Author Topic: Humbled newbie today  (Read 11369 times)

nj_sup

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Humbled newbie today
« on: September 14, 2014, 07:08:17 PM »
Humbling day for newbie SUP/SUS me today. Quick background on me. I'm 50yo 6'2" 207 lbs, got into prone surfing later in life.  I tried SUP around 5 years ago with my wife. She continued to backbay SUP while I stuck with being a proner. Last two years I couldn't surf because of rotator cuff issues. So this summer I made the decision to get a SUP to paddle with my wife and maybe do some SUS. I got a Surftech Balboa 11'6" x 33-66" 211.8 L. Learned and progressed quick in the backbays so figured I'd hit the surf with it.

Headed out to the surf around 4 weeks ago with Jim K from Extreme Windsurfing. Struggled with my Surtech to ride a wave. Every wave I caught a wave I pearled. Tried Jim's JP Australia and finally rode a nice one. So now I'm really hooked.

Next day I got my Fanatic Allwave 9'5" from Jim K. (As a bunch of you know he really is a great guy to deal with and is a great all around guy to boot). I got this board knowing that it would be a  big adjustment from my Surftech. It's 2' feet shooter, 1-1/2" narrower and 41.8 L less in volume. I didn't want the 9'10" Allwave because I was afraid I would outgrow it in a year or less. I'd rather take my lumps now and not have to switch out boards in a year or sooner. Took the Allwave out in the backbays twice. Certainly is a big change from the Surftech which is a barge compared to the 9'5" Allwave, but I felt pretty stable and comfortable on it.

This morning I had a chance to get out in the surf so I did. 2-3' waves pretty clean with 3' swells at 6-7 sec. Figured not a bad day to try the 9'5" Allwave in the surf. Well I was nowhere near as stable and comfortable in the ocean as I was in the bay. I spent all my time just trying to stay upright, and more time than that getting back up on the board. Didn't ride a single wave. Good part was I got out without too much of a problem.

I really need to work on my balance and being comfortable and confident on the Allwave. Do I stick to the backbays for awhile and work on footwork, balance, turns etc., or do I take it out in the ocean to get comfortable and confident there? This time of the year I can get out once a week, maybe twice a week if the stars and everything else lines up. Kid schedules etc.

Thanks in advance.


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KeNalu Ho'oloa paddle
Surftech 11'6" Balboa
mike
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Fanatic 9'10" Allwave
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KeNalu Ho'oloa 95 paddle

OUTSIDEWAVE

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2014, 07:37:06 PM »
as we say at the zone time on the water TOW
  stay with the back bay until you can handle boat wakes etc.
 then try the ocean on a calm day  you will be amazed at the  small waves bumps and currents you missed as a proner what looks like texture is really a mismass of waves backwash currents wind ripples etc. 

Tip Use your paddle as a  balance stick move t back and forth all the time or if it gets really rough paddle in circles or from peak to to peak

 try to go out on  glassy day I mean perfect mirror like glass  take off early and at an angle  then as soon as you feel the wave do the step-back and place more weight to the back of your board. This will be familiar  to you as it was in surfing
  then you are good to go

good luck and welcome to the  zone  you will never look at surfing the same way again.

Me I am 240 61yrs  2 blown discs and bad ankle to see me stand  is  like a circus act itself   But on a wave I am 25 ( in my mind) and ripping  so long as it less than 6 feet. LOL
SEA BIRDS THEY DO TOUCH AND GO AS THE WORLD JUST TANGOES BY.... SO I SADDLE UP MY SEAHORSE WITH MY FLYROD IN MY HAND.... 10'3 King custom  10'6"  c4 da beachboy

supsurf-tw

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2014, 08:18:39 PM »
Mantra of life.....
Everything is hard before it is easy
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iopsailor

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2014, 08:28:53 PM »
I've been amazed by the number of beginners I've seen in the ocean this year.  These people were true beginners, not  flat water paddlers out in the waves for the first time but  people on a SUP for the first time.  At first, I blamed greedy and irresponsible rental operations but that wasn't the case.  Groups rent a house here for a week and one person rents a SUP and everyone uses it.  Looks EASY!  Some of them did surprisingly well with a little help.

The rental vendors say people want to cram every possible experience into their week, so they try SUP, jetski, parasail, etc.

Back to  the original question  -  you've  already got a wave.  I think you've pretty much exhausted what you can learn in flat water.  Get out early in the AM before the wind and stay out till you can't.  Good luck!

The Kernel

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2014, 08:47:14 PM »
I really need to work on my balance and being comfortable and confident on the Allwave. Do I stick to the backbays for awhile and work on footwork, balance, turns etc., or do I take it out in the ocean to get comfortable and confident there? This time of the year I can get out once a week, maybe twice a week if the stars and everything else lines up. Kid schedules etc.

SUGGESTION:  BOSU BALL

Certainly time in the surf zone is key, but about 15 months ago I was paddling a 9'8" UP Sports board and met StandinDan from this forum at the Churches break in SoCal.  Dan was on a 8'4" Chelu and when I asked him if he was coming down in size, he said he was actually coming UP from the 7 foot range. 

I was stunned, and asked him how he achieved the balance to do it.  He told me about the Bosu Ball stuff he was doing at home.  Dan just turned 50, but is a superb athlete and a former jarhead (i.e. he's learned from years of wear and tear on his body that it's easy to be hard, but better to be smart).  I considered Dan a credible source so I went out and bought one soon after.

So basically, you flip the ball spherical side down, platform side UP.   

(There's actually a warning that says, "Standing on platform not recommended."  Yeah right, like not recommended if you don't ever want to get better on a SUP.)


With the platform side up, you have to fight for balance via yaw, roll, AND pitch, just like you would on a smaller SUP.  I've gotten to the point where I can stand on it while throwing  a 10lb Nike exercise ball high in the air, then catching it while simultaneously doing a squat.  Fifty reps usually.

(I DID clear the area of dangerous objects until i got the hang of it.) 

Did it help on a SUP?  Well, my "go to"  SUS boards are now 8' and 8'2", and I've comfortably paddled some boards in the mid and low 7' range in cleaner surf conditions.  And I'm a so-so athlete at best, approaching 50, 5'9" 175 lbs.   

I found the Bosu ball to be a useful off water tool, and one that could certainly be utilized while binging on the Daily Show during the dark NJ winter days of 38 degree rain.

Just my two cents...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOSU

« Last Edit: September 14, 2014, 08:53:41 PM by The Kernel »
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Over 50, but usually pushing it like I'm 25 and paying for it later.

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SUPcheat

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2014, 11:17:38 PM »
Member Stoneaxe has some good journalling here, you should go back and read his posts from the beginning.  He lost equilibrium in one ear and still managed to get his balance up to snuff to SUP and surf with TOTW(time on the water) and that has become my mantra, just persist. I am a very slow but consistent upward slope learner.

I would imagine with proning experience you will be SUP with confidence in short order.
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supthecreek

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2014, 03:52:15 AM »
Sounds like my first day in surf. Fell 100 times, caught 1 wave on my knees then stood up... felt like a barn door.

2nd day - 3 wave standing

3rd day - I figured it out, and rode a lot of waves.

The only real place to learn the balance challenges created by waves.... is by surfing.

Go out down the beach from the crowd, give a friend a movie camera, and record your session.... you will have plenty of laughs next year, when you look back at it  ;)

mrbig

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2014, 04:19:41 AM »
Go check out wetstuffs thread on slackline balancing. It is possible to do many things on land which absolutely can transform lousy balance!
Let it come to you..
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Off-Shore

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2014, 05:53:54 AM »
I learnt SUS in Sanur Bali and am not an ex-surfer (but an ex-windsurfer). The Rip Curl Rental place had SUPs for rent, and I'd been bay paddling 6 months or so since starting SUP in all conditions on a 10'6. The first three days I took out a 9'6" x 33" wide, fell a lot, and then started to catch waves and had great fun. On the 4th day someone had taken the 9'6" and so I went out on an 8'6" x 30" thinking I'd have no problems on the smaller board.. Disaster. Managed to paddle out and then started to get the wobbles, fell off multiple times and got to the point I could not stand up at all... didn't catch a single wave and paddled back in on my knees.

I ended up getting up early the rest of the week to get the 9'6" and then bought a Starboard 9' x 33" x 4.1" at the end of the week. This is a big board by today's standard, but hey, it was real easy to catch waves and I didn't get tired trying to stand on the thing.. I'm 52, 180lbs and 5'11.

Fast forward to 3 years later. I was out with a friend a couple of weeks ago and he had a brand new 2014 SB 7'11 Carbon.. Man that thing is light, and I had no problems on it... Just shows you. TOTW..

One other trick I was taught about getting to know unfamiliar boards quickly, is on flat water, walk around the board - as far up the nose as you can without falling off, then to the tail, then to each side. This really helps the brain to quickly get a mental map of the board stability which is sometimes more than you think.. but at the end of the day it is TOTW..

Finally I bought an Indo board which is a great way to improve balance and strength on land.. Fun for the kids too. What my surfing friends say is different about SUP, is that you gotta balance while stationary (SUP) as opposed to moving (Surfing). This is the balance the Indo board teaches you.

http://youtu.be/T4J4CrwnjIA
« Last Edit: September 15, 2014, 05:57:18 AM by Off-Shore »
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freetobeme

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2014, 05:58:35 AM »
Regarding on land balance techniques- If bosu, skateboarding, slack lining or indo are not within your physical means or if you fear getting hurt there are a ton of low impact single leg body weight exercises and some yoga/Pilates that are very beneficial.

I'm 38 and while I've done all the above activities (with the first 4 being a lot more FUN) nothing has helped my balance and lower body strength more than single leg body weight exercises. I started playing hockey last November at the age of 38. Never been on skates before. Met up with a college level athletic trainer who trains hockey, football, and lacrosse players. He gave me a ton of these exercises. It helped progress my skating immensely. I now play hockey 3 nights per week and have had no lower body injuries and very little soreness.

Incidentally, when I got back on my SUS board, after a 9 month hiatus, my balance and thus my confidence had skyrocketed!! 2 very important characteristics of a surfer. If interested PM me and I can send u an exercise list.
« Last Edit: September 15, 2014, 06:28:14 AM by freetobeme »
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raf

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2014, 06:19:01 AM »
TOW x 10.  Just get back out there and do it.  There is no substitute.  1 hour on a SUP in the surf > 100 hours on a thing-a-ma-jig

stoneaxe

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2014, 06:20:01 AM »
Exercise  and such on land is all good, everything helps some, and its good in general, but nothing works like TOW. I wouldn't even bother with bays unless you want a nice paddle with your wife. Flatwater won't do anything to get you ready for the ocean. I attribute me being able to do this at all to going out in tough conditions. The tougher the better. Look for sloppy choppy onshore days with nobody else around to work on board control. Nothing will make you progress faster. I still use them as my workouts. Yesterday morning was 12-15 kts sideshore/onshore with knee to thigh slop. I went out for two hours in the morning and never even really tried to catch a wave. I used to just paddle straight out into it and then turn and come straight back in getting mini-downwinders, but now I hang near shore doing circles in and out of the break. You'll not only improve your balance you'll learn to move on your board and to control it, learn to use your paddle to brace in every direction, and get a killer workout to boot.
« Last Edit: September 15, 2014, 06:26:03 AM by stoneaxe »
Bob

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supsurf-tw

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #12 on: September 15, 2014, 06:25:34 AM »
Try to go out and paddle in the worst conditions possible. After that anything less will be easy.
Boards:

 
8-10 x 31 Egg
8-11 X 32 Double wing Fangtail Tom Whitaker
8-6 X 30 1\2  Inbetweener Tom Whitaker
8-4 x 30 Hyper quad Tom Whitaker (wife's now)
8-4 X 31 1\4.  Round (wide) Diamond Tail Quad Tom Whitaker
 9-4 X 30 1\2. Swallow Stinger Quad Tom Whitaker (ex wifes now)
10-0 Brusurf for teach

PonoBill

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2014, 06:32:25 AM »
I was biting my tongue with everyone offering all these off the water hints, but now that Bob (stoneaxe) has said it all, I'll just sayif you're trying to get good at sex, you don't do it by playing more pinocle.
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.

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Re: Humbled newbie today
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2014, 06:43:43 AM »
NJ,  You copy/pasted my story...  I am still the biggest kook in the lineup in my second season.  Part of my excuse is that the G-D wind will not seem to back off from being onshore or sideshore.  On the perhaps three days of offshore this summer I had a decent time.  Like you, I could wear a tux and serve champagne on flat water but spazz-n-spash all over the place if the water gets lumpy. (proners must think a large White just took me.. but not the 9th time) If I switch with a friend to a 11' log, then I am 80% better but that is like coming down the little kids slide in the city park.

Big out'd me ..I embarrassed myself; Slack Line is extremely difficult for me. I don't have a lot of time doing 50+ hrs here and tending 25acres at home, but I am a polish mule - I enjoy hard stuff, I will not give it up.  I have bouncy balls both here and at home ..but too many distractions to have a regular schedule with them.  The water still seems the best place to practice balance.

It does get better; I have had a few memorable waves this season - all on the Allwave.  (I proned about 15yrs ago and kited waves for decade, so I know I good one) The Allwave seems more suited to mid-Atlantic, short period waves than any of the 5-6 other boards I have had.  I feel the need to go down in size from the 9-2 AW.  I had a 9-6 AW, and the 9-2 still seems a little corky to my 180lbs. Perhaps if I was 'settled' in the water a bit there would not be quite so much rock-and-roll..?

All the prior posters are 100% correct.  It will come.  Press on/Paddle out.

Jim



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