Most beginners struggle the first day with pop ups and there are reasons Why Beginners Have Pop Up Problems. If a beginner has problems the first day with pop ups there are three or four common reasons. There are cures for each.
One of the most common reasons beginners have pop up problems is they are overweight. The pandemic has certainly been responsible for the general population adding weight over the last two years. The problem for surfing is the power to weight ratio. How strong do you have to be to lift your weight off the surfboard. The problem with gaining weight is it probably has been accompanied by a lack of exercise.
The second problem with weight gain and lack of exercise is flexibility problems. The pop requires great flexibility in the hamstrings, buttocks and lower back. The beginner pop up has a surfer putting their back foot flat on the board under their butt and standing on that foot as the other foot is moved to the front of the board.
If the surfer does not have the flexibility to get that foot flat under his body, he can’t stand up. With his hands still on the board, his head is in front of his front foot and he flies off the front of the board. In the advanced pop up, the surfer pushes off the board and moves both feet under his chest and places them on the surfboard at the same time. This requires greater flexibility than the beginner pop up plus more strength and athletic ability.
Strength is a problem for beginner surfers who have not been training. Strength is needed to push the body up before putting a foot on the board. Strength is needed in the legs to lift the weight of the surfer. Core strength is needed in both types of pop ups.
Strangely, balance is not an issue for most beginners. They often say I don’t have good balance, but if the pop up is performed correctly and the feet land in the proper position with the weight situated correctly, balance need is within the capabilities of most people. The proper stance on the board is feet shoulder width apart and torso upright so that weight is equal on both legs and finally the hips and shoulders have to be facing forward.
The first solution for landing the pop up for the physically capable is to follow a count I give to new students and say it out loud. The count is paddle (3 paddles sufficient to catch a wave), stop (placing hands in man’s push up position next to chest), push (pushup off the board), back foot (placing the back foot under the butt) stand (stand on that back foot) front foot (while standing and releasing the hands from the board, bring the front foot forward). Students who say this out loud say it helps them follow the sequence. Students who refuse to say it out loud, usually fail to learn the pop up.
The combination of being physically fit and following the sequence of the pop up results in over 95% success. Lacking either, results in most students failing to learn the pop up in their first lesson.
Read Other Posts:
Beginner Surfers Learn on Soft Tops
5 Steps to Improve Surfing Performance
3 Ways to Catch Real Surfing Waves
Training to Ride the Surfing Short Board
Short Board Surfing Techniques
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