help me get dailed in please, noseriding and classic style.

General Discussion
1

I really want to develop a smooth, clean, and calm style of surfing, with calmer noseriding, clean turns and subtle confident actions.

I ride north LA county point breaks, Leo and County mostly, because they are across the street. I find myself in mushy half blown smaller waves most of the year. Ive spent many summers on pop out waldens ranging from 9 to 10 1/2 feet, (a poly or 2 also) I have ridden many different style longboards, from lightweight 8 foot pintails to brutally heavy volan double 10 glass logs. in the past I gravitated to the china made because they are easy, but I have finally grown out of the ugly hollow slap and plane on the shoulder style they give. I have also figured out that pin tails piss me off, could be psychological, but really, I never can get in front of a section or around one on a pintail, so screw em.

I am on a heavy hobie classic model, 50/50 rails, single fin, 10’6" 24, 3 and 1/2 thick, a tad pulled in in the nose and tail, more of a three stringer style than a nose rider specific. no concave, no specific rocker, plane jane hips at the mid point. strangely the tail is a bit narrow, but still squared off. (they still make this model, available on the website) I am 6 foot, 205 lbs, athletic, but with the standard 40 year old good living pot belly. add full wetsuit and booties with leash (still learning) I surf multiple times a week.

The waldens gave me freedom to take off late, or early, (especially the epoxys with lots of rocker) and also turned from any location front to back. they  nose rode embarassingly well and easily, and they work in bigger and heavier surf. add in the lightweight for size safety factor, and it has been hard to put them down and move on.

on a big swell (for me) I caught a nice mush burger that was  several feet taller than me and that walden slapped and slapped over the wavelets on the face. she felt hollow and had no soul at all. may she rest in peace under someone elses feet.

Now these classic logs are giving me fits. lower tollerance for sloppy wave selection, heavy and scary in a wipeout, digging a rail is common and embarrasing, 50/50s do not hang in the face, and ride lower and lower, while expecting me to correct my own bad style, thankfully forgiving. cutbacks or over 30 degree turn rotation requires stepping way back towards the tail,    and the take off, my god, I better be in early with a head of steam, and if im late, i better pivot while standing on the tail, and then it is a trick to pull it off from there, and just because the nose is under water does not mean the take off is an abort… If I want to noseride I have to sack up and stand on the front through a section, or run to the front when it seems like the wave is gonna get away from under me.  takes a bit of nerve, which seems to be the chief weakness for me right now. Maybe I should just walk forward, alot. a whole lot?

I cannot cross step. It has been trained out of me in  boxing. “NEVER cross your feet” they say, and they teach you in a way that makes it stick. it helps that my movements forward and backward are smooth to some degree, and I hope its not a deal breaker that I shuffle. some say it breaks the glide. I can be quick. and I don’t need to look down till im getting nervous at the front 1/4.

so now I wonder: can I blame the board? what if I had a correctly sized for my break, weight, size, style and experience purpose built noserider? say for example I drool over a classic bing noserider, nuuhiwa style, concave, grumpy fin way out back with a kicked tail and a tad piggy hips, (delete colors, acid wash, stripes, logos etc…for now) or maybe a takayama model T for the small waves and pink for the bigger? would that make the difference here? what length, and thickness will do it? especially length?

Should I just stick with my hobie, and practice? will it get er done if I do my part? is it too long, too thick? needs a concave or different rocker? A custom is fine, but I learned the hard way if I don’t know exactly what I want, that custom can be the biggest dead dog ever…

I have a hunch I don’t step back as far towards the tail as I think I do. I also find myself standing tall, almost straightlegged in trim, and bending knees must be conscious. perhaps my movements are not exagerated as much as needed for classic logging?

Also, whats the trick to pulling that super clean  Dora style kickout? almost like a 180 slicing through the section right back to paddling out to sea.(he seamed to like doing it very close to any persons head who dropped in and took over) does it only work in small clean surf? does it require a bottom turn hard on the tail or is there a magic method? I know I can never be Dora, but that is slick exit, I would love to learn

Any input here is appreciated. Thank you.

2

I forgot to mention, the fin is a hobie  “log”, 9.75. been running it dead center. ver plain jane normal. almost no sweep, but sits at 35 degree or so,  no where near d thick, no cutaway no change in curve throughout.

rails are 50/50 the whole way, rocker is one curve, nose and tail raise the same.

would detailed measurement help?

3

Learn and practice a slow form from an internal martial art like Tai Chi or Bagua. That will teach you smooooooooth, improve balance and leg strength.  I think cross-step looks cool and elegant but not doing it and “shuffling” smoothly will not upset the glide at all. If you watch old vids, even the hottest “cross steppers” shuffled some of the time, depending on situation.

And really, even if you were taught to NEVER cross at the hot end of a whip, you can unlearn that and learn to cross step. Just find some long, small point waves and force yourself to practice. It may come quicker than you think!

Oh, and a long skateboard can be used for dry, cross-step practice.

4

Classic nose riding, means different things to different people.      I’ve seen guys hang ten, on circa '58/'59 Velzy&Jacobs pigs, with a 15 1/2 inch nose.   (Standard width, in the day.)      By 1960 nose widths were kicking out to 16 inches.   Soon, by '61/'62, Dewey Weber broke the mold with a 17+ inch nose, on a basic pig style board.      To me, that was the classic period of nose riding.      A ‘‘normal’’ board, that you logged alot of tip time on.      Not the purpose built ‘‘nose rider’’ which came about later.      A surfboard design path, which did not really advance surfing in a positive direction, IMO.     But, it sold the hell out of surfboards!      So, I’d say, make a 22/23 inch wide Pig, with a 17 inch nose, and hone your skills, on a more versatile kind of surfboard.     I hope that is helpful.

5

Yater spoon

6

I checked out the Hobie Classic. It seems OK for working on the style you want to learn, although more of a point and shoot board. At your weight, you could probably go about 4” shorter for a more responsive ride. But, the board is not entirely the problem.

All the emphasis people put on learning to “cross-step” is valid for these type of boards; it is the best, most efficient way to make them do what you want. It’s not just a style thing.

You are leery of the nose and can’t get back far enough to get a good cut-back or kick-out because you are shuffling. Shuffling will eventually get you to the nose or tail, but it takes too long, time-wise. If you want to get to the next level, you just have to put in the time to learn to walk the board.

When I learned to surf in the ‘60s, we would practice cross-stepping on fences, curbs, railroad tracks, etc. Get a 10’ 2x4 and lay it wide side down on the garage floor and practice walking the length of the board, forward and back. Keep your feet angled at 45 degrees, more or less. Mix it up; short/long steps, slow/fast, forward/side facing. If this becomes too easy, set it on the narrow side.

Another technique needed for this style is the drop-knee turn (your cut-back if you are regular foot). It doesn’t come naturally either, you have to figure out how it is done. It came about for a reason – it is the best way to make a 10’ single fin come around backhand.

Some good examples of both here https://vimeo.com/95874018

 

7

So very long ago.

Shuffle up and back.

Then shuffle up and walk back.

But walking up on a speeding board most difficult.

Found that toughing a slight stall really helped in taking that first step.

Eh, seen some long ass nose rides on spoons.

If you want to be a well-rounded surfer stay with a performance shape.

Many now a days less the “hips”

However Yater’s spoon was an icon of which spawned

The Cheater, Bigler Classic, Innovator (Drew Harrison)

And more than my old ass can remember!

Here is where I have been recently.

Old school, new school.

Either way Tip time is the surfer

Not the board.

https://video-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xfp1/v/t42.1790-2/11828115_405043413017922_397795606_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjY5NCwicmxhIjo1MTJ9&rl=694&vabr=386&oh=5ea1a44c5485d9ac4d35890b25ed8aba&oe=55D02F29

 

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8

Watch Tudor videos day in and day out for 3 months. Crosstep is required…you are surfing not fighting.

 

9

Well, hopefully you are having a good time! Remember this quote?

“The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun”

~Duke Kahanamoku

10

Agree wholeheartedly. If you’re 205 lbs a 10’4" is far too big. Ridiculously big. That is why you dig rails a lot. Too much board.

Want to smooth out your style? Surf more. Concentrate on what you’re doing with your arms and torso. I’d also suggest getting a longboard skateboard and practicing motion and flow on that. The mechanics of surfing translate easily to skating and you can keep repeating the same motions without the complications presented by reacting to a wave. The most critical thing here is your admission of being a beginner. Some things take time and cannot be hurried. There is no substitute or shortcut when it comes to experience.

11

It’s not the Arrow it’s the Indian 
That Walden pop-out is a pretty nice riding board very forgiving. One of the best of the off shore produced boards. As others have said you need to work on your skills. Yoga is a good discipline for learning some grace and style besides the classes are full of good looking ladies. Think of all the fun you will give them being a klutz and a yoga kook. keep surfing those junky crap waves Longboards are great in that kind of surf. Oh and when you are worthy gets Yater Spoon.

12

Practice cross stepping on the moving sidewalks in the airport.  Back and forth.  You get wierd looks but its fun and it does help!

13
"There is no substitute or shortcut when it comes to experience." Says Sammy
 
Yes there is it's called the internet..We want it now we want it easy we want it cheap..no real experience required..Practice makes perfect my dad used to say
14

No substitute for just going for it on a real surfboard.