what are you preaching zen or surfing?
Forget the bogus “zen” babbabble. Let’s suppose you hop up and buy an airmat thingie for $300. Its short, square, finless, filled with air, probably weighs less than your skate shoes. You got next to nothing for all your money. Heres a big lesson: you just paid “more for less”: Zen Capitalism. Its simple kid. Forget surf philosophy. buy a real surfboard.
I dunno…if I was in a position,financially or otherwise, to have to buy just one surf vehicle,I would much rather plunk down 3 big ones for mat rather than 6 bigger ones for a board.Why?certainly performance and convenience, but more importantly, durability.Have yet to hear of anyone snapping there mat on a first go out-sure happens to a lot of surfboards though…
They were STANDING on them mats?
As they say , It don’t count unless you stand up.
Red, Yeah adults. Mat surfers ride chest down flat and head forward, chin about over the front edge. Body weight is evenly distributed and balanced. Air (very low pressure) in the surf mat becomes a constantly adapting interface between wave and rider. Fast? Nothing is quicker than air on water. Dale
They werent COUNTING on them mat riders to be STANDING?
“As they say , It don’t count unless you stand up” I don’t let “them” dictate my decisions in or out of the water. I don’t listen to “them”. You shouldn’t listen either. If you’re having fun, it counts. Do whatever puts a smile on your face. Live your life for yourself, not someone else. Aloha!
Please ignore posts by this individual, he is not showing any respect to those who ride waves without standing up.
“ajl”-- what do YOU mean by “less is more”? What I`m saying is what does that mean to you personally? Was that sarcastic about the price you paid? Thanks
Hi Red, My “less is more” comment wasn’t meant to be Zen or sarcastic. Here’s what I was trying to get at; first off, the basic concept of mat surfing is that you’re hovering on a bubble of air. You can’t get much more minimalist than that! Secondly, the bubble of air doesn’t need to be rock-solid in order to ride waves. If you ride a surfmat at maximum inflation it will work fine, but you’ll notice that as you release some of its air, the mat will run faster and smoother. Less is better. Keep purging air until the mat beings to plane so fast that it feels on the verge of sliding out. At that point, instead of re-inflating, simply squeeze the edges of the mat to firm up the running surface and regain control. Learning when and at what point on the wave to adjust your grip is the key to unlocking ridiculous levels of speed on the surfmat. Thirdly, the “less is more” mindset can be applied to the amount of interaction between surfer and mat. If you try to force a surfmat to accelerate or turn, you’ll only end up fighting against yourself. I have found the mat works best when allowed to run on its own, with minimal rider input. By calming yourself and focusing on the wave’s energy, you’ll find that the surfmat will naturally take you where you want to go, faster than you expected! You’re not alone when you say that you don’t understand how a bag of air could support anybody on a wave. A number of people have paddled up to me, asking what’s inside the mat that makes it so stiff and fast. They’re usually shocked when I lift the limp mat to show them that it’s just a little air. Of course the internal and external structures containing the air are quite complex, but looks can be deceiving!
Thank you “ajl”. I havea better idea about what surf mats are like. You said they trim really fast, but cant you turn yours fast? Or what did you mean by fighting yourself letting them go and surf themselves? Theyre just for going fast in a striaght line? How can they surf by themselves especially without any fins underneath for the control? Thanks for answers from your personl experience.
Red, My surfmat is very maneuverable. It’s capable of long, projected turns as well as quick, pivotal direction changes. While turning, I try to avoid pulling up on the rails or using my elbows as leverage. These techniques seem to disrupt the mat’s bottom surface, killing speed and directional momentum. There are no fins. Control comes from your grip and body position. A more successful approach is to keep your head and torso low to the mat. When you begin to bank a turn, squeeze the edge of the mat and roll your body in the direction of the turn. Sometimes you’ll swear the surfmat is up and running on a razor sharp edge. You can draw out your turn or tighten the arc into a full carving roundhouse. Releasing your grip while you exit a turn will flatten the planning surface and send you flying. Try to imagine the speed you could build by linking a few of these turns together! Thank you for your questions. I am in no way an expert in mat surfing, but I’m glad to share my limited personal experiences. I hope some of the other bag riders here at Swaylock’s can provide additional tips. You should try to get in touch with Dale. He’s your man when it comes to surfmats, extremely generous with his knowledge and a great guy to talk with.