Standup Zone Forum

Stand Up Paddle => Technique => Topic started by: FRP on March 12, 2018, 12:58:25 PM

Title: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: FRP on March 12, 2018, 12:58:25 PM
Hi there,

I am looking for advice, information, videos on how to pump a Standup board to increase speed. I watch the short boarders do it and try to copy but all I seem to get is a bit of a wiggle up and down the wave and no increase in speed.

Cheers

Bob
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: TallDude on March 12, 2018, 01:31:41 PM
Pumping requires the ability pop or un-weight your board while pushing off your tail last to get the front of the board at an upward incline. Skateboarders have this move ingrained in their DNA. It's harder to pop a longer bigger board. There are times when you can do it, but you have to already have a good amount of speed going. It's more for maintaining speed than it is building speed. Once the board is light and climbing up over it's wake, then you weight the nose and that downward angle picks up a little bit of speed. Climb and descend, climb and descend. AKA the Huntington Hop.
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: SlatchJim on March 12, 2018, 01:58:16 PM
I always thought the Huntington Hop was that horribly unstylish habit of flapping the board on the water when you're barely moving though mush, and not legitimate pumping for speed.  Come to think of it, they're both done for speed.  I never heard of pumping referred to as the HH, just unproductive attempts at getting speed where no speed exists, as a precursor to falling off your board, or just having the whole mass sink like a turd.

Thankfully we have paddles, and can avoid that debacle all together  :D
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: Beasho on March 12, 2018, 03:36:40 PM
Do this:

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

With all seriousness SUP's are longer than shortboards.  This means that the cyclic speed of the hop is going to be slower.  I have successfully used the HOP method on my SUP but only for 10' and shorter SUP's typically when I am hovering 50/50 trying to get into a medium to large wave >> 8 feet.   
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: stoneaxe on March 12, 2018, 03:40:15 PM
I had never surfed before I Supped. I started pumping because it felt like the right thing to do. Didn't even realize it was a thing. I don't do it as often anymore but occasionally for sure. I think it helps being a bigger guy.  There's no question I can get a nice burst of speed and if you combine it in tandem with a paddle stroke you get the benefit of both. I like the feel of it as well when you get the frequency right.

BTW...the term pump a SUP just sounds wrong... ;)
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: PonoBill on March 12, 2018, 06:28:18 PM
If you have your back foot over the fins, and your board starts losing speed, it's pretty easy to pump a little speed out of the board to get past a section. But if your standing in the middle of the board it's pretty hard to make anything happen. Too much volume under your feet.
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: stoneaxe on March 12, 2018, 07:57:02 PM
I was thinking about this. I'm kind of surprised. I thought everyone did it. It is usually more about maintaining speed or getting around a section but I even will pump to get on a wave sometime. I do notice that I don't do it on the 10-4 Foote anywhere near what I do on my 8-4 Vec or the 9-0 SC (when I surfed it). But I also don't need to as much.
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: supthecreek on March 12, 2018, 08:23:52 PM
Hi FRP

Pumping is extremely physically active, and requires that you can get your board up on a rail during a turn.

As you angle down/across the wave face:
Compress your body to load up your legs
(bend ant knees and waist to fold down like an accordian)

At the bottom of the wave:
using the power stored in your coiled up body, throw your body forward and up.... towards the shoulder of the wave.
At this point, you MUST have your rail fully engaged in the wave, projecting a turn back up the wave on a shallow angle, so as not to scrub off speed.

As you get to the top of the wave:
You should be fully extended and the bottom of your board should be flat to the wave face, to carry as much speed as possible out of the turn.

At the top:
change the angle of your board to drop down the face, without engaging the rail.... keeping as much speed as possible toward the bottom of the wave... again, on a shallow angle.

as you angle down the wave:
Coil your body to full compression by the bottom, so you can project through another arcing turn. (not a snappy turn... a long projection turn)

Repeat until you have reached the shoulder and can start surfing  in the pocket again.

The keys are:
Coil then spring up, to create power to your rail
Un-weight, come off the rail as you project up the wave ( done to carry all possible speed out of the turn)
Come off the top softly, so you don't scrub off speed and begin the cycle again.

Most of my vids that were on boards that I could pump are all on Kook Hat Cam, and you can't see it happening..... so I will use an older video.

This Vid is on my 9'4 Acid in really small, gutless waves that required "pumping" to make the waves fun.

Kinda distant and hard to see but hopefully you will see the process.

I'll try to get some updated footage to show it better.... if the waves co:operate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of_4Y78uAgo





Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: Califoilia on March 12, 2018, 08:38:34 PM
My old friend Chelu turned me onto a Carver Da Monsta skateboard with their C7 "surf" trucks years ago, that was a great way to learn to pump on the street that's much more consistent surface wise, and then take it to the water. These young ladies although on a different board, and trucks...explain to pretty well, and distinguish the "surf pump" vs. the "Huntington Hop".....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycpafeySMfk
(It actually starts at the 0:50 mark if you don't want to sit through all the other stuff).

Add an adjustable Kahuna Big Stick, and you're SUPing, pumping on the the street...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjJMBNSL4-A
...that Mo kid demoing seems to be pretty good at it. ;) ;D
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: supthecreek on March 12, 2018, 08:46:16 PM
Pictures break it down better, piece by piece.
Lots of pics... but it shows the repetition that IS pumping

#18 shows the proper board angle, as you come off the top

Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: FRP on March 12, 2018, 09:34:43 PM
This is awesome! The pictures and videos are great! Rick I think we should rename you the “professor”. The breakdown and descriptions and pictures are much appreciated.  Sano......those chicks on skate boards....words can’t describe. I think I have been pumping...just need to practice and get my timing down and loosen up a bit. I guess the movement can be clear and up and down the wave or subtle little pumps where the projection is just partway up and the down the wave? I think remember a discussion a while ago on the physics of why we accelerate out of a bottom turn. I suspect this is a similar phenomena? The prediction is for some nice little waves later in the week. Perfect for practicing.
Cheers
Bob
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: stoneaxe on March 13, 2018, 07:13:55 AM
Guess I was confused by what you're calling pumping...... ::)
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: TallDude on March 13, 2018, 08:48:53 AM
There are obviously more than one way to 'Pump' a board. When I'm taking off on a wave (paddle or not) I will do a pump that is more of a Huntington Hop than a carving top to bottom pump. When I'm trying to catch a wave sometime I pump the nose up and down which helps me catch it. If I see a section ahead that I want to catch, I'll do a little HH to catch it. The shorter the board the faster the pump.
Creek pretty much nailed it down the line. I like to think of it as the old Space Force Game analogy....
Some of you are probably too young to remember this game, but generating speed down the line works just like this. The tighter your engaged rail to less engaged rail  'carving pumps', combined with the 'optimal line' generates the most speed possible.
 
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: PonoBill on March 13, 2018, 10:04:16 AM
New official name is the Space Force Pump. Great illustration from Professor Creek.

Most of the SUP surfers I see who didn't come from a surfing background stand too far forward on their boards. I think they're frozen in the position they were in when they caught the wave. The might step back with their non-dominant foot to get into a more balanced position, but the front foot stays planted in the forward trim position that's necessary to catch the wave. The result is they learn to turn solely by weighting the rail. They also can't really noseride since they can't stall their board.

Notice Creek's position in the shots after the first one when he starts down the wave. There's no way he could catch a wave from way back there unless it was about to break on his head. He moved to that position, and from there he can turn hard on the tail and rail, fully engaging the fins. Shortboarders pop up in that position. Longboarders cross-step to it, or shuffle if they have no style. I think that's the first step in pumping a board--learn to move around and get where you need to be to drive the board instead of just riding along. It's also where good cutbacks and bottom turns that get you up to the lip come from.

It's also important to be able to move the board from flat to railed and back. When you are on the rail in an extreme position the amount of force applied to the board is minimal. You can change direction quickly in that attitude because you have maximum "rudder". With the board flat to the face of the wave the greatest amount of force is applied, so it's easy to accelerate, harder to change direction.
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: Califoilia on March 13, 2018, 10:13:52 AM
When I'm taking off on a wave (paddle or not) I will do a pump that is more of a Huntington Hop than a carving top to bottom pump. When I'm trying to catch a wave sometime I pump the nose up and down which helps me catch it.
I do this as well (or similar), but include or time it with short quick paddle strokes to make the wave. To me, it feels as more as just taking weight off of, or lightening the board during the "pull" of a stroke, that seems to allow the board, and myself to jettison forward just a little more than if I just stayed standing on the board, and plowed it through the water with my full weight on the board at all times. When it looks like I'll get in, on the last stroke and lift, I'll push the board forward into the wave with my legs/feet, and push/pull myself forward onto with that last pull of the paddle...sort of like reaching out, and grabbing a fixed pole while on a skateboard, and pulling yourself forward with it...same thing/feel but with the paddle instead.

That Space Force brings back memories, and now I want to try it again...because back in the day, I never thought about equating moving the rods in a manner that would "pump" the ball down the line, similar to how I'd pump surfboard down the line at Huntington w/o hopping like a crazed bunny to do it.  :)
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: PonoBill on March 13, 2018, 10:35:24 AM
I rarely (maybe never) pump on takeoff. I tend to run to the nose when I'm feeling the wave get away and try to kick the board in, paddling like a maniac. I'm certain it looks elegant. Of course, once you catch the wave you need to get back in a flash or you'll be a submarine. The biggest improvement to my SUP surfing came from learning to cross-step and then applying it to be a lot more fluid in moving around the board. If you can't cross-step and you shuffle from the side by side foot position then every time you move on the board you tilt it side to side. That fucks up everything. Cross-stepping isn't just pretty, it moves your weight down the center of the board so you don't dig rails with every move. That's critical to moving around in a big, critical wave. You can get away with shuffling in little stuff, but darting around uncontrollably in a double overhead wave is just asking for it. At the very least, do your shuffling with both feet on the stringer. I still do plenty of shuffling, since cross-stepping isn't automatic for me, but I do it in the middle of the board.

That bias for moving down the middle of the board comes in handy for learning to foil. I'm comfortable with my both feet on the stringer and my front foot in the strap. The mental notion of kicking the board into the wave works too. There's a point in going for a wave with a foil where you feel the foil "release" which just means the AOA is minimal and the drag is decreased. Shoving forward with my feet when I feel that guarantees a catch. I don't always feel it, but when I do it always works--unless I fall.
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: Califoilia on March 13, 2018, 10:53:47 AM
I tend to run to the nose when I'm feeling the wave get away and try to kick the board in, paddling like a maniac. I'm certain it looks elegant. Of course, once you catch the wave you need to get back in a flash or you'll be a submarine.
Yes, same as mentioned above, but with the "pump/hop/paddle" to lighten the board on the pull phase, and then "kick the board in", and scramble back like a mutha the second you do get in. Definitely "elegant" I'm told...or maybe that's just what I think I'm hearing.  :o :D
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: seadart on March 13, 2018, 11:37:59 AM
.
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: TallDude on March 13, 2018, 12:41:31 PM
all I seem to get is a bit of a wiggle up and down the wave and no increase in speed.

Cheers

Bob
Part of this was only partly mentioned, but If you have a board with too much rocker and a thin tail you'll just end up with a wiggle in small waves. You need a flatter, shorter board with a more volume to really build speed in small waves. 
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: PonoBill on March 13, 2018, 01:17:28 PM
all I seem to get is a bit of a wiggle up and down the wave and no increase in speed.

Cheers

Bob
Part of this was only partly mentioned, but If you have a board with too much rocker and a thin tail you'll just end up with a wiggle in small waves. You need a flatter, shorter board with a more volume to really build speed in small waves.

Hence the fun of L41 Sims shape and my surprising ability to make the long run at Ricon on it where any of my other boards would be turned out or on the rocks.
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: stoneaxe on March 13, 2018, 05:01:49 PM
OK...just watched Beasho's vid. That's what I'm talking about when I think pumping. And I was thinking about how and when I do it...it's not so much as I'm paddling for a wave but usually just after I've caught it. It works best when you're already headed downhill of course. I think it may also be one of the few things in SUP where being big is an advantage. When I weight and unweight.....it's a LOT of weighting and unweighting....  ;D.

I'm going to have to consciously think about how and when I do it next time. I don't do it like the shortboarder in the vid...it's usually just a few quick pumps to get some extra speed then maintain with paddle or use it to turn...whatever.
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: jpeter on March 21, 2018, 11:44:50 AM
I do this as well (or similar), but include or time it with short quick paddle strokes to make the wave. To me, it feels as more as just taking weight off of, or lightening the board during the "pull" of a stroke, that seems to allow the board, and myself to jettison forward just a little more than if I just stayed standing on the board, and plowed it through the water with my full weight on the board at all times. When it looks like I'll get in, on the last stroke and lift, I'll push the board forward into the wave with my legs/feet, and push/pull myself forward onto with that last pull of the paddle...sort of like reaching out, and grabbing a fixed pole while on a skateboard, and pulling yourself forward with it...same thing/feel but with the paddle instead.

Similar to Sano,  I do it on the wave catch, not always but when its borderline getting away from me.   It seems similar to pumping a windsurfer sail,  unweighting while you paddle pull.   JP
Title: Re: How to “Pump” a Standup surf board?
Post by: NorthJerzSurfer on April 20, 2018, 08:31:44 AM
Do this:

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

With all seriousness SUP's are longer than shortboards.  This means that the cyclic speed of the hop is going to be slower.  I have successfully used the HOP method on my SUP but only for 10' and shorter SUP's typically when I am hovering 50/50 trying to get into a medium to large wave >> 8 feet.

This clip is TOO funny!!!!

summer surf season is upon us and the ass wigglers and Hoppers will be smashing the face of mushy knee high waves...oh the entertainment!
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