Step Back Turn, Vs parallel stance to catch a wave

[surfcowboy]

I was noticing at the contest this weekend that not many guys in the heats I saw, did the "step back turn" to catch a wave, most seemed to paddle on one side and bring it around.

How many of you guys do the step back and do you choose based on the wave?

I am learning the step back but it puts me so off balance that I'm often not set up correctly to catch the wave, so I'm tending to not work on it much in the surf, which only makes me less likely to get it. (funny how that works)

What's the ratio out there?

[kagey]

What size boards were they on? shortboards don't really require a step back turn a lot of the time. Since I've been out a few times now on my 7'10" I've found one good pull with the paddle will turn me 180 degrees if necessary.

Also I on a personal note it depends on how choppy/bouncy the conditions are cos although I do step back turns for waves, if its fairly choppy/bouncy I'll just paddle round in a parallel stance so I don't fall and miss the wave! (plus I'm no expert)

[RecSuppa]

Hi,

In my case, I find it easier and more efficient to turn in the parallel stance, trying to choose in advance the wave and the place I want to be when it comes. Of course, sometimes good waves rise in ways you can't predict, closer to the line up. If it's a clean, perfect day, there's plenty of space and no risk of harm to anyone (in case i fail/fall), I may try a step back turn to catch it. If it's windy and choppy, thought, or too many people in the water, I'll probably leave it to the crawlers.

Aloha.

[1tuberider]

Most of my quick  turns are paddling stance.  I can spin it in its own length with stability.

[Caribsurf]

on my shorter boards  9-10 ft the step back works fine and allos for later take offs, with my longer boards it is more of a drawn out swing around, but then again in better surf I am on my short boards

[AJR]

I'm a little better than a novice but not by much.  I'll try the step back eery once in a while but it's pretty unstable.  I stay in a parallel stance and paddle from back to front on one sidea couple times and then switch to the other side and give it a good hard stroke from front to back.  That gets me turned most of the way.  This has been more successful since I got my new Blair 10' with the thruster set-up.  On my first Isle 11' I couldn't turn very fast.  I don't know if it was the extra length or the 8" center fin though...

[newton333]

exactly smaller board u have to wrap into the wave to fight the yaw of a smaller board.

[ODJ]

i feel its almost essential to step back to turn and start to get into a wave, and i believe in this for a couple of reasons, first off, the board will spin around faster than if you are in a parallel stance (yes, smaller boards dont require much effort compared to a larger board). what i do is have my front foot placed a little more toward the middle of the board (were talking middle as far as the board's width, not tip to tail) and step back with the rear foot. this allows me to spin faster, but more importantly it already means i am in a 'partial surf stance', so once i am in the wave all i really have to do is just move my back foot back just a bit and i am in the full surf stance. plus you are way more balanced than if you try getting into a wave in a parallel stance, where you become unbalanced, inefficient and may not be quick enough to go from a parallel stance into a full surf stance before the wave breaks. using the partial surf stance while getting into the wave will also allow you to make a later drop if you need to and is the way to go once you start getting into bigger waves. the parallel stance works ok on small, slow moving waves, but wont work for bigger, steeper stuff. with a parallel stance you have to make several moves/step backs and adjustments to get in the wave, but if you are already in a partial surf stance, all you need to do is move that back foot back just slightly and over whatever fin you want to initiate your turn through.

actually changing my stance when paddling into waves from a parallel stance to a partial surf stance is what really improved my SUP surfing and took me to the next level. it was weird at first, but once i realized how much more planted and solid i was getting into waves it was a no brainer. the board i currently ride is a 9 x 29 x 4, i'm 6'2, 185lbs.

[2tomlinson]

This was very helpful to me, thanks very much.  I live on Sanibel Island, just learning to surf (although I wind surfed for several years) and this is the most concise description that I've read regarding how to prepare to catch a wave, thanks, Tomlinson

i feel its almost essential to step back to turn and start to get into a wave, and i believe in this for a couple of reasons, first off, the board will spin around faster than if you are in a parallel stance (yes, smaller boards dont require much effort compared to a larger board). what i do is have my front foot placed a little more toward the middle of the board (were talking middle as far as the board's width, not tip to tail) and step back with the rear foot. this allows me to spin faster, but more importantly it already means i am in a 'partial surf stance', so once i am in the wave all i really have to do is just move my back foot back just a bit and i am in the full surf stance. plus you are way more balanced than if you try getting into a wave in a parallel stance, where you become unbalanced, inefficient and may not be quick enough to go from a parallel stance into a full surf stance before the wave breaks. using the partial surf stance while getting into the wave will also allow you to make a later drop if you need to and is the way to go once you start getting into bigger waves. the parallel stance works ok on small, slow moving waves, but wont work for bigger, steeper stuff. with a parallel stance you have to make several moves/step backs and adjustments to get in the wave, but if you are already in a partial surf stance, all you need to do is move that back foot back just slightly and over whatever fin you want to initiate your turn through.

actually changing my stance when paddling into waves from a parallel stance to a partial surf stance is what really improved my SUP surfing and took me to the next level. it was weird at first, but once i realized how much more planted and solid i was getting into waves it was a no brainer. the board i currently ride is a 9 x 29 x 4, i'm 6'2, 185lbs.

[surfcowboy]

Totally, thanks for all the thoughts. It seems like it's, like all things, somewhat personal, but I see the point of surf stance turns and when I rode a smaller board recently, I remember wishing I could move my balance forward and back as I caught the wave. That stance would help that.

[Woody]

ODJ hit it on the head; the drop stance is a more natural, stronger position to work from and leads to better overall control and more aggressive positioning for catching the wave at the best point. That's not to say it doesn't take practice to become efficient and confident but your between set 360 tail spins will pay out big dividends in a few as a couple sessions. Stay with it, it's worth it to add this to your toolbox!

Cheers!

[Woody]

Tom made some really good points in a related posting in the Techniques room. See below. Again, its all about having the tools you need for the conditions.

This is an article I wrote a while ago and may help some of you catch waves.


This is how I do it, it’s not the only way, but it works for me. This technique is designed to get you in the right position to catch your wave while paddling hard and fast down the wave face.

Most SUP’ers have a preferred side to paddle on and it doesn’t always correlate to whether they are a regular or goofie foot surfer. My preferred paddle side is my left side and I am a regular foot surfer. In other words, when I take off on a wave, whether I plan to go right or left on the wave, I want to continuously be paddling on my left side. This is an important point, if you need to switch paddle sides while catching a wave; you lose a stroke, and may miss the wave.

To help explain my technique, I will use points on a clock, with 12:00 pointing out to the horizon where the waves come from, and 6:00 pointing to the beach and down the face of the wave. Since I want to take the wave while paddling on my left, and because paddling on my left will cause me to turn right, I will set up with my board pointing at 12:00 and looking for the waves that will be peaking on my right and in front of me. If they peak on my left, I let them go because I’m in the wrong position.
As a set approaches, I determine which wave I want and estimate where it will peak. I will then paddle towards that spot so that I will be in front of that spot before it breaks and heading between 2:00 to 4:00. As the wave peaks, I can decide to not take the wave, switch paddle sides and paddling hard on my right, and go over the back of the wave. If I plan on taking the wave, I will keep paddling on my left and turn my board towards the direction I want to take the wave with either sweeping paddles to turn the board more or straight paddles to turn the board less. The paddling stroke and speed is determined by how the wave develops and whether I want to drop in on the wave heading either at 5, 6 or 7 o’clock.

Every wave breaks differently and hopefully this will set you up to be able to adapt to the differences. This is where wave judgment and paddle skills come into play. If the wave jumps up quick, I make a tight quick turn. If the wave is slow and the wave will break farther inside, I paddle heading at 4 or 5 o’clock to get to where it will break, and then take the wave at 6 o’clock. Also, how fast the wave breaks will determine my stance as I take off on the wave. With a slow wave, I stay in a parallel stance while catching the wave; with a steep wave, I go into an early surf stance while it’s jumping up. If I’m late on a slow wave, I may run to the nose while paddling frantically. With practice and paying attention to where and how the waves break, you should be able to catch all the waves you want. Just be courteous and give more than you take.

Note. This description is for those who would prefer to take a wave while paddling on their left. If you would prefer to paddle on your right, reverse left with right and 3:00 with 9:00.   

[AJR]

Great post ODJ - I've been working on improving my surfing and it's been getting better but this I think will help even more.  I now realize I need to move that back foot back a little more and get some weight over the fin in order to initiate that first turn.  One of my challenges is making that initial turn so I can ride the wave and not just go straight toward the beach...

[surfnpoppy]

Seems to me that this thread started out about using a step back turn or beach boy turn to get the board in position to catch the wave and has evolved into something different. I too find that the step back turn can be somewhat risky on a small-er board in less than glassy ideal conditions.

As far as surfer stance or parrallel stance for take off, it depends entirely on the wave. My favorite is surfer stance for late take off on a steep face wave. Its kindof fun to get into position and just stand there looking back over your shoulder and just wait for the wave to come to you then 3 or 4 hard strokes from a dead stop and your dropping in...weee.

[surfcowboy]

I gotta update this one.

On my trip last week I practiced the step back turn and catching waves in surf stance and I have to say that although it was hard at first, my wave count went way up. When I was on a break alone I could catch 2 waves per set easily by the end. ODJ is right, but I do say that when it's super choppy I still had to be careful. I suspect that time on the water will bring me to spin almost everytime I catch a wave. Besides, it looks cooler.