Riding Bigger Waves on Short Boards

Surfers get excited and passionate about surfing and when they finally start riding short boards they are eager to start Riding Bigger Waves on Short Boards. It is a gradual process of going from learning on foam waves to riding short boards on real waves.

The fundamentals have to be sound or it is difficult for beginners to progress. The pop up must place the surfer on the board in the right stance. I see so many intermediates get the pop up into the wrong stance on real waves and fall off immediately.

The right stance for progressing surfers is to have the feet shoulder width apart and have the hips and shoulders square to the front while dropping down the face of a wave. When surfers get in what I call snowboarder or skateboarder stance with one shoulder towards the rear and their butt over one rail, they will fall. The board is designed so weight will be equal on both sides of the middle stringer.

The pop up must be smooth and land the feet accurately. This builds confidence and without confidence and courage, surfers won’t move to bigger waves. Bigger waves move faster and carry more weight. Falling starts to hurt if you get wrecked every time. Bigger waves push you further under water and roll you for longer before you can come up for air.

Get Strong and Fit

The surfer must be very strong and fit. Paddling into bigger waves requires more power. Playing in bigger waves requires more endurance for paddling out, catching and riding waves. The surfer needs longer practice times to learn. Cross training out of the water becomes more important. The surfer works on strength, flexibility and aerobic fitness.

Judgment has to improve as surfers ride bigger waves. The surfer gets more attuned to spotting the wave forming, knowing how and where to get in position to let the wave roll under the board, and then how to get down the face. Surfers practice all their lives on their wave catching ability.

The surfer can approach bigger waves in three ways. Just to paddle out and observe bigger waves is a start. Feel the energy and watch other surfers ride them. A good aproach is to start catching them at the corners on sand bar beaches. The wave is most powerful at the apex where the foam first appears on the lip and loses steam as it rolls to extinction. Getting on it down the line is good practice for getting the feel.

The surfer can then move closer to the apex. One difficulty if there is a line up is the best surfers will catch it closer to the apex and then have the right of way over all other surfers. Surfers must learn to work the line up. Most will give surfers a turn. Start paddling early when you want a wave and it is an indication to others you want to catch it. If you let good waves pass or muff them, they won’t give you more chances.

Riding the Face of the Wave

One the face you can ride straight down and then bottom turn into the pocket. You have to get accustomed to the speed, the free fall, and then make the turn. You have also learned by this point how to fall. You don’t want to get rolled. You want to go in feet first if possible or cannon ball.

If the waves is not too steep you can catch the wave and then point the nose of the board toward the pocket before popping up. This will get you ahead of the falling lip quicker. This is especially useful on waves that close out like in Oceanside, CA. Sometimes the surfers only have time for two or three maneuvers before the whole wave walls off or closes out.

Build slowly. Get stronger. Learn to read waves. Practice the pop up to perfection. Surf on a surfboard you can handle. Watch others. Look at videos on YouTube. Read books. Ask questions of good surfers. You will get there.

For Surf Lessons in Oceanside, see the Home Page

For getting in better shape for surfing see GetFittoSurf.com

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