beginner question: why am I stalling?

[eatingwater]

Evening all,

Can anyone please help me? I'm a bodyboarder and a beginner surfer. I'm 5'7" and 60kg and have an epoxy 6'10" mini mal (recommended by an instructor in Devon). I'm based on the south coast and I head down to the water whenever it's surfable (not very often, haha). I'm pretty much going out in 2-3 ft surf - we haven't had anything bigger than that here for a while.

I don't have a problem catching waves. I can pop up just about OK most of the time, too. My problem is staying ahead of the whitewater and actually covering ground (or water). I can angle my board and ride along the face a little way as it breaks, and that's fine for a split second or two, but then I stall and the ride just finishes: the whitewater overtakes me and I end up on the back of the board with the nose sticking way up out of the water. Ultimately I fall off the back of the board.

I'm not sure what's happening. The obvious thing would be that I'm not putting enough weight forward on the board. I've tried to shift my weight forward more and swing my front foot further forward (and pearled the board a shedload of times in the process! yey) but the board doesn't seem to plane right. I did wonder whether this is just normal when the swell isn't very powerful (if you're familiar with surf-forecast.com "max energy" ratings, the waves where I am are rated around 25-30 on average at the moment). I broke a fin the other day when I rode too far into the beach, so it's not like I'm not going somewhere... Confused! Can't help feeling that I'm blaming my tools, though, and am determined to work this one out

I'd be really grateful for any tips. Thanks.

[dhand62362]

if you are on a 6'10 when you pop up is your foot over the tail ? you could be stalling it by having your foot on the brake. I try on my 7'6 to stretch that front foot over the stringer so the board planes. Have you tried shifting forward after a pop up so your weight is slightly forward ? As the wave slows down you will need to shift your weight.

[eatingwater]

Thanks for replying. Think you're right about being too far over the tail - need to get my front foot further forward and will give it some practice on dry land. I'm pretty athletic but a bit leggy and not especially bendy (!) and getting my front foot far enough up the board is a bit of a mission. I'll get there. Thanks for the tip about shifting weight - will give it a try.

[dhand62362]

try leg stretches, it worked for me

[eatingwater]

cheers for the tip.

[cooter]

Have you tried shuffling forward after you pop? Back foot then front. This will get more weight forward, but do keep on working on that flexibility. On a 6' 10" you shouldn't need to shuffle about much, if at all.

Also are you looking where you want to go, or looking down at the board?

I'd recommend you get the "110% Surfing" DVD which covers all of this stuff (and a lot more) in a lot of detail.
http://store.magicseaweed.com/110%25-Surfing-Techniques-Vol.-1-DVD/Item/1189/

Hope that helps.

[eatingwater]

Only just seen your reply. Thanks for the tips.

[slappywagish]

Ya. as the others said you're basically butting too much weight on to the rear of the board. try pumping the nose a little to keep the momentum up, actually just thinking. if you play around with this it'll definately help. If you start pumping the front of your board it'll automatically cut down on the amount of weight you're putting on the back and over time you'll just figure out the correct position on your own but the pumping will really cut down on the frustration you're probably feeling sometimes. best of luck with it

[roberdy]

Slappywagish, just as an FYI, you might be being helpful but digging up very old threads is a little sus to a nosy moderator so I will be keeping an eye on you, be a good lad and go and say Hi in the introduce yourself thread please

http://community.magicseaweed.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3419&start=1560

[hotzone]

try to bent your back knee in more and look down the line. also avoid grabbing both rails on take off.
hope it helps
kind regards
oscar

[bombie]

It doesn't sound like you are catching the wave but are instead popping up either before you've caught it or after it's passed you by. It should be a piece of piss to catch waves with that board given your height and weight.

Try:
1. lying a bit further down the board - you'll probably nosedive a few times till you get the position right - it sounds like you are too far back. Try to get somewhere between one and 2 feet between your back foot and the end of the board when you pop up and see if that fixes things.
2. paddle harder - the more speed you generate before the wave reaches you the better as you will have more time to pop up and steer the thing. When you fall off the back of the wave you haven't caught it in the first place.
3. point it straighter at the beach. If you are angling too far along the wave you won't catch it and will slide off the back of the wave
4. keep your hands flat on the top of the board and don't grab the board - grabbing the board will slow you down in the pop up and will probably leave you in an unbalanced crouch.
5. take off closer to the peak of the wave where you will get more power and speed which will propel you out onto the wave.
6. paddle harder.
7. paddle harder - when you feel the board begin to accelerate when the wave gets to you that's your moment to get up, not before. keep paddling till the board accelerates with the wave. If you paddle like buggery and the wave still passes you by then you are taking off too deep and need to get further in to shore. All of which you no doubt know if you are half competent on a bodyboard.

[eatingwater]

Thanks, Bombie and Oscar and everyone else,

I'm now comfortably riding waves.

Nothing to do with paddling and everything to do with my back foot, which was way too far back on the board, so thanks for your suggestions. At 5 foot 7 I don't have 2 feet between me and the tail (6 foot 10) though...(think maybe you read the board length wrong?) And I couldn't get any further towards the nose - my back is already in major extension as I paddle. My hands have always been flat on the deck; no grabbing the rails.

The key was to go out in a more powerful wave - makes it far easier.

Thanks, everyone.