Author Topic: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on  (Read 11623 times)

SUPcheat

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #15 on: September 14, 2014, 01:20:29 PM »
"until you master all the basics. That means be able to turn in both directions, get out through a tough beachbreak, catch the waves you want."

Gee, is that all?  I guess I'll have to wait until I'm 70 to join the lineup.
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The Kernel

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #16 on: September 14, 2014, 01:38:42 PM »
"For me, it seems to come down to pushing outside my comfort zone.  I have the tendency to just want to enjoy the ride rather than explore the hydrodynamics."

Outside of the board choice, this may be the more important point---pushing past the comfort zone on whatever one is riding.  This has been exactly my issue; I find that I too often allow myself to want to ride the wave without wrecking, which means staying conservative.

Can't do that if you want to improve.

How to do that?

SupSurfIsSurf and I went to Trails about 2 months ago and decided we were going to have a "radical" (radical for us anyhow) session by pushing each other to really get on the tail, force more aggressive turns, and trying to smack the lip.  We found an open spot with punchy 3-5 foot waves about 150 meters from any prone surfers and then went to school, blowing ourselves up frequently as we pushed past our limits.  It would have made the SUP surfing wipeouts highlights reel.

It was a great way to shuffle up the learning curve and I need to have more "go big or go home" sessions like that.  In the usual more crowded lineup, though, I am a bit hyper careful about not hurting anyone and I don't want to give proners ammo about how SUPers can't handle their boards, so I surf much more conservatively. 

I guess the answer is to seek out more remote spots or odd times so we can learn from going bananas.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2014, 02:00:02 PM by The Kernel »
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goodfornothin

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #17 on: September 14, 2014, 03:03:07 PM »
If you ain't falling you ain't tryin.  You are already the biggest dork out there the minute you drive up with your boat ;) and you got a leash, and it's mushy. You may get a few bumps and bruises, so get to turnin and never go straight, (well actually, many waves dictate the route of downz zee the line, but you have a few months to go before charging Chopes ;D) I make a point to try something new or master something I suck at every day out on the water. 

And, are you learning to carve? Or turn? Two different skills, I personally feel, leaning to turn will lead to learning to carve.  Carving is using your rail and the natural curve of your board to arc a turn.  And turning your board is usually done from the tail of you board. 

All good points so far, I have always stuck to the rule of the body follows the head. It works for all sports. There's a little more I would add. Try to keep your upper body quite and relaxed. Your elbows should be loose.  Most of your tension in your upper body is released if you keep elbows relaxed.  It's hard to do, watch all the stink bugs surfing, don't be a stink bug.  Keep your chest tall as well, it helps keep your hips loose.  You want to keep your legs bent slightly at all times. The turn initiates through your toes, bending your knees and sinking your hips, while keeping your upper body quite and loose. Watch Dave Kalama ski moguls, then watch him surf.  You will see the mechanics of turning are the same.

Every sweet spot is different on every board.  I ride Blair's boards. I feel they are the best all around board out there. He places his side fins further up than most. But you get a great performing board with his fin placements.  I have about 15-20 boards from tow boards to sup guns and I have not found a better shaper, for me.

For turning, I place my back foot just behind the side fin and I bring my front foot in closer, so basically narrow my stance.  This places your center of gravity over the fins, once you have initiated the turn you have to widen your stance and move your weigh towards front foot, that will allow you to keep forward momentum. An easy way to learn this is using the speed of initially catching the wave.  If your going left, paddle and take off going right, as the inertia of wave pushes you, use that speed and turn aggressively left, keep your weight forward and you will still have speed.

Carving is hard to learn in mushy waves, I feel.  You need speed and steepish wave. Carving is more about body position and trusting your rail.  You can use the paddle to lay out some of the meanest bottom turns.  Work on your turns first, but surfing, to me is all about carving big turns and speed.  You'll get there, if your asking and the will is there, then i bet you'll have it down soon.




bts

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #18 on: September 14, 2014, 03:25:01 PM »
Does "going straight" mean riding the white water straight in? Sounds like you want to learn how to go "down the line" or ride clean water in front of the curl.  That is hard to learn on a sloppy beach break.

I'd start with a boogie board. Knowing where you want the board to go is the first step, and a BB is a super easy way to learn the basics.

Consider a surf trip.  You will learn a lot quicker on the right type of wave. 

freetobeme

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #19 on: September 14, 2014, 03:44:58 PM »
goodfornothing u r now goodforsomething. Excellent intel.
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PonoBill

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #20 on: September 14, 2014, 03:50:16 PM »
the easiest way is to hire Kalama for a day or two. Expensive, but he won't let you go straight. One of the gals I see often at Kanaha is a nice lady named Laurie. She was kind of an indifferent surfer until she hired Dave to prep her for a contest. Now she won't go ten yards without ripping the top off the wave.

Of course you don't need Dave to make yourself do the right stuff. Just imagine there's a very muscular Hawaiian guy ten inches behind you yelling "Commit! Turn, turn, turn! Put your knees into it! Watch where you want to go! Reach, dammit!"
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SUPcheat

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #21 on: September 14, 2014, 03:59:43 PM »
the easiest way is to hire Kalama for a day or two. Expensive, but he won't let you go straight. One of the gals I see often at Kanaha is a nice lady named Laurie. She was kind of an indifferent surfer until she hired Dave to prep her for a contest. Now she won't go ten yards without ripping the top off the wave.

Of course you don't need Dave to make yourself do the right stuff. Just imagine there's a very muscular Hawaiian guy ten inches behind you yelling "Commit! Turn, turn, turn! Put your knees into it! Watch where you want to go! Reach, dammit!"

I think I'll just hire you and give you a bullwhip.  I'm sure I would learn it in a day, but I would need a kevlar wetsuit.

I did some turning this morning on the low tide beach break surf around the Hook, but it was pretty rudimentary and the waves were mostly mush.  I also got hit by a lady driver.  She looked like she could turn just fine, but I must have reminded her of an ex husband.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2014, 04:11:25 PM by SUPcheat »
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ctuna

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #22 on: September 14, 2014, 05:30:58 PM »
The Hammer it wouldn't say its a beginner board but its super easy to use.
It turns like a high performance prone long board. It just super easy but a beginner
will need to get used to how fast it reacts. Its really telepathic you think turn and it does.
You can slow it down with the right fin setup a thruster setup would be good to start with.
Then when you get better no need to change to a higher performance board unless
you want to go down in size.

TallDude

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #23 on: September 14, 2014, 05:45:16 PM »
I know some of you guy and gals are a little older and probably can't picture yourself skateboarding, but it is a great learn tool. I learned to surf along time ago. I wouldn't consider myself good, but I could catch waves and go down the line. Skateboarding made me a better surfer. I rode everyday for years. I still own a skateboard and skated my neighbors ramp a few years ago when I was 49. Great work out! I've thought about building a old guys 1/2 pipe with a harness and overhead cable (like the rock climbing wall setup). 'Shark Tank'!
Skateboarding is so much like surfing, they imitate each other. If want to practice surfing, do it in your drive way, or at a park, or on a nice empty sloping street on a skateboard. Get a big long nice carving skateboard, and practice practice. You don't have to wait for a set, or a surf outing, just grab your skateboard and carve it up. Wear a helmet, pads and wrist guards please, but you can do it. Leaning and turning, using your hips, and getting in tune with how each board turns. Here is a cool video on just this....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycpafeySMfk

It's not overhead to me!
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SUPcheat

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #24 on: September 14, 2014, 06:00:09 PM »
That's a good video, unexpectedly. Aside from the babe factor, it was good for seeing the motions involved and her explanations are understandable.

I don't think I have seen too many dudes around Santa Cruz my age on skateboards, but it's a thought.
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TallDude

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #25 on: September 14, 2014, 06:24:09 PM »
A retired buddy of mine rides his Kahuna Stick almost everyday down Coast hwy. He surfs but doesn't paddle surf. He loves to paddle that dry land though. This might feel more comfortable, rather than just skateboarding with nothing in your hands.

RIP :,( Buttons..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx0ifdQJhvg
It's not overhead to me!
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The Kernel

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #26 on: September 14, 2014, 08:02:25 PM »
Great suggestions and videos TallDude.  I thought I was one of the only guys over 40 who still attempts to skateboard--on a Sector Nine given to me in an elevator in New York City by a medical school student.  Apparently I should be using mine much more than I have been.   

Superb also to see Buttons living on through video, but I have to admit that the Holly Beck ones always catch my attention.  She's smart, personable, athletic, beautiful, creative and cool.  My brain feels like it's been put through a Nutribullet every time I see her in something.  If I only I was 20 lbs lighter, 20 years younger, and had more hair on my head than I have on my back....   
Kernel:  Cutting through the bull**it.
"This is the kernel of the argument."

Over 50, but usually pushing it like I'm 25 and paying for it later.

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9'2" Riviera Nugg Turbo Carbon
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Califoilia

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #27 on: September 14, 2014, 09:02:56 PM »
That's a good video, unexpectedly. Aside from the babe factor, it was good for seeing the motions involved and her explanations are understandable.

I don't think I have seen too many dudes around Santa Cruz my age on skateboards, but it's a thought.
Don't know your age "cheat", but mine's 54 and a buddy of mine turned me on to the Carver Monsta skateboard, and I'm on it quite a bit....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydbx_hBfXjc
(Skip ahead to 3:25 if you don't want to hear a lot of "sales-like" chatter)

I gotta say, it does make a big difference it learning/trying new things a whole bunch of times on land before you go out and attempt it in the water.  I do have a adjustable Kahuna Big Stick, but find I have more fun, and learn more with just the Carver by itself.

So just grab a board and go SUPcheat....hell, we ride SUPs out in the water, it's way to late now to start worrying about what other people think of us doing what we do for fun.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2014, 09:15:12 PM by SanoSup »
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PonoBill

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #28 on: September 14, 2014, 11:08:58 PM »
I still use my longboards, but I gear up like I'm going to war. I've got a 59" Bombora that's a lot of fun, but at 67, with virtually every joint seeming a bit fragile, I'm pretty careful. Oddly enough I feel more comfortable on a mountain board with some brakes, or sailing my mountain board sans brakes at the beach with a windsurfing sail hooked to the universal I screwed to the nose. I guess dirt and sand just seems more forgiving--even though I have plenty of proof to the contrary.

Despite a lifetime of racing motorcycles and cars and doing stupid stuff on land, air, and water, most of my injuries come from skateboarding and rollerblading. I'm pretty good on rollerblades, sort of like a dancing bear. Haven't done it for a long time, but both of my serious shoulder injuries were rollerblade hockey and my weak ankle is from racing my daughter on skateboards.

I guess the bottom line is that skateboarding might be good for your surfing as long as you don't get hurt doing it, in which case you'll be benched for quite a while. So gear up, all the time. My worst shoulder injury was from a rollerblade fall when I didn't have elbow pads on. I ALWAYS wore elbow pads, except that one time.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

SUPcheat

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Re: Best beginner sup to learn to carve on
« Reply #29 on: September 14, 2014, 11:28:10 PM »
I have appointments this week Monday and Wednesday inland, but I might drive back to Santa Cruz for the day for the Tuesday break. Surf reports say up to 5-7 feet, so maybe I can get some four footers on the inside and practice turns. I'll just think about the chick on the skateboard, "cleavage left, cleavage right, cleavage straight ahead!"
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Sunova Speeed 8'10"x29.12@131L
Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
Carbon 9.3x32@163L Hammer
Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

 


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