i know this question is/nt about board design but we are all dependant on it, i have been surfing for years but have allways thought my ability to catch waves could be improved, some poeple just seem to catch waves so mutch more easily, the pro/s don/t even seem to paddle that much. so my question is there an optimum way to catch more,i know all waves are different but if you had to give advice to an average surfer to increase his wave catch count what would it be, i don/t mean paddle harder or faster but more specific things,there must be some demon wave catchers here on swaylocks so any advice would be welcome ,thanks
positioning
Yeah, positioning. My brother Barry just seems to have a sence for where to be on a wave to catch it easy. Same thing with trimming and passing sections. He, and others have tried to help me judge waves like they do, but I just don’t see what they are seeing. So, I think its a matter of learning better wave judgment.
waves are the heartbeat… syncronize your heartbeat with them …? sit still dont think… just be there …breathe in rythm with the passing swells…dont base judgements of waves on other guys…let your Intimacy with the spot grow…there is a spot…kulana nalu(?)…just like the G spot thats the place for the money shot dont blow your stuff pointlessly on lame take-off ‘attempts’feel the wave cycle lift you towards the moment of weightlessness at the top of the wave cycle (asmuth?)j…just enough before that stuff the board tail first down under water and as it’‘s coming back up steer it by holding on with your hands and give the magnum frog kick as you mount the power ball that is the reason for all…call it pokin it …diving for ducks is an animal rights issue…pokin’ it is an economy of effort issue…two paddle take-off ,o.k…5 paddle takeoffs C-…10 12 paddle take offs pure greed by yearling greedy dogs that dont wish to share or care to persue the highest form,the 0 paddle take-off… watch carefully… you might see it done but its hard when they are not doing anything visible… Traditionally nobody tells this ship board magic…you owe big time …don’t take this lightly…share waves… and just by reading this you have been given a gift worth more than you now know…you owe to everyone involved from swaylocks financially to lunchmeat for ear time ,Kro will be watching and will stuff you when you take too many in a row …discounting your debt by claming former knowlege breaks the chain of respect…lunchmeat asked me… " whats the difference between a kuk and a begining surfer?..you tell em somthing and they say “I KNOW”.he then told me ambrose said that… "…kuks are dening their potential growth…and even if you pushed 'em into their first wave and you have been fostering 'em like an orphan seagull you cant help them anymore you got to sever all responses … its time to stop and walk away from their ensuing confusion and turn their training over to the vapid greedy hoards of mass conciousness goons and asps sniping and snaking themselves into their natural conclusions of surf raging ,anal vacuent ,concience free gross feeders justifing their abilities by the dominance over the lessers they seek to dominate…dont be that guy it is its’own pergatory…catch a few ,ride em well,learn to swim better ,thank tom Blake ,Duke Kahanamoku ,help a kid ,help a girl,get sombody’s board when they loose it…surfin AINT NARROW,its pan pacific how wide is that glorious sunday morning to all …ambrose…at the con
What about the board design? If we compare two boards with the same flotation (volume), what kind of a board catches waves the easiest? A one with flat rocker or a lot of rocler? A one with volume in the nose, middle or tail? A fat and short or a long and narrow? Wide or thick? Single fin or thruster? One with big fins or small? Or something else?
if i played golf i could get help with my swing etc from a professional ,i have probabally picked up bad habits along the way that are hard to shake off,obviously bigger boards are easier to catch waves than smaller ones but i have seen people catch waves on small boards so early and easily that i know i would never catch them ,so their techniques must be better than mine irrespective of board size etc
I find that if I wait until the wave looks scary, and I am sure that it will pitch me, then paddle slightly, my fear will subside and before I know it muscle memory will have me on the face. At this point I will be astonished at what just happened and ride the rest of the wave like the horrible, clumsy, land-ridden homosapien that I am.
I always liked the long 15-20 stroke paddle, well on a longboard. Where you are sitting way far out and you stand up never feeling the wave pick you up, just like you have become part of the wave. On a shortboard yeah the one, two stroke paddle is great, but the long paddle is great on the longboard.
On a practical physical note about paddling… spread and cup your hands ever so slightly as it makes a larger resistance area. A little straighter arms on the reach and down stroke. Also dig a little deeper into the water, the water pressure increases greatly the deeper you go. Put more of your shoulders and upper body into it and not just your arms. Hope this helps.
Another practical note: Get in the best shape you can obtain. Do push ups & Tricep work. After good wave judgement, strength and stamina catch more waves than anything.
As I get older, it’s harder and harder to get myself to take off late and get to my feet quick… thick wetsuits don’t seem to help much either. I’m also a terrible sucker for the “Sit outside (I know I saw one break out here about 2 hours ago!) waiting for the wave of the day” syndrome.
water pressure increasing with depth has nothing wat-so-ever to do with it. The same pressure on the front of your hand is also on the back of your hand. What will help with stroking deeper is that you’ll have more arm in the water, pushing water. The paddling stroke can be divided up into various portions, each of which has distinct styles and advantages. Ask an expert swimmer sometime why they practice with those little handboard things, and how they work.
move your nose closer to the nose.
Adding to what GW and Charlie said, look at the way top level swimmers cup their hands. Their hands are slightly cupped, but their fingers are not hard together, there is a small gap between each finger. If you hold your fingers tightly together to cup your hand, this will put tension on the muscles in your arms and shoulders and make paddling harder more tiring and slower.So next time you are in the water relax your hands when paddling and feel the difference. As far as positioning goes, I pick a spot on the beach and line myself up with it each time I paddle out. Observe the other surfers, are they natural or goofey? what is the break doing? is it peaking left and right? I’m a natural footer, so if there are some goofy footers near me I’ll sit in a position so that we dont we dont out hassle each other.I’ll go right the goofies left.David.
What about the board design? If we compare two boards with the same flotation (volume), what kind of a board catches waves the easiest? A one with flat rocker or a lot of rocler? A one with volume in the nose, middle or tail? A fat and short or a long and narrow? Wide or thick? Single fin or thruster? One with big fins or small? ---------------- Fins: small, single fin even better Rocker: flatter Volume: nose (really, the Theory of Pitch describes it pretty well - more nose down will plane earlier) Long and narrow beats short and fat, but buoyancy is a key factor. There are always trade-offs, and for catching waves earlier, the trade-off is generally worse turning ability. http://www.blakestah.com/fins/
…and then theres the enigma of the modern low-pressure surf mat: a short, thick blob of thinly encapsulated air, 18 ounces of supple resiliency, adapting itself to the waters surface. Even while paddling, it seeks the paths of least resistance. A competant mat surfer, with a good pair of swim fins and adequate paddling skills can frequently catch outside swells, skimming across them and building up speed well before the usual take-off spot is reached. Part of the answer is a surfcraft which can temporarily provide reverse rocker, a template that becomes wider as its bottom surface flattens and an actively variable buoyancy distribution. By the time the wave finally steepens and breaks, that same surf mat has taken on another rocker, a different bottom shape, new rail contours… with the balance of buoyancy actively morphing to harmonize with the wave`s shifting curves and textures. I have a friend in Australia who regularly kicks into outside waves on his mat alongside just one other surfer… and that guy paddles a 10’long x 8" thick rescue board.