Time to show off my surf session again.

[BaNZ]

Hurray, got another surf session in me in the video.

I still don't know why I'm using my rear arms to balance like that. I never see any other surfers doing it.

Also seem like I keep slowing down the board instead of generating any speed. Nor can I stay in the pocket of the wave.

But overall, I enjoyed the session and had a lot of fun.

And of course any advice would be much appreciated.

Kinda lost my balance on take off. The water and the foam feels very slippery this day. It's weird because I topped up the board with some wax before getting the water. I wasn't sure if I used basecoat or wax. I was also in a brand new wetsuit so everything just felt very off.

This point is a strange one. It always looks like it's going to break on top of you but it doesn't. I always outrun the wave and got no where else to go.

Saw the other surfer sitting there and not moving. So I decided I should try and get back into the pocket. I did get back in but it closed out soon after.

I was in the right spot but looks like I have no idea how to read the wave.

Second attempt was slightly better.

[jaffa1949]

Hi BaNZ you still have very static Feet, you are riding in a Position that allows some turns by weighting the tail but you are Close to Stallung throughout the fairly weak waves, you can see the boards Rose flapping up and down and , you are right you are getting well beyond the weak pocket wothout any speed to geht back as Close to the curl as possible, the back flappy Stanze makes it difficult to add drive to any cutback turns and you are ending up overriding the slightly more powerful section and drifting out over the back of the wave.
What you do could be the basis of developing your abilities but you have to get your stuck feet moving..
Go out try using the step forward accelleration, stand up take a step forward maybe two, then step back with that little bit more speed drive a harder turn both back to the white water then another to turn back along the face.
work to do them in quick succession.
Try little tic tac moves ( mini turns) up and down the face nearer the white water as you get confident enhance them.
Don't be afraid of wiping out, you will begin to do them and control them.
Become your inner 12 year old and just try it!

[BaNZ]

Problem is I don't know when I'm suppose to move my feet at which section of the wave. Usually when I step forward, it's because my board is already slowing down and I need to pivot it down the wave. However that's always too late and I'm already as you said drifting off the back of the wave.

I think I'm finding difficulty in reading the wave so I don't know when I should be stepping forward or back. I'm hoping the more I surf, the better I'll be able to understand it. It only took me 6 years to be able to catch the waves and pop up. Now I'm just learning how to ride them correctly Do wish I'm 12 again.

[BoMan]

You catch waves well, pop-up quickly and have a solid bottom turn. You are also very good at riding in the top 1/3 of the wave. That's a lot to be proud of! To Jaffa's point, when the board begins to slow, can you feel it? When you get the first sensation of slowing down, step or lean forward and trim downward. It's also helpful to crouch as you descend to add energy for the turn. At the bottom, weight your fins and extend as you would in a normal bottom turn.

My compliments to your videographer. I have yet to get a clip of my surfing.

[waikikikichan]

Video review:

#1 Bad the guy sat in your line, but good that it made you cutback. Strange back elbow up high.

#2 Back hand unconsciously goes up above the head when the body can't turn. ( improper stance and glue foot )
Absorb(?) the ending kick out, or was that a off the lip attempt ?

#3 Again hand above the head after you drove up from the bottom turn, but get stuck a bit at the top. You avoided the surfer paddling out and lost the wave, happens.

#4 Good speedy backside bottom turn and almost a turn down, but you cut it short. Later some back hand invisible wall bracing. Lot of knees poking back and forth to lean the board, but not turning off the tail and rail.

#5 Great Great front side bottom turn. Then your hand above the head move.

#6 hip-jive hip- jive scoot shove scoot shove.

#7 You surf the best when someone is in your way, because they force you to turn harder and deeper.

#8 You were not in the right spot, you could have been deeper. Instead of doing your down the line bottom turn, you should of squared off the bottom turn.

#9 Almost a wave paddle on the first turn. Wave shuts down and you basically try to not fall off.

You are worried about falling off. You are trying to stay straight up right. You don't utilize the power of the wave, that is freely there for you to take.

You bottom turn is great. But your surfing is a " C ". It needs to be more like an " S ". What goes up must come down ( and then back up again ). Look at how the good surfers surf in a " S ". But you won't be able to surf like that until you are willing to fall off, get on rail, listen to the wave and not be glue footed.

[ConcreteVitamin]

Salute to keeping at it, respect the learning mindset. We're in similar boats. My feet are somewhat glued too and forcing myself to cross forward sometimes helps. Crossing back seems tougher for me. Like others have said, your bottom turns look excellent.

[BaNZ]

Video review:

#4 Good speedy backside bottom turn and almost a turn down, but you cut it short. Later some back hand invisible wall bracing. Lot of knees poking back and forth to lean the board, but not turning off the tail and rail.

#7 You surf the best when someone is in your way, because they force you to turn harder and deeper.

#8 You were not in the right spot, you could have been deeper. Instead of doing your down the line bottom turn, you should of squared off the bottom turn.

What does it mean not turning off the tail and rail? Does it mean I need to push the board harder into the rail/tail?

When someone is in the way or trying to paddle out. I have to really focus and not loose my balance. Many times it turns out to be a disaster. Because the surfer paddling out see me coming and THINKS that I'm going to do a cutback into the powerful section of the wave. But no, being an idiot I don't and continue to surf towards them. They are like??? aren't you going to go back into the pocket. The problem is I keep trying to run away thinking the wave is going to break on top of me. I outrun it and stall the board in the weaker section.

What does square off bottom turn mean? I'm assuming it's that I need to go straight towards the beach then try and turn back up the wave again?

I surfed more since these I posted these videos.

Still trying to shuffle my feet so it's not glued to the board. Struggling to figure out when to move to the front of the board or step back. I'm always doing it too late. I've also removed the side fins, the board feels very different. Feels like I can ride even higher on the face of the wave. Also shuffling my feet seems easier. For some reason, it's easier to paddle and catch the wave. Also find it that I can keep the nose closer to the water with single fin.

[BaNZ]

You catch waves well, pop-up quickly and have a solid bottom turn. You are also very good at riding in the top 1/3 of the wave. That's a lot to be proud of! To Jaffa's point, when the board begins to slow, can you feel it? When you get the first sensation of slowing down, step or lean forward and trim downward. It's also helpful to crouch as you descend to add energy for the turn. At the bottom, weight your fins and extend as you would in a normal bottom turn.

My compliments to your videographer. I have yet to get a clip of my surfing.

I can feel the board slowing down. However when that happens, I think I'm doing something very wrong to fix it because I'm making it slow down even more. Like the tail digs into the wave and I'm not getting that glide feeling and I feel the water resistance.

My wife does the video sometimes! However I keep telling her to zoom out a little more because I want to see the wave more. It's always a little too close zoom in so I don't know what is ahead and why I make those silly moves. She is happy because she no longer need to carry a heavy Dslr and long lens. Now she just need a good smartphone that have 100x zoom.

I think Bill will be visiting SD next week. Perhaps if you come we can catch some waves together and get you in the videos!

[waikikikichan]

[What does it mean not turning off the tail and rail? Does it mean I need to push the board harder into the rail/tail?

You can try reading my current Surf Better Blog post, which deals with being on rail. But like I said, if you're a glue foot it won't matter if you don't get your back foot over the fin(s) during a turn.

When someone is in the way or trying to paddle out. I have to really focus and not loose my balance. The problem is I keep trying to run away thinking the wave is going to break on top of me. I outrun it and stall the board in the weaker section.

Passive is upright, Aggressive is at an angle. You surf "flat". To turn a board you need to be leaned over like how a motorcycle turns, not like a car. You need to listen to the wave more. You need to learn the wave and the motion of the ocean. I recommend you spend a day just sitting on the beach and watch how the good surfer take off and stay in the pocket.

What does square off bottom turn mean? I'm assuming it's that I need to go straight towards the beach then try and turn back up the wave again?

Yeah that's about right. But make sure there's not a pack of surfers in the pit in front of you when you attempt to do your first Squared off bottom turn.

Still trying to shuffle my feet so it's not glued to the board. Struggling to figure out when to move to the front of the board or step back. I'm always doing it too late.

"Step never Shuffle" quote from Wingnut. Purposely pick up your foot and put it back down. By the time you "think" you should move your foot, it is already too late. You need to be a few moves ahead like a Chess player.