You need a bigger board I think. You're wobbling all over the place which indicates your board isn't stable enough for your skill level. Ditch the 6'6 for now and go back to the 8ft, which will be much more stable. Stop rushing to small boards.
Keep and surf the boards you’ve got. However, you should add a proper long board to your quiver. This will keep you in the water when it’s very small. The more you paddle(any board)-the stronger your arms -the more waves you’ll catch- the more you’ll surf. But when it gets “good” you gotta keep riding those small boards.
Seriously, hahaha. people shouldn’t even start actually surfing until they have a full quiver of boards and are ready for all conditions.
This fucking place sometimes.
You absolutely need a quiver…. One board will NEVER cut it all the time if you’re a serious surfer. It can do pretty good in most conditions, but you really need a couple of options to maximize conditions.
“Serious” surfer. May your barrels be deep, your cutbacks powerful and the lips get smashed. Keep striving for perfection. Maybe you will get a nice video to post to your bros.
My 8ft board is perfect for those really small days! I get in just about everything tbh! I feel like when I use my 8ft it takes away from the smaller board though so I’ve been pushing my 6’6 as much as I possibly can
You’re wrong. You're turning with your arms instead of shifting your feet and balance. There’s a reason everybody tells surfers at your stage to stay on a longboard. You won’t be able to turn properly until you get your back foot over the fin. Staying on a longboard, until you’ve got that down, will be easier/quicker to progression. The reason to shift to the shorter board, for now, is when the waves are too big to get out easily.
You’re surfin,man! Don’t listen to Reddit surfers. They will say your bottom turn needs work. Or you have the squat stance. Or you need 50 boards for all conditions. Just get out there with your friends and enjoy the ocean. Be thankful that you get to surf. You will know what kind of board you need when you know it.
California sucks during the summer, parts of it have blackballed areas, and is Florida levels of crowded in parking lots. Trust me it’s lame, even if it’s ‘fun’ by Florida standards.
Ah youre right, it’s not blackballing. But even separating swimmers and surfers is a huge jump for FL surfers. Although, FL is weird too. Some piers over there wont let you surf near them
I live in San Diego, but wouldn't travel to California to surf. Crowds are a huge bummer. That said, I've never traveled to surf and maybe other places are crowded too. That would be an even bigger bummer if I traveled somewhere to surf
My normal surf spot is pretty crowded, this beach is a Lowkey local spot that me and my buddies stumbled upon that have pretty much the same break as the popular spot just down the road, I used to live in San Diego but before I surfed , definitely want to come back and try it
Just to clarify, what OP means is your fingers should enter the water first, in a downward motion.
[Hydromind](https://www.instagram.com/hydromind?igsh=MXBkY3FmaTF3aW50YQ==) on IG has some good content
Stop Bending at your waist to get lower, use your knees and remember, where your head goes, your body follows. Mainly, keep surfing and watching the pros. Seems like your off to a good start.
Your paddles are sorta *pretend* paddles. You may want to also consider staying on the 8ft log for a few months. The log teaches you wave positioning. Like you should have been 30 feet to your right and gone left. That wave is breaking left. You’ll notice that the blue water was to your left and the white water was to your right (opposite of the video)
Additionally the log will help with your paddle strokes. Long, deep, strokes, voluminous strokes will propel you forward.
Nice pop. That was actually really the best part. To your feet and you found a line to surf.
Pop up was good. Your head was semi up and looking to where you wanted to go.
Big thing to focus on is compression and lower body work. All the movement was in the upper body while your legs looked static.
Get a surf skateboard to get some muscle memory built in for your leg work, hip rotation
It really will help. Surfing is a lot of muscle memory which is tough to build on 2-3 second rides every weekend when you can make it to the beach.
Practicing a bottom turn with cones on a board for literally hours will pay dividends later
Just keep going. Ain't nothing better than practice.
But, from watching this, your balance strategy might be hurting you more than it's helping you once you get up. That bent over posture makes it very difficult to actively counterbalance with your arms without damn near sitting down if you move them in front of you. You don't want to be standing straight up, but the straighter you can get that spine, and the more centered your gravity is, the more stable and responsive you will feel.
For sure. The easiest and best way to do it initially is just bend the living hell out of those knees. Keep your upper body as straight as possible, but still get as low as possible. Even if you have to squat, if you squat straight down instead of bending over like that, It should eliminate a lot of the leaning too far forward, too far back, then too far forward feeling that makes the board feel unstable.
You needed one more stroke before you pop up or you needed to paddle harder. I surfed my whole life but never fully figured this out till I saw this one WSL guy out with me one day. He caught everything, but stroked insane when the wave came.
These waves suck. Learn on them and everything else will seem easy.
Not gonna act like a professional here because I really am learning every day! But I watched so many YouTube videos about surfing and tips and what to avoid etc, and being able to be in the water a lot! I pretty much live on the beach so I surf 3-5 times a week! Currently I’m in the best shape of my life between surfing and the gym daily, that definitely contributes I think towards progression
If you're smiling and sliding you're already doing better than the rest.
Way back when I first started I'm your scene idea the bigger the way the better I could surf. There was a point they got so big and I got so old.
Eddie would go
Coming from other board sports my advice is straighten up your back. Don’t be so bent over at the waist. You bend at the knees and ankles, not the waist. That keeps your weight and shoulders over your board.
You’re doing pretty decent for a “new “surfer.
Paddling technique needs to change, you need to think about reaching far ahead and pulling that water to you. Hand should enter at an angle for least resistance, cup the hand and pull, then rotate and exit the water.
- More time on a bigger board
- More weight on the front foot
- Bend at the knees, not at the waist. This will keep your head & weight centered over the board.
- Rotate your upper body so that your chest is facing down the line.
WTF is wrong with all you kooks that you need so much goddamn validation in your kookiness? You suck. It's fine. You don't need us to look at you sucking and tell you how not to suck so bad.
I'm sorry, I've just had it. I've had it with all the goddamn "gimme feedback" posts. Actually, I had it with them at least six months ago and posted a similar rant at the time.
Your post sucks. You suck. You're a shitty surfer. And that part is fine, because we were all shitty surfers once upon a time and most of us are still pretty lame.
But for fuck's sake, STOP with these pathetic posts. Nobody gives a fuck how you surf. You aren't going to learn anything from this exercise of posting yourself spazzing around ridiculously on a six-inch closeout, and you aren't even trying to learn anything, in reality. You're just another victim of the 21st century who believes that every goddamn moment of your banal existence needs to be documented and posted on social media. But it doesn't. Leave the garbage in the trash. Maybe post something in six months, if you haven't given up on the sport between now and then.
Best advice is to just keep surfing.
Boom, this. Wiggles become carves with enough reps!
Agree! East coaster <<< so I gotta work with smaller swells, but it’s better for beginners learning to carve
Exactly..have fun, try things out, surf in..and paddle out )..repeat maybe bend at knees for more balance
You're doing great. Nice pop-up.
I appreciate the kind words!
Keep the hands in the middle of the board for the pop up tho, outside and you lose your eye on the wave
I really need to fix this!
Surf more. That's it.
You need a bigger board I think. You're wobbling all over the place which indicates your board isn't stable enough for your skill level. Ditch the 6'6 for now and go back to the 8ft, which will be much more stable. Stop rushing to small boards.
I’m gonna record me on my 8ft and see how different it looks! I appreciate the advice
Keep and surf the boards you’ve got. However, you should add a proper long board to your quiver. This will keep you in the water when it’s very small. The more you paddle(any board)-the stronger your arms -the more waves you’ll catch- the more you’ll surf. But when it gets “good” you gotta keep riding those small boards.
Yes you need a “quiver” of boards lol. Just surf
Seriously, hahaha. people shouldn’t even start actually surfing until they have a full quiver of boards and are ready for all conditions. This fucking place sometimes.
r/surflejerk
Good bot
You absolutely need a quiver…. One board will NEVER cut it all the time if you’re a serious surfer. It can do pretty good in most conditions, but you really need a couple of options to maximize conditions.
And yes a short board and a longboard.
“Serious” surfer. May your barrels be deep, your cutbacks powerful and the lips get smashed. Keep striving for perfection. Maybe you will get a nice video to post to your bros.
My 8ft board is perfect for those really small days! I get in just about everything tbh! I feel like when I use my 8ft it takes away from the smaller board though so I’ve been pushing my 6’6 as much as I possibly can
You’re wrong. You're turning with your arms instead of shifting your feet and balance. There’s a reason everybody tells surfers at your stage to stay on a longboard. You won’t be able to turn properly until you get your back foot over the fin. Staying on a longboard, until you’ve got that down, will be easier/quicker to progression. The reason to shift to the shorter board, for now, is when the waves are too big to get out easily.
Did i just have a fucking stroke?
Godzilla?
Grandpa?
Idk did you
You’re surfin,man! Don’t listen to Reddit surfers. They will say your bottom turn needs work. Or you have the squat stance. Or you need 50 boards for all conditions. Just get out there with your friends and enjoy the ocean. Be thankful that you get to surf. You will know what kind of board you need when you know it.
Appreciate you bro! It’s been mostly good/ decent responses!
You're completely wrong. You only need 25 boards to cover all conditions. The other 25 are for different moods.
Find better waves
Hey now that isn't the least bit helpful. He'll need to stumble upon a large sum of money before he can find better waves
PR is cheap as hell flight wise believe it or not from FL
So is the rest of Latin America.
I want to plan a trip to either California or somewhere else this summer 😂😭
If you’re in FL check out PR or Costa Rica. CA water is generally cold and the surfers colder
Yep. Someone from FL will turn into an ice cube here.
Our water is 87 degrees right now 😂
72 in north county 🧖♂️
80 in San Marcos
Finally cracked 50.
67 here
Surfed ocean beach SF last winter and it was cold but not too bad with my rented 4:3
California sucks during the summer, parts of it have blackballed areas, and is Florida levels of crowded in parking lots. Trust me it’s lame, even if it’s ‘fun’ by Florida standards.
What are blackballed areas?
Areas with too many swimmers get shut down to surfers for safety reasons
That sounds miserable
Where you talking about? I know for sure LA doesn't blackball anymore. I'm pretty sure San Diego doesn't either.
Yeah from what I’ve seen San Diego just divides the beaches into surfers and swimmers
Ah youre right, it’s not blackballing. But even separating swimmers and surfers is a huge jump for FL surfers. Although, FL is weird too. Some piers over there wont let you surf near them
They turned the waves off so no point coming here. Something about a drought.
I live in San Diego, but wouldn't travel to California to surf. Crowds are a huge bummer. That said, I've never traveled to surf and maybe other places are crowded too. That would be an even bigger bummer if I traveled somewhere to surf
My normal surf spot is pretty crowded, this beach is a Lowkey local spot that me and my buddies stumbled upon that have pretty much the same break as the popular spot just down the road, I used to live in San Diego but before I surfed , definitely want to come back and try it
That wasn’t bad mate, but when you paddle you’re supposed to go in hard and thread water, don’t slap the ocean, das rude!
That’s funny I can’t not see Me slapping the ocean now 😂
Just to clarify, what OP means is your fingers should enter the water first, in a downward motion. [Hydromind](https://www.instagram.com/hydromind?igsh=MXBkY3FmaTF3aW50YQ==) on IG has some good content
I’ll definitely check him out!
You’re actually shredding. Awesome job. You look like you’re having fun. “The best surfer is the one who’s having the best fun.”
Love this comment! Absolutely having a fantastic time with the boys! Doesn’t get much better than this
Your stoke is real. Super congratulations 🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️🏄🏽♂️
Stay on a longboard for a year.
[удалено]
But it’s Florida
You're definitely not "new". Keep at it, simple as that.
Did you yell cowabunga?
I should’ve
Stop Bending at your waist to get lower, use your knees and remember, where your head goes, your body follows. Mainly, keep surfing and watching the pros. Seems like your off to a good start.
Appreciate the words man! I’ll keep at it for sure
Get a helmet
You gotta claim it after popping up
Your paddles are sorta *pretend* paddles. You may want to also consider staying on the 8ft log for a few months. The log teaches you wave positioning. Like you should have been 30 feet to your right and gone left. That wave is breaking left. You’ll notice that the blue water was to your left and the white water was to your right (opposite of the video) Additionally the log will help with your paddle strokes. Long, deep, strokes, voluminous strokes will propel you forward. Nice pop. That was actually really the best part. To your feet and you found a line to surf.
Appreciate the advice! That’s awesome man thank you
Just keep on surfing brotha, looking way better than I did when I first started
I met some great friends surfing and I surf way more than I should😂
>>I surf way more than I should Nonsense
Last 4 days I surfed 6 times 😂 ya boy is fried from this Florida sun
Just have fun! And over time, keep pushing your limits in slightly bigger waves.
All good. Just enjoy
if you’re having fun, nothing to improve
Pop up was good. Your head was semi up and looking to where you wanted to go. Big thing to focus on is compression and lower body work. All the movement was in the upper body while your legs looked static. Get a surf skateboard to get some muscle memory built in for your leg work, hip rotation
I have one! I was waiting for this comment, I really need to take it out I think it would help tremendously
It really will help. Surfing is a lot of muscle memory which is tough to build on 2-3 second rides every weekend when you can make it to the beach. Practicing a bottom turn with cones on a board for literally hours will pay dividends later
Stop flapping your arms would be a start
My buddy told me not to keep them dead by my side so I was trying to “pump” still need to get the motion down though
Use more of your lower body to generate speed. I recommend watching videos of Curren or Slater on how they use/don’t use their arms.
Stop surfing in Tejas.
Drive to better surf
I could drive up to NSB! But it’s sooo sharky
Stop bending at waist - knees, ankles….and if/when it gets bigger, bend at the hips (line and RDL)
Need more wax.
2 hours after low tide.
You're getting there
Thank you
Just keep going. Ain't nothing better than practice. But, from watching this, your balance strategy might be hurting you more than it's helping you once you get up. That bent over posture makes it very difficult to actively counterbalance with your arms without damn near sitting down if you move them in front of you. You don't want to be standing straight up, but the straighter you can get that spine, and the more centered your gravity is, the more stable and responsive you will feel.
I will try to work on this the next few days I go out I appreciate it
For sure. The easiest and best way to do it initially is just bend the living hell out of those knees. Keep your upper body as straight as possible, but still get as low as possible. Even if you have to squat, if you squat straight down instead of bending over like that, It should eliminate a lot of the leaning too far forward, too far back, then too far forward feeling that makes the board feel unstable.
Thank you so much! That should help a lot, I dig the rails a lot so that makes a lot of sense
You needed one more stroke before you pop up or you needed to paddle harder. I surfed my whole life but never fully figured this out till I saw this one WSL guy out with me one day. He caught everything, but stroked insane when the wave came. These waves suck. Learn on them and everything else will seem easy.
Thank you boss! Definitely gonna put that to practice
Get barreled!
Shit one can only hope
you're doing great
Thank you for the kind words bro
Looked great, you could maybe place your feet a little more forward but could have just been that wave.
Thank you bro!! I’ll check it out
This looked good to me for the wave, I would recommend getting a longer board as well it would be a nice addition for smaller days!
I’d love to be at this stage in just 4 months! Any advice on how you progressed?
Not gonna act like a professional here because I really am learning every day! But I watched so many YouTube videos about surfing and tips and what to avoid etc, and being able to be in the water a lot! I pretty much live on the beach so I surf 3-5 times a week! Currently I’m in the best shape of my life between surfing and the gym daily, that definitely contributes I think towards progression
Move to California or buy a 7’2” to get you through the summer
You don’t have to wiggle around and go for manuevers. Develop your own personal flow style. Less jerky movements.
I also started in March of this year. How big is your board? Looks like a 7 footer?
This board is 6’6 ! 45 liters
Siiiiiick
If you're smiling and sliding you're already doing better than the rest. Way back when I first started I'm your scene idea the bigger the way the better I could surf. There was a point they got so big and I got so old. Eddie would go
Hips forward. Avoid sticking your butt out so much like most surfers do.
You're doing awesome!
Hold on to your board. Learn to kick out. Even with a leash that shit is hazardous.
My guy you just need some bigger waves
https://youtu.be/cBDaLRA0BtQ?si=qpODBg2tZZxz2af9 timely paddling analysis for ya, the creator of it has a few interesting breakdowns in older vids
Coming from other board sports my advice is straighten up your back. Don’t be so bent over at the waist. You bend at the knees and ankles, not the waist. That keeps your weight and shoulders over your board.
You’re doing pretty decent for a “new “surfer. Paddling technique needs to change, you need to think about reaching far ahead and pulling that water to you. Hand should enter at an angle for least resistance, cup the hand and pull, then rotate and exit the water.
Lots of sunscreen
Oh yeah you NEED it down here
not bad at all, just keep your arms in and keep your body low, when you stand tall and swing your arms you're gonna fall
Thank you!
r/BeginnerSurfers
Nah man. You’re ripping
I love your comment but it’s not true 😂
Get barreled more often
Keep doing what you’re doing, i.e. filming yourself surfing, as it’ll help you identify faults and improve your positioning much faster.
- More time on a bigger board - More weight on the front foot - Bend at the knees, not at the waist. This will keep your head & weight centered over the board. - Rotate your upper body so that your chest is facing down the line.
Beautiful advice, really gonna work on getting my lower body to work more !
WTF is wrong with all you kooks that you need so much goddamn validation in your kookiness? You suck. It's fine. You don't need us to look at you sucking and tell you how not to suck so bad. I'm sorry, I've just had it. I've had it with all the goddamn "gimme feedback" posts. Actually, I had it with them at least six months ago and posted a similar rant at the time. Your post sucks. You suck. You're a shitty surfer. And that part is fine, because we were all shitty surfers once upon a time and most of us are still pretty lame. But for fuck's sake, STOP with these pathetic posts. Nobody gives a fuck how you surf. You aren't going to learn anything from this exercise of posting yourself spazzing around ridiculously on a six-inch closeout, and you aren't even trying to learn anything, in reality. You're just another victim of the 21st century who believes that every goddamn moment of your banal existence needs to be documented and posted on social media. But it doesn't. Leave the garbage in the trash. Maybe post something in six months, if you haven't given up on the sport between now and then.
Damn must not have a father lol
Stay off of Reddit.
Find a father
You asked for advice kook.
You have to improve your technique...
Can you be specific ?