Surfing technique

[gsseirik]

Thanks man:-) Yeah, I should have done that, but I probably had enough just to keep up with the pace of the wave;-) I didnt see him do that before I saw the pictures. I struggle a bit with duckdives myself. I ride boards with abouy 36L volume, and the thick wetsuits makes a lot of buoyancy, and I probably do it a bit wrong.

[gsseirik]

So I got to surf that particular spot again yesterday..It was a lot smaller, but it was possible to get quite long rides. I tried to focus on the things that you guys pointed out in this thread. In many of the waves I caught I managed to get higher up on the face, and it was a thrill to feel the "new" speed that was generated on the next bottomturn after being on the top. Since the face was a lot smaller than on the pictures I struggled to find enough "room" to go vertical or to try anything, but small "snaps" where the board got some release from the area covering mid-half and to the nose. Some of the waves where slower, and I accidently raced way past the shoulder, and had to perform cutbacks (they where probably too late). Is it better to just stand in a more relaxed (not-pumping) position with the correct tilt of the board in the pocket?

I also had the opportunity to experiment with my stance, and mostly front foot. When it was further back I felt more "frozen" and unable to turn, and I lost speed. Too far towards the nose didnt feel right either. At some point in a wave I placed the front foot on a point of the board, and when I pushed down for a pump I felt an amazing spring-feeling from the board.

After the session it was a bit hard to memorize and break down every little detail. What I did wrong, and what I could have done better. I have the feeling that I tried something different on every wave, and maby got a bit confused by my self;-) I was superstoked after the session. Have a nice weekend guys, and I hope you get a lot of waves!

[oldmansurfer]

Main thing is you had fun. As you surf you will find that you can turn a little harder enabling you to get more up and down the wave motion going. Then you will have to decide what kind of turn to do to stay with the wave. It's a common thing to ride off the end of the wave accidentally when you are learning but cutbacks only work if you still have enough power to get back to the power of the wave. Sounds like you are doing well.