This type of no paddle takeoff. Good alternative or kooky?

General Discussion
1

The surf down here has been around 3-6+ foot solid the last few days, on the bigger days i rode my new 6’6 rounded pin quad, which really got into them early and skated over slight ledges and into bowls and barrels very easily.

Made it seem smaller than it was in my oppinion becuase it lifted my confidence

after the first wave.Even though it was my first surf on it.

Anyway i then rode my 5’10 fish in waves around 3-5 feet, it would have a slightly mellow peak into a few tubing or racy walls.

Anyway i felt i bit sketchy on some waves that i was inside paddling to the right spot, missing some as i was too far in.

The sketchiness comes when i paddle into it straight ahead but its already steep

behind me.

It feels too oververt and tricky getting to my feet and i had nosedived on a few.

Perhaps the best way to paddle into these is on a slight angle.

However i tried not paddling at all into some, maybe one or two slow strokes at most.

Just let the wave pick you up, as soon as it pushes semi vert, get to your feet.

On the biggest one and first one i tried this on, i nearly went off the back of the wave as the lip started curling-not really pitching below me as i was getting to my feet.

A guy yelled at me as though i was holding back, but then stopped as i came back from the back of the wave down with the lip…The lip seemed to give me a lot of speed as you come crashing through into the bottom turn, out onto the wall quicker than you expect.

But im wondering if i should continue this, as it is a functional alternative but gets you into the wave very late on most.

Also i am wondering if this is really just a kooky move, not paddling much into it and letting the wave pull you in.

I could imagine a no paddle takeoff into the tube would score high points but over the lip might not.

Any thoughts or better techniques, stories to share are welcome.

2

If you can take off in the tube more power to you. I would guess that your success rate on take offs would go down. As far as taking off in the lip, or on lip, I think you are going to have a lot of people take off on you in crowded breaks. They will assume that you are going to miss the wave or blow the take off and go. At long point breaks they could cut out if you make it, but at short beach breaks the wave might be over by the time they cut out. I think you might have problems making sections at faster breaks also. I remember reading something when I first started surfing, I think it was said by MR, but I could be wrong, when you think you have the wave take two more strokes I have found that the later you are the harder you have to paddle, exactly the opposite of what you think you should do. Its all about board speed.

3

I dont really put on a really fast burst of speed when on my twin keel ( 95% of the time ), unless it’s super fat. It’s so wide i dont really need to. I always take off at an angle so that probably helps. A few weeks ago a perfect 4’ peak popped up in front of me, was a very late take off, basically 2 strokes, and it was the best wave i;ve ever caught, as i popped up, the board dropped down, it felt like an air drop, though it wasn;t, then as i scooted along, my face was a few inches from the wave face. Not the longest ride, and i didn’t do any real turns, but it was such a nice feeling to just drop so late and hug the face. Replay it often in my head.

4

That’s the only way I’ve really ever been able to get into waves on my short (5’11") fishes. They just don’t have the waterline to ‘bicycle’ in at all, but they’re so easy to sink at the tail as you spin them around & then so short so you seesaw them right downhill and you’re in, using the squirt of the tail coming back up to propel yourself forward…

I’m not even talking about anything critical, just anything at 2-3’ and not entirely mushy. Not so good at higher tides.

Nothing wrong with it at all. Sometimes, sitting in that spot is the easy way to steal some waves, especially if the lineup is dominated by longboarders who like to sit way outside & start early. When they get fooled by a set that looks like its going to break outside, and they start paddling out, that’s the time to hold your ground & spin :slight_smile:

5

Nothing wrong with it at all. Sometimes, sitting in that spot is the easy way to steal some waves, especially if the lineup is dominated by longboarders who like to sit way outside & start early. When they get fooled by a set that looks like its going to break outside, and they start paddling out, that’s the time to hold your ground & spin :slight_smile:

Hahaha, i often sit 4 or 5 metres further in, and do exactly what you do. My mate ( rides an 8’6’’ ) has called me a scavenger more than a few times!. Kind of a cheeky satisfaction when you can see even the longboarder isnt gunna get it, but you know dam well you will!!!.

6

not kooky alternative, if you can do those types of takeoffs, you have a lot of skills, they are really hard. Clay marzo does a lot of them.

7

My favorite style of take-off. I’m lazy.

I lean back, sink the tail, and push the board down by gripping near the nose. This sinks the tail even deeper.

Then, right at the critical point I’ll lean forward and do a frog kick at the same time. It takes a board with some tail volume to repeat successfully. An old holdover from ancient (Sixties) times that I’ve applied to other sizes and shapes. The older I get, the less effort I want to exert.

8
Quote:

Clay marzo does a lot of them.

He seems to do them in much more critical waves though, like in thicker pitching lips…

I will keep on doing them i guess, only new to me but i think it could be improved somewhat for faster waves…With better positioning maybe.

And hopefully be able to do them in heaveir waves too.

9

in my haughty opinion

simply seperates

the skilled from the rabble

no paddle take off’s

are executed from

the propper take off spot

unlike the windmill paddling

hellman gobbling waves

often offside and porly ridden.

indeed quite propper

and welcome to

the higher form

once tasted can

anything else

satisfy.

…ambrose…

10
Quote:

My favorite style of take-off. I’m lazy.

I lean back, sink the tail, and push the board down by gripping near the nose. This sinks the tail even deeper.

Then, right at the critical point I’ll lean forward and do a frog kick at the same time. It takes a board with some tail volume to repeat successfully. An old holdover from ancient (Sixties) times that I’ve applied to other sizes and shapes. The older I get, the less effort I want to exert.

SammyA, I’ll vote for this one too, especially since the 90’s when low volume shortboards were all the rage.

Sit on the peak,lean back, grab the nose and pull the board vertically down into the water.

Time the release and angle so the bouyancy of the rising board adds forward momentum and youve saved yourself some paddling. Sometimes you can get away with no paddling.

The other technique is to take off angled towards the peak. You get the stability of the angled takeoff and it cuts down paddling.

Brett.