Shortboard progression

[surf904]

So ive been surfing for 2-3 years on a shortboard and am really comfortable riding waves. I started surfing a little later than the kids my age and would like to "catch up" i guess. Any tips on progressing? I know it takes time but i really want to progress as fast as I can. I can hit the lip and thats about it and its not very explosive...any tips would be awesome.

[jaffa1949]

Surf , surf and surf!
Go to a surf coach for a couple of sessions to change your habits that hold you back!
Another way to go is to have a friend video you( everybody has cameras and friends?) observe yourself and post the video here , advice will flow!

With coaching you will learn how to combine everything you do to give you speed in every aspect of your surfing.

[waikikikichan]

Learn SPEED. But that's not just being fast, but how to control your speed. Learn when to slow down to be back in the fastest part of the wave. Also learn rail and trim. With that you can put your board On rail to throw bigger spray and cut deeper gouges. Every move in surfing is better when you have Speed control and harder deeper angles created.

[oldmansurfer]

First off is work on your takeoffs and drops, learn to take off deeper in the wave. Just line up where you feel comfortable then go a foot or two deeper than that. Then work on your bottom turn, that is what makes the wave makeable or not. Learn to get a lot of speed on your bottom turn so you can make it around those sections that you will be dropping in on if you follow what I said about taking off deeper. Once you get those down look at other surfers or the internet or magazines and look at what kind of maneuver you want to be able to do. Imagine in your mind what it must feel like to do that turn and try to sort of go through it while standing on the floor at home. Imagine and move your body like you were doing it....you can only sort of get into that position but imagine you are. Then go out and look for the chance to do that turn. Realize the wave only offers what it has and you have to pick out what to do when. Try to stay in shape doing other things if you can't surf but surf as often as you can without getting divorced/fired/arrested for neglecting your children.

[dtc]

Surf , surf and surf! .

just remember 'Time in the surf' (come up with your own acronym...)

[surf904]

Hey thanks everyone for the replies. Here is a video of 3 waves one just trying to gain speed then 2 trying to hit the lip. Im pretty sure its my bottom turn and even my top turn that needs work... what do you guys think? https://youtu.be/ZISDJ7Tkt5M here is a link to the video.

[Big H]

You need better waves.

[oldmansurfer]

The first wave you were lined up in the wrong spot, there was no way to make that wave from where you took off. The second wave a good bottom turn and earlier entry into the wave would have helped. The third wave was a junk wave it just closed out just a poor choice on taking off.

[oldmansurfer]

I can't look at your video any more but if you understand weighting and unweighting then what you could do on the second wave is to add weight to the first bottom turn by standing as you go down the wave then crouching as you hit the bottom (using your weight to put more pressure into the turn) and make your bottom turn, the extra force from dropping your body as you hit the bottom is then translated into lateral momentum by the turn, then unweight and jump forward and to the top of the wave and repeat. So by weighting and unweighting you add forward momentum to the bottom turn and forward momentum coming out of the bottom turn then doing a series of speed turns where you hit the top of the wave and immediately push the front of the board back down the wave by adjusting your weight to your front foot till you hit the bottom then switch to your back foot. So for speed you actively press the board down the wave and unweight or jump back up the face in quick succession. You are also jumping forward or unweighting forward so that you keep momentum going down the line. If you get really good at speed turns you will find on smaller waves like that you will keep your center of mass in front of the wave so as you are turning you are leaning forward and falling forward and down the line and your board will move from the top to the bottom but your center of mass will stay similarly aligned. Essentially all the turns are your legs moving up and down the wave while most of your body stays in the same configuration in relation to the wave.