learning to surf video

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learning to surf video

Postby oldmansurfer » Mon Jan 30, 2023 5:45 pm

I ran across this video from a guy who teaches surfing. He makes some good points although I'm not sure if I agree with everything he says.
What do you all think of it?
So what is worse.... dying or regretting it for the rest of my life? Obviously I chose not regretting it.
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Re: learning to surf video

Postby Naeco78 » Tue Jan 31, 2023 4:56 am

I think he makes some really good points. Especially the first few..

1) Mindset - I usually mentally surf a few waves before paddling out. Having a vision of the lines you plan to draw on certain sections of the waves helps to respond to those situations in the water easier.

2.) Overcoming fear of waves - I do that same exact thing he mentions at the end of that segment.. When I started getting back into surfing, I would just swim in waves that seem too intense for surfing at that stage for me.. and I would just try to get exposure to the energy and steepness of the waves passing over.. without the concerns of having a clunky board attached. It's interesting how the waves seem a lot less intimidating without the concerns of navigating a board through the impact zones and it makes it really easy to visualize the waves and takoff zones that are makeable for your surfing level. Then when you go back in the lineup with a surfboard it seems a lot more clear about wave selection and navigating how the waves are breaking that day. Obviously ya need to be relatively comfortable swimming in those conditions without a surfboard/flotation.. but if not, then you probably shouldnt consider being in those conditions with a surfboard either. Basically know your limits and take small steps to progress in challenging surf.

3) Surf skate training - I used to practice carving on longboard skate back in the day. It helped a lot with learning weight distribution and turning that into momentum in and out of turns. I think i probably became more of a front foot surfer because of the skateboarding influence and keeping my weight forward on the accelerator. Seems very similar to surfing in that way.. especially with generating speed down the line.

4) The right surfboard - While getting back into surfing I would pickup lots of different types of boards on Craigslist and learn what works best for me thru trial and error. When i stopped surfing in my early 20s i was probably riding boards around 27 liters and were probably considered in the non functional zone for my weight at that time, but that was kinda the norm back in the 90s. They didnt really work for the surf we had, but its how most of the boards were made at the time. Then when I got back into surfing in my 40's the last few years, I went with lots of higher volume/groveler boards in the beginning.. probably overcompensating for the paddle power trauma from the 90's boards. Then as i got back into heavier/hurricane surf, i learned that the flat rocker and wide tails on my grovelers create way too much lift on waves that generate more than enough speed on their own. Even hybrid fish/grovelers have their own issues with surfing vertical in steep fast waves.. sometimes the flat rocker just doesnt fit very well into the wave face. I think there's definitely a tradeoff between paddle power and control/maneuverability once you're on a sizable wave. But trying lots of different boards helped me learn what works best for me in different types of surf. It can be a long process but also a fun journey.
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Re: learning to surf video

Postby waikikikichan » Tue Jan 31, 2023 11:27 am

When people have a problem or hard time turning their board or this and that, they are usually on a too small of a board. They say they watched a video where the instructor recommends getting a Fish. That's when I ask them if it was this guy's instructional videos, ...............and yup it usually is.

Remember one of his first videos "How to Surf Like a Pro in 25 Minutes" ?
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Re: learning to surf video

Postby oldmansurfer » Tue Jan 31, 2023 10:52 pm

That's interesting because now he saying he wishes someone would have told him to not use a fish. He doesn't quite say it but it sounds like he is saying you should pick a board that can work on a wide variety of waves to learn on rather than a fish which is limited compared to some other designs. That is what I think. If you are learning to surf use one board mostly because you will develop reflexes for critical situations where you react without thinking and if you switch boards and they are different enough it will be the wrong reflex. Not to mention you may have to take off in a different part of the wave and may have to turn differently. Your other board could be a fish and if everything you ride is less than head high a fish would be okay but I would get one with lots of tail rocker so it would turn better. Better yet pick a second board that is similar in design to the first one but a different size.

Mindset is important. I used to do mental imaging to learn a knew maneuver...unless I just did it by accident. Standing on the floor in my room I would imagine I was doing some maneuver and move my body accordingly. Sometimes I had an idea what to do because I saw others doing it or photos of someone doing it. Sometimes I had never heard of anyone doing it yet it seemed possible to me. I am sure my surfing would not progress so well if I was thinking I can't do it.

fear of waves. I think it makes sense to learn to deal with waves first without a surfboard as with a surfboard is much more difficult. This would however automatically weed out those who shouldn't be surfing those kind of waves because you have no flotation device to rest on and if you can't handle it without the board it would be a death wish with a board. I think every surfer should bodysurf as this allows you to get used to the waves in a safer manner both for you and the other surfers in the water. I was quite an accomplished bodysurfer long before I surfed so the waves that would scare my friends did not scare me as I had been out in even larger ones bodysurfing

Surf skate training. Notice he says it's good for intermediate level surfers who already know how it feels to do maneuvers on a surfboard. I think surfskate will help your balance and maybe help with mental imaging. You can imagine you are surfing and doing maneuvers. However the actions are not the same in my opinion. So because you can do aerials on a skateboard doesn't mean you can surfing although skateboard aerial maneuvers are probably closer to surfing aerials than turns are. The set up is different skateboarding it's just a ramp and surfing it is a rapidly changing ramp that you need to get speed before you hit it. The pavement is not constantly changing and the ocean is not flat and motionless (when you're surfing)...well anyway perhaps the reason one may think skateboarding will help surfing is not the simplest one.

The right instructor? Yeah I guess so. Never had much instructions
So what is worse.... dying or regretting it for the rest of my life? Obviously I chose not regretting it.
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