Can ride down the line....whats next?

[SUPJorge]

PB, "step back with my front foot first.  Otherwise the first step is too long ...." That makes perfect sense. Thanks!

[daswusup]

One thing I see a lot of surfers do when learning is they get to a point where they can catch waves all day long and ride them down the line and not fall much but in a really boring straight manner way out on the shoulder. And I will hear them say "I can surf now". While technically, I guess, that is surfing, it is really just the very early stage of riding a wave.

One thing that you could work on is surfing in the pocket of the wave, which means that the breaking part of the wave is right behind you or sometimes on your back foot and tail of board. The beginners that I mentioned will always be way out on the "green" part of the wave, well out of harm's way of the breaking part. What you will find when you start riding in the pocket is that there is a lot more power and steepness to work with there compared to 10' out in front of it. You will be closer to disaster surfing in the pocket and you will eat shit more often but eventually you will become comfortable and excited about flirting with it and harnessing its power instead of just running away from it.

A good way to place yourself in the pocket is to think about taking off straight towards the beach(on a beachbreak) instead of what a lot of people do which is at a 45 degree angle heading towards the green face. So, take off straight down the face, letting the wave break behind you and when you have dropped all the way to the flat part of the wave, do your bottom turn and carve back up into the pocket. If executed properly, you will find your self back at the top of the wave and then get to drop in and do it all over again. Another way is to take off with slight angle, like you probably already do, and once you have caught the wave then put on the brakes by leaning on your back foot and slowing down so that the pocket catches up with you. Your paddle can be used here as well to help slow you down. I find the first scenario much more exciting.

I see a lot of SUP surfers outrunning the wave all day long with their 10' boards and all the glide that comes with that. That's ok if they are satisfied with that, but other surfers will take note of their habits and begin to drop in and surf the better part of the wave that they are 10' in front of. Its actually an ok setup for wave sharing if everyone is on board with it.

[WhatsSUP]

I think Creek's comment of "art" vice "science" pretty much sums it up (for me)

Lot's of work to do that's for sure....I can work on cross-stepping practice, quick spins, an overall balance on flatwater until I can get back to the surf in a couple of weeks. 

My personal SUP goals are #1) have fun!, 2) not hurt anyone (including self), #3) be able to ride/work waves via turns/cutbacks, and #4) noseride (not sure that's possible on my 9'5" Allwave...probably my 11' NSP Element.

 

[SUP-rising]

WhatsSUP. a good way to approach improving is to understand what surfing is.

Surfing is falling (as in gravity) .... we are not pushed by waves..... we fall. (except see below)

As the wave steepens, we paddle to reach a speed that helps us get to the right place on a building wave.

When we "catch" the wave, we have simply gotten to a steep enough part of the wave, with enough paddling speed.... then we feel the "release" and we fall towards the bottom of the wave.
If we keep going straight towards shore, the wave will either run us down, or the whitewater will "push" us slowly towards shore.
Once a wave "breaks".... the stationary water is given motion, as the energy carries it towards shore.

Ultimately, what we want to do is take the speed we get from our initial "fall" and return to the "top", so we can "fall" again.
To do this, we use our speed achieved through falling, and use it to make a bottom turn.
The bottom turn heads ups back to the top.
If we don't make a "top" turn... we simply kickout.
The top turn redirects us, so we can fall again and pick up speed.

Even when we go "straight" across a wave face.... we are falling
"trimming" is simply the act of falling sideways down the wave, at the same speed the water is rushing up the face.
Until a wave has broken.... the water does NOT move.
Watch a seagull or surfer sit in the water as a wave passes under them..... the "wave" goes by them towards shore... but the water does not move.

Take a long rope and lay it straight out on the ground.... go to one end, grab the end of the rope and shake the rope in big up and down motions.
The rope never moves, but a "wave" runs down the length of rope, with high and low spots.
The energy moves.... not the rope. Same with waves.

SO.... as the wave moves towards shore, the water is rushing up the "face" of the wave, as the energy moves through the water.
When you are surfing "straight" across a wave face, there is a lot going on.
let's say you are going "right" and the shore is a straight beach to your left....

You are going "straight"in the direction of your board
You are sliding (falling) down the face sideways to your left
You are getting carried up the face, from the "still" water that the wave is passing through... giving the water an "apparent" speed... at a speed that matches your fall
and the whole mess is moving ever closer to shore

recap: you are going, straight, down, up and sideways toward shore.... all at the same time.
Very sensual! It is the magic that is surfing.

The fun of surfing is deciding what to do with all that available energy.

once you leave the "trim" plane, things get interesting.
A turn is simply digging the right rail into the water moving up the face, and stopping your sideways slide toward the beach..... you simply "slow down" and go "up" to the top
Once at the top, you disengage your right rail, and angle the bottom of the board flat (relative to the wave face) and release from the stationary water so you can fall back down

Confused yet? 

Turning is simply "engaging" a rail, by digging into the water, and allowing the board to "grab" or "release" the stationary water.

A "carving" turn carries more speed forward than a weak turn.
To "carve", you must leave the comfort of balance
You must commit your body past the rail of the board.
Done correctly... your feet will transfer your weight on the board to "tilt" the board to match your new body angle (relative to water surface)

Centrifugal force keeps your weight pressing down on the board an allows you to "balance" as the board carves a turn, that brings it back under you.
If you do not commit the rail, as much as you commit your body.... you will simple fall over.
Like riding a bike too slowly a you turn..... your body and the bike lean with matching angle, at sufficient speed and magically, you don't fall over..... you turn and bing the bike back under your body. Voila'...

Surfing is simply, a series of falls and turns..... how you do them becomes your style.
"Pumping" is just linking small "falls" and "climbs" in a row to generate speed..... like pumping a skateboard across a flat parking lot.

The harder you carve.... the more "G" force you generate to carry into your next move.

A cutback, is simply using your speed to turn from a flatter part of the wave, back to the steeper part of the wave.

Fall down.... go back up.... fall down again.
Repeat.

add commitment....
add style

ALL surfing comes from your mind.....the body simply does what it is told.

Now.... go find your style...... and be ballsy........ no surfer ever got good by being timid.

Best explanation of surfing I've ever seen.

[ctuna]

1a Are you walking the board and trimming it .
1b) Nose Rides and hanging 5 or 10
2) Turns , Turns using your paddle
3) Switch stance riding
4) 360.s off the tail and nose.



!

[WhatsSUP]

This one seems to be pretty good for bottom turns...the study and practice continues...

[supthecreek]

Whatz^
Excellent video. Good explanation and clips to highlight his points.
Jimmy is a Rhode Island boy..... really great surfer and all around nice guy.

[WhatsSUP]

Creek:  I didn't know he (Jimmy) was a RI guy....cool!

Funny, I went back and watched a few of your vid's at lunch today......I love watching them and really try to dissect your foot/weight movements!

They never get old:





I'm on a quest to go back and view all the vid's on this forum I can find......Hey Admin's:  Be great if there was a central depository for any submitted vid's (i.e., a Standupzone Video Library).