Transitioning from a longboard to a shorter board

[abescool]

Hi All,

I recently bought a 7' board that is shaped more like a shortboard. It's got a pointy nose and a rounded tail. My previous board was a 8'6" longboard which was really thick around the middle. The question I have is, how can I catch waves easier on my new board? I keep trying to catch waves the same way that I did on my longboard, but it doesn't seem to be working out. Do I need to be closer to where the wave is breaking (closer to the beach)? It's pretty frustrating paddling my ass off and seeing the wave slip under me.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
-Abe

[namino tsume]

You should come back in a bit. Look at where other shortboarders are, thats where you need to be. And the wave needs to be peaking a lot. Also you dont need to paddle too too hard at first, just enough to get you out of the water, but as the wave comes up behind you paddle really hard real fast.

[m]

i've noticed a lot of beginner shortboarder's switching from longboards are scarred to be far enough up on their boards, so they dont' catch waves well. namino tsume has good advice on where you should be to catch, but if your already there and still having problems, scoot up on your board, and arch your back more. you will think you're going to pearl, but as long as your back's arched enough, you won't and you'll catch the waves much more efficiently