Small waves reveal everything says master coach Brad Gerlach…
Recently, the surf coach and former world number one (or two, depending on how you call such things), Brad Gerlach, attended a WQS event in Japan with Parker Coffin.
We’d been back and forthing on a few things (Gerlach appears in an upcoming episode of Like Bitchin!) and he mentioned that he was in Japan, with Parker Coffin, for the Ichinomiya Chiba Open. It was an enlightening experience, watching talented surfers forced to ride one foot waves, he said. It played into his hands, somewhat, since he will soon be releasing a book that reveals the surf coaching method he calls Wave Ki.
I can’t wait to inhale its mysterious perfume.
Gerlach is even lovelier now than when he was at his professional surfing peak in the eighties and nineties. He wears fiery little hats in bottle green, spectacles that shave years off his biological age and his lean body betrays a carnal fluency.
Now let’s curl at his feet and listen…
BeachGrit: You’re there, right there in Japan, watching a zillion surfers trash away at tiny waves in a WQS event. What do you see?
Gerlach: The ASP tour came to Japan twice a year when I was on it and a lot of the events the waves were just like this one. I sucked in little waves and aside from Tommy (Curren) we all tried to figure out how to go fast, do big turns and look good. Well, maybe not all of us cared about looking good and that may be what I see here in Japan. Some of the guys who do the best small-wave surfing aren’t the most stylish.
The question is, does it matter?
I say yes it does and it’s impressive because it’s rarely seen! But that’s another conversation. I believe surfing well in small waves is the hardest thing to do in surfing. Often, it’s where even the best can struggle. I believe a surfer who rips in little waves could surf Mavs if he/she wants and with a lot of courage could surf it quite well. Not necessarily the other way around because little waves require perfect timing by generating speed from torque, twist and drive.
What I see here that impresses me is the… improvement. I have been watching a lot of these guys since they were juniors. Daveid Silva looked stronger with better timing, flare and confidence. I hadn’t seen that before with him. He impressed me, especially with his backside off the tops. I like seeing surfers improve. However, many haven’t improved noticeably and some are slower than before. Maybe they rode the wrong board or ate a bad bowl of ramen?
A lot of individual styles. Not everyone surfs the same. I think it’s cool and refreshing to watch. Some guys have a lot of drive and lift in their surfing. The South American guys are very impressive. They use up what the wave has to offer. Sometimes getting a bigger turn that I expect. I imagine it’s because quite often the waves are quick and small where they live and those are the conditions they have to compete in?
What do small waves amplify in a surfer?
Technique and timing or lack thereof and how much time they have spent surfing them. Are they riding the right board and fins for them and the conditions? Some surfers use a lot of aggression and movement and build speed quickly if their timing is good. I like to see this. It makes it fun for the spectators because we don’t know what is coming. Super hard to do when the waves are small and gutless. When this is done without good timing it looks ugly and forced. It tells me the the surfer has the drive to want to surf good but doesn’t have the talent, technique or time in the conditions to do it. Some people will just stand there and wait for the wave to steepen up but that may never happen, too.
You coach little Parker Coffin. How can he improve his play in small-waves?
This might be extra info but “coach” isn’t how I would label what I do. I don’t stand there with a whistle, yell and wave my hands around. Ha! However, we have thought of a few skits that we might just have to do one day. That’s just how people are defining it.
I’d say I am a teacher/mentor, but whatever. Anyway, I have been helping Parker since he was 13 so I know him well. He was little then, not so much anymore. What I did with him this week was show him how to go fast, using Wave ki, watching others that were ripping and talking with him on wave positioning and finishing turns. We did a lot of Wave Ki that was custom-made for him and the conditions. Then he would go surfing and I watched. I would call him in when I saw something I liked or if I saw something that could help him be more fluid, more vertical or not lose any speed. Sometimes, I saw that he was thinking too much and or trying too hard, so I called him in and helped him by talking about getting back into a rhythmic state. Sounds cosmic? Well, it is man! But who cares if you are flying around in gutless surf?
Parker’s timing improved a ton because he started using his whole body, not just body parts. His confidence improved with the timing, which makes me think he improved 25-30 percent in little waves this week. He looked to me like he had the goods to win.
Alejo Muniz’s brother Santiago has the best hair of any the other guys. It all goes forward, like he jumps on one of those taxi bikes and rides around the block backwards to style it.
Those WQS events are so…jock! Is that what you see too?
No, I don’t see the jock thing as much now that I went to the event. I feel like a lot of these guys have different styles and approach it uniquely. I was happy about that. We stayed with a group of South Americans and they were really cool guys. Seemed like they were enjoying themselves, open to sharing about boards, waves, conditions…There was a large range of ages on tour, some guys in their thirties, some teenagers. Sponsors are pretty scarce these days too. Hardcore group of surfers. Still a rad job nevertheless.
Tell me about Wiggolly and Alejo’s bro’s!
Wesley Dantas is a big kid and he was going super fast on nothing waves. He had a lot of energy from the moment he stood up. He doesn’t exactly have the greatest style but he is still young. It seems like he doesn’t give a shit, which I think is cool too. What he has is flare, power and control. I loved watching him in the gutless waves and down the beach from the comp when it got a little bigger. Huge turns. Impressive.
I have only watched Santiago a bit and liked what I saw. Just the energy and his drivey approach. This week was the most I got to see him surf and I really like it. He kind of over surfs a lot of waves and falls because he tries too hard but… man… he has a lot of potential. His raw approach makes him spontaneous and I dig that. I have only seen him surf in two-to-three-foot waves. He has the best hair of any the other guys. It all goes forward, like he jumps on one of those taxi bikes and rides around the block backwards to style it.
You’re excited about the Australian Conner O’Leary. Why does he excite you so? Because he’s a Eurasian stud?
Ha! Take it easy sailor! No… he surfs really good and looked like he was riding the right board. He was aggressive, smooth, has a ton of power. He goes for it. He looks like he will qualify for sure. His back knee sticks out a bit and that isn’t my favorite but other than that he looks great. And yeah, his Mom was on the tour back in the day and I think that is rad. I can’t imagine how cool or annoying that would be to have my mom paddle out and surf better than me when I was a kid.
Position of hips, tell me how that relates to small-wave surfing.
They have to move, that is how you get “squirt”… you should know that by now I trust. It’s how they move that is the trick. The surfers that rip in small waves are moving them back and forth to create drive and keep control. It is quite complex. I teach this with Wave Ki. I call it pendulum glide.
For most of us, the semi-competents, what are the three things we could that would improve our relationship with small waves… now?
Mmmmm… get a wider board that is an inch to two inches smaller than your everyday board. I like to ride one with a wider tail block too. In beachbreaks I mostly ride a three-fin with a smaller back fin. Play around with a quad if the waves are running or you are on a point. Quads do great cutbacks, carves, floaters, straight airs. Three fins are good for wind-swell, if you go left then right then left again. Also good for vertical surfing.
Wave positioning is key: Most intermediates surf/pump in the middle of the wave. All the power and speed is in the very top of the wave, the steepest part. I know the wave might be one-and-a-half foot but still try to pump up there and only go down to the flatter part of the wave when you want to come back up. This was huge for me when I learned to grovel.
Take off and get your feet in the right spot so your body is positioned to turn up to the top of the wave. This is shown in my up coming Wave Ki book.
Play around with changing your stance. If your stance is too narrow it will be hard to get speed.
If your stance is too wide it will be hard to turn. I run a little narrower stance backside in little waves.
I am always talking with my students about their stance for the conditions.
Congrats for the knowledge Gerr.
But,what do you consider the main differences trough being a “coach” (the mental and emotional stuff) and being a “mentor”?
And how to learn more about the wave ki… meanwhile i’m waiting for the full book… 😉
You’ve lost me DC??
But congrats on winning the “Comment of the Week” over at STAB. Surely the pinnacle of your career?
Excellent, and good times! btw I may be down your way soon. love to catch up. you still in touch with Barlo?
never forgot that one huh? ever try it?
Legendary insights from the Gerr. For those keyboard warriors bagging the small wave dross … guys, you missed the point entirely. This chap’s won the XXL, but he’s also found an insight in small-wave surfing that actually redeems the infernal activity and makes me wanna reconsider my attitude to the shoooit waves we surfers get 97% of the time.
As a surfer who (like most) bumbled his way through the ropes as a grom, learning intuitively, never having a clue for the technique, I find this technical like sheer voodoo. All I knew was guys like Curren knew something about wave energy that we all missed.
This technical mumbo jumbo is like a revelation. You had an fucking unfair advantage all those years on tour Gerr.
Reminds me of MP’s revelations about rocker: “It’s just like cheating, man.”
Thanks and yes I end up riding shit waves most of the time too!! Alas, i didn’t know most of this stuff when I was on tour otherwise I would’ve had an advantage. However, my students have the advantage now. Which is awesome to watch when they get it.
Fantastic! Connor’s a great example of someone who paid attention to the foundations and then built tricks on top — it’s just self-evident in his turns. As I, ahem, mature I’ve become more and more interested in reading/learning about this stuff. Without that, you just end up doing what you’ve always done.
Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned as it helps to see surfing through different eyes, making it fresh again. The real lesson here is to see small days as an opportunity to hone technique, not a curse. That’s gold.
Interesting — I’d read that read your dad (a gymnast?) coached you as a kid. Are you somehow driven to pass the baton; is the mentoring a bit of a homage to what Pops did for you perhaps?
Thank you. Yes and Conner still has quite a bit more development to come, which is exciting to imagine. I don’t see small waves as a opportunity to hone technique. I don’t see surfing as working or practicing. Surfing is surfing and working on things misses the point, and can ruin the fun, the reward! Wave Ki is where I and my students hone technique. My Pops was an Olympic Diver. and yes he coached me. I learned a lot from him. He is probably the biggest influence in my life. I teach because I love it and feel like I am effective in helping people change their lives.
“I don’t see surfing as working or practicing.” Yeah, at your or Coffin’s level you can say that Mr Gerlach! I remember with guitar at one stage it became like speaking a native language. All the scales and hard yards became lost, forgotten and it was just fluent, creative, playful, expressive. Stopped doing scales and exercises and just played.
No doubt your students reach that level where it’s an unconscious translation of thought/feeling into physical action but surely they’ve gotta “learn their scales” as well? Them hips don’t start quirtin’ on their own.
Genuinely, the technical analysis is what’s fascinating, as there’s so little of it in surfing, which is a raw, emotional, spontaneous sport. The WSL webcasts have been great for that technical discussion around what’s good surfing.
I’ll reserve my judgement on the while Ki thing until the book comes out!
yes of course, however Conner has been doing Wave Ki for 6 years.
PS — thanks for getting online and taking the time to respond to the Great Unwashed Gritterati.
As an aside, amusing how internet tuff guys like DrunkenAngel go all buttery at the knees when the subject of their ruthless verbiage actually shows up and starts riffing. Magnifique!
Kinda like how this panned out: http://beachgrit.com/2016/0…
“… never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I’d get to engage you in a debate.”
DrunkenAngel is telling his mates at the sheltered workshop the same thing today.
It’s a lot like music, nobody is working on music when they are playing live. surfing is playing live! and yea of course I want to come on here and engage. I am thoroughly entertained by drunkenangel and have laughed out loud at some of his comments.
Sheltered workshop? You’re making assumptions about people and placing them on a ladder below yourself.
Sounds like something an internet “tuff” guy might do my friend…
Hey, he swung first … I was just standin’ up for the Gerr, who’s reputation was unfairly impugned. I feel a bit like Barton Lynch after standing up to those marines in Japan now Neg. Smackdown from the mod on my first day of posting a the Grit.
And the sheltered workshop bit was a playful jibe. Not an assumption … Honest.
Unless you can see something I can’t Neg. Does his IP address originate from the Good Sammies’ range (in which case I apologise profusely)?
Seriously though, when someone with Gerr’s experience comes onto an internet forum I think a little more decorum than this is called for.
“fucking orientalist appropriation by an exceptionally dumb surfer. well done gerr, just when I thought surfers couldn’t be any dumber you show me the way down.” — think hope guy can survive a jibe about the sheltered workshop.
Article subtitle: The Gerr Spits Hot Fire In The Grit Comments Section!
1. Sounds cosmic? Well, it is man!
2. Flair not flare, dimwits
3. Take it easy sailor!
4. I’m buying Gerr’s book. He’s been hyping Wave Ki for a few years now.
5. Gerr is one of a handful of true individuals in surfing.
6. His surf tips are almost as good as Chris Gallagher’s.
7. Interview Chris Gallagher.
Whoops a daisy on “flair” but maybe i meant “flare” as in “sky rockets in the night” I mean he was flying…
oh? I don’t see where Gally’s techniques are written. I would gladly read them and respect Chris immensely. He shaped the tow board I won the xxl on. We have been friends for 25 years and have been talking technique since then. He is blessed with a very quick wit and I agree, interview Chris Gallagher.
Anything else, grammar police?
Gally is a board wizard. Anybody catch that Jordy’s boards at Bells/Margs/Rio were Gally’s but with CI logos?
On that topic, will Wave Ki be discussing any board design ideas for maximum Ki’ing?
Wave Ki is Wave Ki and only focuses on the moving forms inspired by surfing. Board design is discussed with my private students based on their level and where they might be surfing. Basically everyone needs something different.
That’s Derek’s fault he can’t spell flair correctly. I figured he transcribed it. No bigs. Gally did some stuff with Transworld a long time ago and he just has simple tips that translate well with me for some reason. Keep up the good work both of you. The world needs more surf instruction.
If Brad’s instruction added 10% to Connor’s turns, I’m all in.
Agree — there’s a maturity in that kid’s rail game that defies a rookie year. Those Bells turns were a blast of fresh air. Reminded me of Occ’s lines vs Curren.
Did mentoring in technique play a part? I’m callin’ yes — look at the diff with some of the kids who come up spontaneously from Brazil etc. Wild drive, motivation and air skills (pure force of will to improve) but it takes them a long time to work out that polish.
You can see the groundwork in Connor’s surfing. Less flashy but great to watch. Ain’t been blown away by a rookie in quite some time.
Knowing C & P from before they surfed, my assessment is that Brad has had a big impact on physical technique and mental game. At the end of the day, find someone you think surfs well and emulate/study. For them it was Brad and Tom, among others. Totally biased opinion but there it is.
“and his lean body betrays a carnal fluency.”…. You had me at fluency…..
Nice work Dezzo, glad Gerr brought his insight to BG. I have been waiting for the Wave Ki book for 4 years, not for the mysto vibe but for the insight into approach. The physiology and physics are known, Gerr’s mental and physical approach have proven results, the Coffin kids’ got style and a serious hack.
Hopefully out end of summer. It’s done, just putting it together.
Im sure it will be great, never thanked you for kicking pottz’s ass at trestles, that should be an annual event…
a baby elephant who’d never surfed before could kick Pottz’s ass now.
alas, pottz = icarus
hahaha
He is talking re match.
Bring on the show…..
might have to do another shoot sans the banks logos
Yea I get it. Haha
fucking orientalist appropriation by an exceptionally dumb surfer. well done gerr, just when I thought surfers couldn’t be any dumber you show me the way down.
I’ll.shoot.myself.in.the.head….
Wahahahahahaha
“up coming Wave Ki book”
it’s called ‘centre of balance’, ‘electricity’, ‘muscular and aerobic control’, and ‘concentration’ in regular parlance.
but that shit don’t sound so hypto krypto and mystical thus sell as well.
the book better come with free Ki anal beads that pop with energy otherwise i fear i will be wasting my $
what if the beads were extra? Still buy the book?
Oh and spot on with the words of the what. However, not the right parlance for the how.
verbs, baby.
twist. compress. rotate. extend. bend over. further. further. furtherrrrrrrr. just a little bit more. insert.
boom. now FEEEEEEEL the Ki! (or perhaps that is just the beads. i’m too drunk now to know the difference. just take my money)
hahahaha entertaining!
engage your Ki
this “wave ki” stuff sounds way too new age and pop spirituality for me, but the part about the virtues of small wave surfing sure gives this gulf coast surfer an ego trip. mavs, here i come! (p.s. if you’re reading this, gerlach, replace all the martial arts inspired stuff with a lot of highly technical and scientific-sounding physics terminology and i’ll snap your book right up)
Gulf coast you said? How much swell do you get a year?
at least in my part (florida panhandle) we seem to get: weird fast-moving waist to shoulder high onshore dumptrucks every three days in winter, the same but slightly cleaner and scaled-down once or twice a week in spring, ankle to waist high runners once every other week if you’re lucky in summer (accompanied by much envious looking at some florida atlantic coast beach’s swellnet page during flat spells), and finally a gradual return of bigger and more-frequent surf in autumn
I did hear that the waves were hollow. How often do you surf? Do you travel? Central America is a short flight. Some pretty heavy waves down in that region. Are you good at late drops?
At 59, I’ll try anything that postpones buying a fuckin longboard and going straight, wallowing in that elephant’s graveyard and enduring parking lot debates over which size wing nut cutaway works best…when’s the book coming out?
end of summer hopefully.
thanks to pretty lenient schedule, i surf here as much as nature lets me (which is about to be…not that often). luckily i’m also super lightweight so i can even get into the really minimal “grom surf” on the right groveler. i actually just had some buddies go to costa rica, which seemed like a blast. i hope i am! surviving last-second drops on these ugly, messy, punchy, pitching four-second-swell-interval waves seems like good practice anyway.
It is good but it’s not practice it’s surfing! and the more you can surf the better, to a degree. Wave Ki is not surfing. it’s like practice surfing in a way. It’s kind of perfect for people that don’t get to surf as much as they like but want to stay in tune. So when the swell comes up or they get the time to travel to the swell, their body will be ready to surf. it’s not spiritual mumbo jumbo lol.
hey, that doesn’t sound so bad! in fact, it sounds pretty helpful for the flat spells. if there’s more lauding of small wave surfing somewhere in your book, i’ll be especially sure to keep an eye out for it…
i think you’d enjoy it, or find it interesting at least. we haven’t had a big hurricane in awhile, but if you hear about one definitely hop on a plane and get over here
by the way, would love to surf there one day. I heard it was amazing during Katrina
Wave Ki? jeezus, do i need a dojo for that?
That would be good. It’s best done on a soft wooden floor. Grass good too. Sand is fine but my least favorite
Sunny reportedly hates sand too
It’s great to see my brother Wes getting a good write up! He doesn’t exactly have the best style (e.g. scarves in summer with cargo shorts and Persian loafers) but by fuck does he have flare! I’m so glad this website isn’t as homophobic as STAB.
Jesus, i read half of his first answer and got bored as shit. Dude likes to talk, and that isn’t always a good quality. Your line about inhaling some of that perfume made me go back to the top of the page to double check who wrote the article, very chasesque. That is a good quality however.
I agree too much talking isn’t a good quality.
You are a legend regardless, i think it was the topic. Small waves dont do it for me, i should have known. I could listen to your stories about cortes bank all day however. That and stories form the tour back in the day. You should write a book combining both of those topics, id buy it in a heartbeat.
Thanks and yea I am going to start writing an auto biography as soon as I finish this book. I need to before I forget all that stuff.
I am extremely grateful for your surf instruction that exists on the web; it’s the best technical surfing advice out there; thank you for sharing. I can’t wait for your book and am wondering if you offer classes regarding surf technique/training in California or Hawaii? (I live Hawaii and have tried to contact your website about classes but no response; figured I’d throw a Hail Mary here and now).
Thank you and it’s my pleasure. I will be releasing more technical stuff after my book comes out. Currently I don’t offer classes. I do private instruction. Yea, I had an assistant helping me with my website, needless to say she doesn’t work for me anymore and since I am a computer retard I haven’t figured out how to get them to my email! I am going to try and do that today.
How do I contact you to arrange private instruction?
for now just dm me on instagram
you can close your eyes to the things you don’t want to see, but you can’t close your heart to things you don’t want to feel
“Now let’s curl at his feet and listen…” That’s why I come to the Grit!! I was having a shit day until I read that…
“its all in the hips”
killing it
Does Banks make anything that would fit Ian Cairns?
Probably not, I don’t know I am not with them anymore