first board and shorter than me,,wut to do?

[micho]

hey all,,,during the summer i was tryin to stand up on my 5'9 shortboard(((my tall is 180 and weight is 60 kg))but i didnt manage to stand up on it,,i dont knw the problem,,whether because am puttin organic wax((some sais brands like sex wax are better than organic wax))or the board is shorter than me???or its gonna take time for me to stand up on it cause its my firstboard and its short??another thing,,i always cant do the push up-my knees jus sink the board let it slow,,,any ideas??is it gonna take me time to stand on it or its impossible as its not longboard??thanks

[Kabazz]

Get a board 2ft longer
And it has nothing to do with the wax, you need a board at least over 7ft really
It's not impossable but you'll progress SO much better on a longer board

[isaluteyou]

im not suprised you are having problems. The board is too small and if you spent the summer attempting to get somewhere without much success maybe you should consider getting a much bigger board.

wax has zip to do with it.

[micho]

is there any other way i can stand up on the board instead of the regular push up??cause i usually end up puttin my knees on the board..anything instead that i should practice and learn on a longboard would be great...or tell me what to practice to be able to ride a board,,ty

[Sar]

You are learning on a very small board for a starter!! Chances are you may end up getting to your knees on a longer board too- a lot of people have that problem and its just something that you have to work on to break the habit. I still do it despite telling myself not to.

Have a look at the surfing lessons section in the forum to help you get over it, mostly though it just takes practice. Practice pop ups on dry land, it may help though I never seem too get my foot far enough forward on dry land. Stick with it, but I would suggest getting a bigger board, you'll probably have a bit more fun on it.

[drowningbitbybit]

*drum roll, dim the lights, sense of anticipation...*


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....Ta da!...

[pkbum]

It took me 4 monnth to stand up and go straight. 2 month to change direction and move down the line with a shortboard. You may call me an idiiot, but I enjoyed this long and hard learning process.

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

Unless that's a really thick and wide board (like a roundnose fish shape), sounds like it might be too small. Hey I'm all for people learning to surf on shortboards, but you still need to find a board that will float you. This is why you don't see any 6' tall men riding 5' grom boards.

No experience with organic wax but I know that there are different types of wax for different water temps. If you feel like you're slipping off the board when you're paddling on it, then you might need to change your wax.

If you're going to your knees, you're doing it wrong. Practice popping straight to your feet on land...and try to get your hands on a bigger board.

[crepuscular]

I say you gotta start from a long -> hybrid -> short, i did it in 2 months, learning to do cut backs etc atm... but then I surf almost everyday.

[micho]

well,,theres another thing,,u say i should practice poppin up on beach,,but the main problem is,,am taller than the board,,so my toes are not excatly on the end of the board like i see in practice videos...i guess theres some people who pop up in a different way instead of that one,,can u tell me how??any way to stand up instead of puttin ur feet at the end of the board,,thanks for you replies mates

[Kabazz]

well,,theres another thing,,u say i should practice poppin up on beach,,but the main problem is,,am taller than the board,,so my toes are not excatly on the end of the board like i see in practice videos...i guess theres some people who pop up in a different way instead of that one,,can u tell me how??any way to stand up instead of puttin ur feet at the end of the board,,thanks for you replies mates

Your feet will be hanging off the end, otherwise the nose of your board will sink

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

my feet hang off all my boards. I ride a 5'2" sometimes, which is shorter than me. i've seen guys stand up on body boards and surf them like surfboards.

when you take off the nose is lower than the tail of the board. you push off the board with your hands and swing your feet under you in one fluid motion. gravity helps a little in getting your feet in the right position.

even when you practice popping up (on the beach, at home, anywhere other than in the water) your front foot should end up around the area where your chest was when you were lying down. same goes for when you're on your board in the water...front foot ends up where your chest/torso was and back foot on the tail of your board. the only other way I can think of "to stand up instead of putting ur feet at the end of the board" is to take off and do a head stand, which takes even greater skill and balance than just doing it the way it's supposed to be done.

[drowningbitbybit]

the only other way I can think of "to stand up instead of putting ur feet at the end of the board" is to take off and do a head stand, which takes even greater skill and balance than just doing it the way it's supposed to be done.

Yeah, but we've all tried havent we?

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

I say you gotta start from a long -> hybrid -> short, i did it in 2 months, learning to do cut backs etc atm... but then I surf almost everyday.

You definitely made good time in your progression. It took me 2 years to transition down to a shortboard. I think it really helps if you have access to different sizes and types of boards. I guess it helps to be stubbornly determined too.

You surf Bondi Beach? I surfed there in January. The waves were fun but I made the mistake of paddling out in a bikini when the water was about 15- 16 C. Ouch. I ended up buying an overpriced springsuit at one of the surf shops across the street.

Aussie surfers are a lot friendlier than Hawaiian or even Cali surfers in the line up...or at least at that break.

[micho]

i think i got the info i wanted,,,thanks alot guys,,dunno wut i could have done without ya,,,thanks amigoooooooooooooos!

[crepuscular]

You surf Bondi Beach? I surfed there in January. The waves were fun but I made the mistake of paddling out in a bikini when the water was about 15- 16 C. Ouch. I ended up buying an overpriced springsuit at one of the surf shops across the street.

heheheh, I got the cold last week surfing at 10 in the morning, thought the sun should've warmed up the water already, but apparently not.