| So you made it past the break and
your sitting on your board, gently rising and falling in the swell. This
is one of the few moments you'll be able to feel any dignity - cherish
it. At this point nobody knows you can't surf. You may want to just sit
there until everybody goes home and then paddle in. If, however, you want
to extend the whole experience beyond posing, here is what I've
learned.
Where in the water to sit? If you
sit far out (where most of the good surfers sit), you will be able to catch
the big sets that come in every 15 minutes or so. If you sit in closer,
you'll be able to catch smaller waves every couple of minutes. If you do
sit in closer to the beach, be aware of the good surfers riding the big
ones in. You don't want to get hit, more importantly, you don't want to
wreck somebody elses ride (see etiquite).
Waiting for a wave: Sitting where
your sitting, you see a wave that looks like it might break near you (preferably
slightly after you). Point your board toward the beach, position your body
and start paddling. Try to avoid dragging anything (like legs) when paddling.
Positioning on the board: Body position
is important. If your too far back on the board you'll never get on the
wave (unless it's already broken). If your too far forward you'll do an
ender and get tossed. Usually when I'm paddling, I move forward until my
nose just starts to drop beneath the surface and then I move back a little.
Catching a wave: As your paddling
you'll feel the wave to start to pick you up - keep paddling. If everything
is right, you'll feel the wave grab you. Once it does, your on! Refer to
section "Standing Up".
If your too far back on the board
and you feel the wave slipping away, there's not much you can do. If you
try to push yourself forward on the board, what you end up actually doing
is pushing the board back - you'll miss the wave for sure. Try adjusting
your weight by either pushing down with your chest or kicking your feet
forward (against your bum).
If you're too far forward on the
wave and you feel your nose about to dive straight down, push down with
your hips and lift up your chest - it really works. In fact, the best way
to catch mediocre wave is to start a little too far forward and then do
the hip thing when the wave starts to take you.
Bailing: There are several reasons
for bailing.
Somebody else has the wave - see
etiquite.
Somebody is floating around in front
of you and you don't have the skill to maneuver around them.
It's a biggy and your scared.
The best way to bail is to sit up
and drop your feet (if you need to take extreme measures, move to the back
of the board as well). Sometimes just dropping your hands and dragging
them works too.
Standing up: Once you feel the wave
grab you and your speed picks up, jump to you feet. Don't go to your knees
first! If you do, that's as vertical as you'll get. Spring to your feet,
and get your centre of gravity (ass) directly above your feet. If your
legs are bent and your stance is low, your don't have as high to jump and
you'll be more stable.
A good thing to practice at home
is laying on your stomach like your about to do a push-up and practice
jumping to your feet. Imagine the boundaries of a board on the carpet and
try to use your arms to lift youself rather than your feet.
When your learning, you'll probably
just ride the wave straight in to the sand. As you start to improve, you'll
want to turn on the wave as soon as you get up. Then you can ride across
the wave instead of down the wave. Note: If your riding down a wave and
feel your nose diving hard, you can recover by turning your board across
the wave. This is the stage I'm trying to learn right now.
Good luck. |