Want your surfing to be a joy not an exercise in frustration? Finesse your technique!
I spent ten hours at the beach today. A Minnesotan’s dream, my worst nightmare. But after watching a full day of amateur collegiate surfing, I feel primed and ready to deliver another installment of technique critiques. The average joe edition!
Disclaimer: this is more of a how-to-easily-improve-your-surfing than a technique critique. It’s based on those faux pas I witnessed today and throughout my lifetime of surfing spectatorship.
Paddling
The most basic, brainless aspect of surfing. At least that’s what most amateurs seem to think. In reality, paddling makes all the difference in the world. A strong paddler will improve his surfing twice as fast as a lame duck because of wave count and positioning.
The first concept is simple. If you paddle faster and more efficiently, you’ll catch more waves. If you catch more waves, you’ll get more opportunity to practice and thus improve more quickly than those around you.
Paddling to position yourself is one of the most crucial skills in the game. It involves a combination of wave reading, timing, and paddle strength, but if done correctly you will maximize the potential of every wave caught. The key is to position yourself to gain as much speed as possible on the takeoff, while setting yourself up to utilize that speed on the first section.
Most amateurs don’t know how to get up and boogie. The main reason comes down to foot placement. We all want to rip one off the top and let the fins breathe, and that happens from standing on the kick. But guess what you need in order to perform the vicious lip kick? Speed. And from where do you most efficiently gain this momentum? The center of the board.
Some basics techniques to improve your paddling include: keeping your head still (this will stop you from “yawing”, when the board shimmies side to side underneath you thus slowing forward momentum), positioning yourself in a way to paddle minimally (sit under an approaching swell and wait for it to reach you, don’t paddle out to it) and making the last three strokes your strongest (acceleration during takeoff facilitates the pop-up and makes skirting past the first section a breeze).
Pumping
Most amateurs don’t know how to get up and boogie. The main reason comes down to foot placement. We all want to rip one off the top and let the fins breathe, and that happens from standing on the kick. But guess what you need in order to perform the vicious lip kick? Speed. And from where do you most efficiently gain this momentum? The center of the board.
Surfboards are designed with flipped noses and tails so that you can perform maneuvers without sliding out or nosediving. If you remain planted on the tail when trying to pump, you’ll naturally plow (push water) and lose potential speed. However, if you shift both feet forward (back foot just in front of the pad, front foot just past the midpoint of the board), your sled will plane through flat spots and allow you to maximize speed heading into a section. The downside is that the footwork (getting your feet back to the sweet-spot just before you perform a turn) can be tricky to dial, but with enough practice it becomes second nature.
Backside lipper
Pick a spot and commit. Once you’ve decided to hit the section, drive hard off the bottom and point eyes and arms toward the trough of the wave. You won’t be able to see any thing, but you don’t need to. When you feel like your nose is about to pierce the lip, kick back on the tailpad and jam the front foot down simultaneously. This will allow for the Wilko-whipping sensation, providing spray and slide aplenty. But the main thing is trusting your initial instinct and blindly attacking the lip.
Airs
Don’t. Kick. Your. Board. Away. Instead of trying to fling yourself off a section, imagine popping off the lip while taking a small step forward with your front foot. Literally shift your weight (shoulders and hips) forward while lifting your front foot and moving it toward the nose. This will help you stay over it and provide a softer landing position (wider landing stance = more stability and fluffier impact due to rocker and board flex).
Or just comment about how this should be on The Inertia and continue surfing like a soggy crouton. Your choice!
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Man theInertia is killing you on technique advice!
http://www.theinertia.com/s…
no way im taking lessons from some greaseball from jersey
Michael Chinchilla is one case of writers block away from “Technique Critique: Sabre Norris”.
This site used to be fun.
Hey let’ssurfing/RayDrizzle you need to lay off the hot sauce… You and your legion of followers from STAB aren’t really adding much of value to this site other than the same tired banter and frankly I’m getting sick of deleting abusive replies to your comments from people that don’t normally even comment here. You are trolling, Maybe it’s time for a little holiday from internet…
Sometimes the old ignore it and it will go away is the best option, other times the good old block could work as well.
I always thought of this joint as a refuge from Stab but if we keep throwing writing that the Stab faithful can relate to then they are going to be drawn here like fly’s to a steaming pile of shit, and sadly that’s what these new ‘writers’ seem to keep dropping here.
I like both Stab and Beachgrit and I am a troll. If you can’t occasionally say some fucked up shit then why even comment. We aren’t exactly working together here to better mankind, this is entertainment for ourselves and each other. If I am wrong could someone please splain it to me?
I taught surf lessons through high school. These pointers are not helpful to beginners and are too natural/obvious for non-beginners. There isn’t really an in-between experience level where someone would leave this article with a take away.
I’m not sure what average joes are, but assuming it’s beginners, I have the following advice:
1) Learn to paddle from experience, not pointers. Beginners sit back on the board and move their head because they don’t have the balance to sit forward and keep their head still.
2) Learn to surf without pumping before you start attempting to pump. Get comfortable riding a wave and pumping will come natural.
3) Most importantly, don’t read any articles on how to do radical maneuvers until you can surf with a bit of style and comfort. Don’t overthink your surfing with foot and head placement, pointers, etc. Focus on riding a wave comfortably down the line. Don’t try to attack the wave as soon as you learn to stand up. Focus on floaters. Focus on slowly turning the board while maintaining control and stability. And don’t start trying airs if you are older than 25 and cant already do them.
I’d say this is accurate, but better tips for the average surfer would be: (my take)
1. Get rid of that pro model potato chip board you’re trying to ride. Matching your equipment to your ability level and wave conditions is the most important part.
2. Get yourself in better shape. Stronger and more flexible.
3. Spend a good bit more time watching the surf break you’re surfing. Main breaks, swing through spots, currents, etc.
You can’t put yourself out there ill prepared, it’s a recipe for disaster and frustration.
Definately agree with tossing out the potato chip pro model. A pox on them. To think I wasted my youth riding elf-shoe rockered ironing boards…
Mate, first of all I have never frequented Stab or commented over there.
Secondly, I strongly object to being labelled a racist and a homophobe as I am neither, and have never left a comment that might indicate I am.
What I have done is been wholly negative recently about the dip in quality of the content of this site. I’m not a negative person in general, therefore if I don’t have anything positive to contribute then I figure I might as well direct my energy elsewhere.
However, contrary to my wish to steer away from negativity, frankly: fuck you for branding me racist and homophobic without a shred of evidence.
Regards, Jamie
you stole this off nick carroll! plagiarism!
and here is an image of stalin, again. just because he is so damn handsome. you would have got along well with stalin, michael. you could have both written listicles together! imagine the fun of sending people to the camps if they didn’t follow the steps! what laughter you could have shared. pausing only to bro-hug with tears streaming down your cheeks. https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
and here is a picture of a young Trump, just before he ate a stupid socialist dove
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Works better with pigeons than eagles.
Just think of how much better this world would be if someone had killed him then.
I don’t agree. History repeats iteself. Power hungry fascists rise up. They form social groups and political parties. The average punter (eg my grandfathers) are forced to take action and bury them.
It’s better the fascists are led by megalomaniac idiots like Hitler and Trump. They’re fucking dickheads who make mistake after mistake blinded by their mounstrous ego.
In a twisted way this is a good thing. The real fucktards in our communities raise their hands and identify themselves publicly, by publicly associating themselves with Trump and ilk. It makes it easier to identify them and more efficient to the kill them off en masse later. Just like the old days with the SS
So you think Trump is like Hitler and the Nazis? Seriously? Did you see any footage of the Berkeley riots last week? Who were the ones behaving like a fascist mob?
You live in the US?
is this Jeremy Flores?
not angry enough.
I’m out of here like the proverbial rat.
Best of luck, Beachgrit.
Mate, if the shoe fits. When is the the piss up for the beachshit wake?
1) paddling – if you surf and haven’t worked out paddling then fucking give up. So useless info.
2) pumping – are you fucking serious? If you mean bouncing up and down for speed whilst looking like a fucking kook then seriously mate, do not write another fucking article!!!!!
If you are meaning perhaps little s turns to reconnect to power source or momentum say bottom to top of wave to gain increased speed maybe I’ll give you that!!
But pumping fuck me!!
You cant teach a person to surf, through written word mate.
Stick to trying to analyse the pros, forget your tips.
Seriously Chas and Derek – you can do better than these fucked up articles!!!
‘pumping fuck me!!’
naughty boy. go to grindr.
The fly away kick out is my best and only manoeuvre.
Does this advice apply to river surfing?
My wife is now pissed off. I laughed out loud at this comment and she found out i was “Beach’Gritting” Got to go! Fuck bought her a good car last week you’d think she would be happy. Sometimes “Beach’Gritting” makes me happy..
This should be on the inertia; I’ll continue surfing better than Michael Ciaramella; my choice.
i think mike is actually a good surfer. but being from jersey, i listen to nothing he says
Ha, I was just responding directly to his last paragraph where he told me to make that comment. Funny thing is that I know quite a few jersey surfers that are pretty good but almost always think they’re better than they really are.
I dunno, none of this shit really makes a difference imho. Aside from pumping, but most beginners pick that up quickly, and do it so much that they race in front of sections they should be doing turns on.
The thing that helped me the most was getting really low on the bottom turns, doing a squat with a knocked back knee, and doing the same on cutties. Kinda like skating a halfpipe but more exaggerated.
i am taking your advice. thanks. i will surf like ando!
Only with a narrow stance… watch Dane, Taj, Kelly on their bottom turns