Basic Foot Placements for Performance Surfing by "Feel"

[Blane Chambers]

After iggy460's post asking about rear foot placement and movement I started to think about it more and put this together to take it all a little further...  

If you are not into turning hard or carving turns, this thread is not worth reading.    This is really geared toward taking your surfing to a point where you can rip turns, set up tubes, and basically start ripping on a sup board.    

First off, for the last few years I never thought much about where or how I'm placing my feet.    After surfing so long you just get used to moving around till you "FEEL" the sweet spot of any board.     Once you feel it you jump right back into that spot.       If you want to turn harder or more straight up, you automatically find a sweet spot to do it.      You remember it and everytime you want to blast the same type of turn you get back into the spot.    ALL BY FEEL.   It wasn't till I watched some Go Pro footage that I really saw how much I moved my feet around especially the rear foot on these wide boards with wide tails.

I was actually surprised by the movements needed to get these wide boards ripping.    You cannot just stand in one spot like a short board.    In order to really take your surfing to the next level getting your toes and heels on the rail is essential.     I put together some visuals to show the extent of how much foot movement is needed if you want to do some performance surfing...

Frontside:
Starting off simple...   Here's Kepa leaning into the wall and ready to drive for speed.    The wave is standing up and gonna peel quickly down the line.   His back foot is solidly placed on the rail over the foward fin.    This is a typical the sweet spot on boards for down the line driving...   From here he can lay his weight into a solid bottom turn OR just fly down the line.    Notice his foward foot in a center position.    More than likely his back foot will move many times from opposing rails on this wave while his forward foot will move 1/2 as much and not as drastically from rail to rail.


A closer view of putting that back foot onto the sweet spot for down the line speed and pumping the board...   This pic is actually mid-pump down the line.    Back foot on the rail and front foot center...   By having your front foot close to center you can just move your back foot to carve around.   This is the typical foot placement in waves you'll be doing a lot of re-directing turns.



When cutting back and you want to put some power into it, your back foot will go over the other rail and forward fin.    Get your heel into that turn.
 


If the wave is really fast or you need to commit to a line on a hollow wave then your forward foot can get closer to that inside rail so you can keep that wide board tight on the steep face.   The goal is the board holds a good line on the steep face.    By placing your forward foot closer to the rail you cannot make huge, radical turns but in the tube you just need to steer well instead of gouging a big turn...
Ikaika



Backside:
Backside is a little different because of the way your heels are connected to the rest of your body.   Your weight is mainly over your heels so use it to your advantage!      Its basically a reverse of frontside if the waves are slow and mushy.   Back heel on the rail till you need to cutback then its back foot toes on the inside rail.    When the waves get steeper, this is where people have a hard time.    

Check out Tom Carroll here driving down the line...  Heels on the rail.    This is where you want your feet for driving your board across any backside section that has any kind of steepness to it or your trying to gain speed or control speed...    


Ikaika just trying to make this drop so he can set up the tube.    Heels on the rail so he can leverage his body into the turn...


This is the ONLY way to ride a fast, steep backside sections.    You need to get that wide board rail to stick nice and solid in the face.     You can still steer nicely from this position...


Ekolu both heels on the inside rail.


Ikaika again tucked up tight.    All his weight is being distributed from the extreme inside rail...    Like I said, you can steer nicely from here.   Maybe not a big snap turn but a slight forward foot adjustment back to center will allow that when needed...


The Goal with all this
Surfing by feel is the goal.   You can't be looking down all the time at where your feet are.     When you feel your board rip a turn you will know.   It will feel great!   That's when you look down and see where you are standing.   Next wave, do your best to get right back into that spot.   Do it over and over again till you never have to look again.  

Surfing by feel is what most long time surfers do.     Most seasoned surfers never look down at where they are standing.         Even Ikaika Kalama was surprised when he saw how far his heels were on the rail at Pipe.   He never looks at his feet so he never knew till pictures surfaced...    This is where you want to be.  

One more pic...   This is on my 12 Gun/Ripper.    I rarely stand this far back on it unless the wave at that very moment calls for it and by feel this is what was needed...     Always strive to surf your board to its full potential by FEEL.


An old clip riding a 10-6 in small waves.    Lots of foot movement....
Alone on Oahu

  












  

[kwhilden]

Great post Blaine!  I really enjoy your technique tips. Looking forward to testing this out.

Kevin

[Blane Chambers]

Fin setup is very important, of course, but for me this technique has WAY more effect than any fin setup change could.

Thanks Ken for this...   

Quite possibly the most intelligent thing posted regarding improving your surfing.       There are soooo many people out there focused on things like fins when their technique is the real road block.        Guys are thinking they can't do this or that because of fins or this or that with their paddle or whatever.   Honestly and truthfully the reason you are ripping or not is in the mirror.     We can provide all the things you may need in a design to kill it.    It's really up to you...     

Once you get technique down that's when fin set up becomes more and more relevant.     Practice, practice, practice...    It will come...    Have a blast and carve and a barrel....

   

[WB_BB]

Very good post you really spell it out well. It is funny how much goes into something that you really don't know is happening. Thanks

[linter]

Another classic post from Blane!

And let me say this: I hung my heel backside today for the first time ... and it works, turned the freaking board on a dime.  Thanks!

[lopezwill]

Great thread Blane!  Compression and now rail foot placement.  How many more rabbits do you have in your hat?

[Bob from Brazil]

That was great, Blane... Thanks for sharing!!

Mahalo do Brazil,
Bob.

[poppi]

Mahalo for sharing, most people would'nt give up the time to post and share but you are always about the passion of SUP. A great big MAHALO,
You da man

[Konomaui]

Mahalo Blane for taking your time and sharing.
I just got PSH 9'3 ripper and I can't wait to try and rip like you guys (in my dream? ).
Mahalo again. You rock.

[tautologies]

Sweet write up...without having any chance of ever surfing like you, I'd agree...you've got set the rail....

...the funny thing was when I took out my longboard after a long time on SUP exclusively, I automatically did the same..and ended up in a not so good place...

a.

[Deb]

Thank you SO much for the step-by-step (no, not a pun) information!  Watching guys do this out on the water helps, but having your still shots, detailed descriptions and emphasis on the feel of it are terrific! When someone asks me about surfing, I tell them it's like dancing - it's something that you feel in your body.

[EastFL]

Really informative.  I've found this write up really helpful, especially backside. 

Thanks!

[Blane Chambers]

Glad it makes sense!    More to come...

[Strand Leper]

Great post Blane!  The answer to the question "why does this board do (x) backside, but does not do it frontside" is usally solved by foot placement... I find that I naturally am more on the rail backside than I am frontside... it took a while to "re-learn" this lesson... your pic's just slammed it all home.

SL

[elbeau]

Blane Thank you.
I had spent a bit of time experimenting and thinking about this very thing. You have confirmed some points and saved me substantial time and effort. Big thank you