What's the deal with all the Knee Sup'rs in the line up?

[SoCalSupper]

HEEEEEEEY MACARENA!!!! 

I will admit i bend the rules of snaking when at T1-lots of newbs or 909ers on longboards that have been sitting in their garage in Riverside since the last time they camped with the family.

But i do the same as SL-high line-looking back-if they make the drop i pull out and say sorry over my shoulder-if they say its cool i dont do it again unless they are  for sure going opposite direction, if they say something then i do it again and again and then start talking to myself and occasionally screaming obscenities to give me that whole-"psychosupper" vibe. Boom instant 50 yard cushion and waves to myself...

Just kidding-kind of-what were we talking about?-oh yeah knee paddling into a wave or back out with a crowd-dont do it.

[bootesta]

Cool Strand. That's what I thought. You always have fun things to say. Thanks for the clarification. Dogpatch is where I usually surf, hope to meet you someday out there:)

As for the knee paddling, hurts just thinking about it. I have had both ACL's reconstructed and kneeling is not an option for me.  I have always had to stand getting out past the surf since day one.

[OC kbar]

As long as someone is not creating a problem I don't care if they are knee paddling a boogie board with a cat. 

[srowndedbyh2o]

As long as someone is not creating a problem I don't care if they are knee paddling a boogie board with a cat. 

I'll second that!

[Celeste]

As long as someone is not creating a problem I don't care if they are knee paddling a boogie board with a cat. 

I'll second that!

And I hope someone gets video of it

[SlatchJim]

The first rule of knee paddling,
is you don't talk about knee paddling.

[Bulky]

The first rule of knee paddling,
is you don't talk about knee paddling.

The same applies for cat paddling.

[SoCalSupper]

or paddling on your knees with a cat through a crowded lineup while fiddling with your Gopro.

[Cardiff Sweeper]

You ever notice some knee paddlers have no timing when it comes to catching waves?  

"Oooh, a wave!  Okay, start paddling towards shore, and be sure to not look behind me to see if the wave's broken yet.  Oh, and who cares if someone's already caught it and is flying down the line towards me!"
 

I don't razz anyone for their technique. But when its crunch time, I'm not waiting for them to take off.

[southwesterly]

Most, if not all, knee paddlers wear trunks with those little mesh panty liners.

[Bulky]

I'd think the timing has to do with a few variables.  First assuming they're inexperienced (and I'm not far beyond this), timing a takeoff is a challenge.  One gets better at reading waves with time, but initially the mistake is to go early and paddle about 10-20 yds more than one needs to.

Second, I don't think paddling on your knees allows for quick acceleration.  You just can't pull as effectively as is possible standing up.  I've learned that "quick stabs" are effective when you're catching a wave, so having the full length of the paddle makes these much more productive--you just have more of a fulcrum to take advantage of than when your hand is at the water line (as is the case when you're kneeling).

Third--and I think this is the biggest challenge--it's very hard to trim the board on your knees.  It really feels like you're basically on a see-saw.  You might be able to make a quick forward or back adjustment, but not side to side.  This is especially important for us bigger guys--if you think about 200+lbs of weight needing to be adjusted via two small (and very mobile) contact points (your feet), even just being able to move them a half inch or so can mean making the drop or not.  Trying to do it via two rather large and immobile contact points (your knees) is much more challenging.  Maybe if you're smaller and have a more favorable flotation ratio with your board, that isn't such a big issue, but I think it would be hard to master.

[Bulky]

Most, if not all, knee paddlers wear trunks with those little mesh panty liners.

Hey, wait a minute...were we not supposed to wear those?

[OC kbar]

Most, if not all, knee paddlers wear trunks with those little mesh panty liners.

Hey, wait a minute...were we not supposed to wear those?

I wear those too... I like the elastic waste band...until I loose my shorts in a big wipe out.

[XLR8]

Most, if not all, knee paddlers wear trunks with those little mesh panty liners.

Oh boy I laughed at that...

[supthecreek]

Jumping in late... little out of state surfari today

Never even touched a stand up board till I owned one...

Like the Rincon Kneebee said.."But I surfed all my life"

Paddled a mile in a river... this is EASY!    Time to surf it...

My daughter went and watched.... nearly wet herself laughing at me. I could hear her screams of delight from the lineup

If I fell once, I fell 50 times... was on my knees so much, that they didn't heal for 6 months!
So net result, day one? This world traveler, dedicated surf bum caught ONE wave... on my knees.... the shame

Having absolutely no shame when it come to learning new things, I provided regular amusement in the lineup. By day 3, I was beginning to figure out the whole parallel feet take off thingy, and got some "Stand Up" waves. Nothin' to it!

I used my regular lineup etiquette and stayed out of the way, but I was  "Knee Geek of the Week" as a Newbee

Today,I was in the middle of a pretty busy prone lineup for 4.5 hours... towards the end, a little bump from an light onshore wind made me take refuge on my knees between sets. I even paddled out on my knees a bunch in the end... I was beat. It was a point break, so I swung out wide and paddled slow so the guy's in the line up could see I wasn't hustling back out for the next set.
When a set came... I'd pop up and assume the position, glad for the R&R.

So, I guess this is just a little "Devils Advocate".... Knees have their place... when used properly.