trying to improve my frontside bottom turn...

[pmcaero]

Its all small steps - in a few months time you will coming back to ask about improving your cutbacks....

I've been surfing regularly for four years and still stuck at the basics, I doubt I will be getting to that point that soon.
Maybe what I described trying is really a frontside trimming turn. I'm not sure. I think it will help on bigger waves .
All I know is that when I first performed one successfully, about 6 months ago, on the shortboard, it sort of opened my eyes to what surfing really was and made me ask here for help on getting better

[dtc]

I feel you just have to try and see what happens - if you fall off, you fall off, you feel out of control or whatever. I've had long periods of stalled development, because I wasnt trying anything new or different and stayed within a comfort zone.

Certainly bigger waves create more speed and surfing is much easier with more speed (up to a point). The smaller the wave then the more you have to create the energy to do something; the bigger the wave the more the wave creates the energy and you (the rider) just harness it.

But if a wave is big enough to push you alone going straight, its big enough to push you along going 'sideways'. You just have to make more effort - bigger more definitive movements, more of your energy - to get the board going where you want it to go.

[waikikikichan]

I don't have the most maneuvrable, or fastest, board and I can't just do nothing, even with an angled take-off I will end up going straight to shore

Even if I am a shitty surfer, I can still tell this Bic doesn't ride like a longboard or a shortboard or a funboard or any "real" surfboard. It takes real work to get it going the desired direction. Which is fine by me.

Well then there's your answer. Get a different board. Why are you "trying" to learn ways and technique to a Front side Bottom Turn, when you already know ( or believe ) the board is holding you back ?

But the truth is, it is NOT your board. You can go buy the fastest, most maneuverable custom wizz-bang board and it still wont get you out of that soup. Your Bic is and should be better than a sponge Costco Wavestorm, but guys rip on those. There are guys that can ride your Bic upside-down and backwards and catch the wave and trim. Just forgot about all those limitations and excuses. Learn the wave, Ride the wave.

[Big H]

On small waves it needs to be done instantly - almost as part of the pop up or even before as an angled takeoff. Otherwise you are at the bottom, no speed and its too late

Video from this very site illustrating.....scroll down a bit in the linked page and you'll see the video.


https://surfing-waves.com/morepopup.htm

[pmcaero]

Video from this very site illustrating.....scroll down a bit in the linked page and you'll see the video.

That's not a small wave, but yes, that quick adjustment right after pop up is what I am trying to improve on.
Coupled with an angled take-off, and a bottom turn after, it should improve my frontside riding down the line.

[dtc]

That's not a small wave, but yes, that quick adjustment right after pop up is what I am trying to improve on.
Coupled with an angled take-off, and a bottom turn after, it should improve my frontside riding down the line.

Although its not a small wave, you will see that
- he is looking sideways before he pops up - where he wants to go
- as soon as his feet land his upper body starts twisting and he is looking where he wants to go
- he has turned and is going down the line within the top 1/3 of the wave - he has turned within the height of your smaller waves (so the fact its a bigger wave isnt relevant - he hasnt used the whole face of the wave).

Just to save DBB the effort...in those smaller waves you are not doing 'angled takeoff, adjustment, bottom turn'. You arent doing a bottom turn - you are doing 'angled take off, adjustment'. After these steps you should be heading down the line (actually you dont even need the angled take off, but it will probably help). As said above, perhaps this is semantics, but you arent going down the face then turning at the bottom back up toward the face (a bottom turn) - you are turning ON the face before you get to the bottom. Just move that front arm/shoulder around and push on your toes (or heels for backside).

Give it a go - you may find its easier than you think. Its actually just the same as standing on the floor and twisting

[Big H]

Just start off by practicing and getting good at popping up and surfing without ever looking down....then doing it while looking down the wave....you'll surprise yourself with your progress.

[pmcaero]

Just start off by practicing and getting good at popping up and surfing without ever looking down....then doing it while looking down the wave....you'll surprise yourself with your progress.

heh, I think I was looking down instinctively after trying the "shuffle",or adjustment whatever it is , since it's a relatively new maneuver for me.

[pmcaero]

you are turning ON the face before you get to the bottom.

yeah, that's what I was aiming for, I guess I did not follow through with my gaze and body down the line.
I focus on one new thing, but then I forget to do another that I worked on before

Hope it becomes a natural flow soon.

[drowningbitbybit]

Just to save DBB the effort...

[drowningbitbybit]

I focus on one new thing, but then I forget to do another that I worked on before

Hope it becomes a natural flow soon.

STOP THINKING!!!
Go through it all on the internet, practise your pop-ups at home, work out where you need to be in the water from the beach, work out where you're paddling before you even turn the board around, then turn the board around, start to paddle... AND STOP THINKING!!

I'm certain that your problem is almost entirely mental. From the videos, you're stiff and you're doing the thing that you think you should do next (crouching, for example), you're not letting that natural flow happen.

On a bigger and more critical wave (which, for the sake of argument, let's take as being my equivalent of you on a smaller wave), I do all I said above,and I start to paddle, I have a couple of 'zen strokes' - I look down at the board, concentrate on (but not think about) my paddle, clear my mind, then as the wave approaches, head up, quick check left and right, then focus down the line... just down the line... not where my feet are, where my hands are pointing, just down the line... your body will work the rest out. Easy.

[Art]

Great advice here. I am in a bit of a similar situation in that I have started to get back into it after a long break, and am learning to surf properly this time.

Couple of observations that confirm what is said above. In the past I have always taken off and gone to the bottom of the wave and then worked from there. What that meant was that every closeout wave was completely wasted, I'd get nothing out of it because by the time I got to the bottom it would closeout.

But doing what is mentioned above, eyes down the line before you pop up, angle the board, getting low and really thinking that the first turn needs to occur in conjunction or immediately after takeoff on the top of part of the wave - and paddling very hard - leads to me getting a few pumps down the line on closeouts....Now I see any wave as surfable, and it makes a huge difference to the enjoyment. You have to get the takeoff right though ---any slight mistake and before you know it you're down the bottom of the wave.

[Big H]

Remember that I wrote to practice keeping your head up I would just think about sticking out my chin? I can't remember if I wrote the other bit which was that not just sticking out the chin, but sticking it out pointing to where you want to go, so that it feels like you are kinda looking down your nose. Anyway, for me it took (and takes) the focus off of thinking about much at all including where to look......stick your chin out where you want to go and no cheating looks. Each time you cheat and sneak a peek at your feet it is like taking your foot off the accelerator, big looks are like hitting the brakes.....to make the wave keep your chin up.

[pmcaero]

not where my feet are, where my hands are pointing, just down the line... your body will work the rest out. Easy.

I understand this, I guess I wanted to check myself after trying to shift the board towards the face right after pop-up.
Looking down the line has worked for me in turning, but I don't think it was enough when I was trying to turn frontside towards the face after pop-up
Backside, I'm able to sorta push the board towards the face as I pop up, but always had issues doing same frontside.
But I hope that after having accomplished this, I won't look down ever again

[dtc]

When you go backside, to look over your shoulder (down the line) you have to twist your body.

Frontside you can just look straight, you dont even have to twist you head, your eyes are already looking down the line when you pop up (ie you are standing side on to the beach, but front on to the wave and your eyes look front on). So while you think you are 'looking' down the line, its only with your eyes. It can fool you

Apart from pointing your chin, another simple technique is the point your index finger - literally point at where you want to go with your front hand- your arm straight and finger pointing. It feels kooky but it works (and no one is looking at you so who cares)

[pmcaero]

When you go backside, to look over your shoulder (down the line) you have to twist your body.

Yeah, I think that explains why I'm having a hard time cutting an oblique line after I pop up, then trying to turn at the bottom, on small waves I already stalled.

[drowningbitbybit]

Apart from pointing your chin, another simple technique is the point your index finger - literally point at where you want to go with your front hand- your arm straight and finger pointing. It feels kooky but it works (and no one is looking at you so who cares)

This and nothing else (for a while, then we'll move on).
Paddle. Look down the line. Pop up. Then...
Point, including up and down, and follow with your shoulders and knees. Let your body work it out - I'm not sure your brain is helping

[pmcaero]

Yesterday we had decent waves and I think I've managed the best frontside ride yet
I managed to keep up with the wave's pocket after the bottom turn, many times I lag and it closes out on me.

One thing is, I can't remember what I was doing with my arms during the ride. I think after the initial turn I was trimming rather than carving, small changes up and down the face. so probably wasn't using them much.