by gd6 » Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:41 pm
I've been learning on a shortboard right now (6'4" channel islands k-small, I'm 170lbs) , and I'm happy with my progress, but I still struggle with catching decent sized waves that have more power. I've been surfing since late summer, and have been out on the water between 20-30 times at this point. The waves I'm struggling to catch are 4-6' waves with a long swell period. I'm sure the main thing I need to do is to just keep on practicing, but I was watching what other people were doing, and many people, right before pop up, arch their back while holding the rails, and hold that for a few seconds, and they look locked into the upper portion of the wave, before going down the face of the wave. This is definitely something that I don't do, I just very quickly grab the rails and throw myself to my feet instantly once I feel like the wave has caught me without a pause, and it works really well for me until the waves get past a certain size/strength. Do many of you pause and 'lock' into the wave while arching your back for a few seconds before taking the drop? I'm pretty sure I'm positioned well on my board, I rarely miss a wave that I decide to catch, but I have been wiping out because something seems a little off on the bigger stronger waves. I had this same issue on my bigger 7'8" thruster as well, and going smaller hasn't actually made this issue any harder or easier. I wish a had a gopro for reference but I've already spent too much money on this hobby of mine for now.
Also, I seem to feel more comfortable paddling with both arms in unison, especially when catching waves. I never understood why it was said that this shouldn't be done, but I seem to be able to focus on the wave and feeling my board catch it when I'm not paddling with one arm after the other. Would someone care to explain the difference and why its nearly always recommended for a beginner not to do this? Thanks for your help!