Holding the rail

[Amitkad]

When riding a backside wave, when should I hold the rail throughout the drop and when should I just stand up normally?

How does holding the rail affects my ride? It adds a drag and slows it down or the opposite?

I usually find myself hold the rail in waves where I want to make it straight to the barrel, or heavy drops when I dont feel secure, and some people told me it's wrong and the other told me that it's a good habbit.
I would like to get some exolanations on that.

Thx all
<3

[oldmansurfer]

Just holding the rail doesn't do anything. You need to be pulling on the rail or pushing on the rail to alter what would happen without holding the rail. So do you make it straight to the barrel and does it make you feel secure? If so then mission accomplished no need to change anything. Personally I rarely hold the rail, usually only when I am turning and going to get impacted by whitewater. Holding the rail (pulling on it) can help you to turn higher on the wave or make a sharper turn and pushing or pulling on the rail can give you more stability. While holding the rail in the middle of a turn may help you turn harder holding it before the turn will prevent you from turning harder because it restricts your upper body movement which is important for setting up turns.

[waikikikichan]

How does holding the rail affects my ride? It adds a drag and slows it down or the opposite?

For Drag, usually it's your front hand holding the face of the wave or you butt sticking into the face to control speed and how high up on the face you want to board to go. ( but if you get too high, you can use your grab outside hand to push down the rail to release the rail. )