figure them out to fast track my progress.

I see what you mean about speed. I do feel a speed increase as i go into a turn but again as i get close to going up the face it fades quickly. When you suggest being more agressive do you mean putting even more weight on the back foot and leaning harder or do you mean something else?

[surferdude_scarborough]

Sounds to me like you may be thinking about the top turn too late. As you pop up you should have your bottom turn planned. you shoud pop up then pick your spot to hit the lip with a top turn, then really commit to the turn. if you are just drifting up the face you may have left it too late to initiate a top turn.

I have had a similar issue with cutbacks in the past as i quite often found myself far out on the open face but with not enough speed to complete the turn. the answer was to realise i needed to cut back sooner.

What I am trying to say is a bottom turn sets up the next manoevre so you need to know what is going to happen next. This all takes time but you will get there.

I do agree it is more difficult to surf top to bottom in mushy waves than nice powerful steep waves.

[jaffa1949]

r.
What I am trying to say is a bottom turn sets up the next manoevre so you need to know what is going to happen next. This all takes time but you will get there.

I do agree it is more difficult to surf top to bottom in mushy waves than nice powerful steep waves.

So true, what surferdude Scarborough says each turn sets up another, if you are surfing and you think Oh! I might do a turn now, it's too late like driving its vision ahead see your line on the wave and set up lean drive and push your board to go where you want Project in and out of the the turn, it may not make sense yet but push hard and it will become self evident.
OH and about the osteoporosis ( I'm 62 it's not a problem)
If you have been load bearing genuinely physically active and have had a good diet, Osteoporosis is not likely as the bones take on extra calcium to take the active weight loads, at whatever age you are an increase weight bearing that is appropriate will increase bone density.
Inactivity/serious illness are your bone's enemies.

Don't fuss yourself just surf more and more it WILL come to you, especially if it is a fun thing.