Tips for an intermediate surfer?

[milkman]

Is this what I'm doing in the video around 1:23?

Kinda. But you're doing it before you're on the wave, probably to back up a little and get in line with the trough. And you're doing it using a braking draw, whereas I'm talking about more of a static backstroke position with your paddle blade and suggesting you do it when you're on the wave, not while trying to get on it. It can be a tricky transition that needs to be done fast. You get on a wave, make a quick correction if needed with a stern pry or draw to line up correctly on the wave, and then go to the static backstroke position, twisting your grip in small degrees to make minor adjustments in your angle as you hold the bow back from pearling.

[Pea Pod]

That's clearer to me now. Yep, you're describing something quite different to what I envisaged before. Thanks for clarifying.

[Pea Pod]

To follow up on all the tips: I've been to Penrith Whitewater a couple of times recently, and have had more success front surfing as a result of tips given here. I'm surfing longer (5 seconds?), and with less pearling. There's still more improvement to be made, but it's a great start. Thanks for all the input.

The things that are helping:
- I have the best success from river right. Leave high in the eddy on a tilt, quickly establishing neutral tilt and ride the shoulder to the wave front. From river left I just jet ferry back to river right rather than attempt to forward surf.
- I've been entering the current with a very narrow angle, and using a stern pry to get parallell (the eddy line is more boily than the video shows--in fact, most of the eddy lines at Penrith Whitewater are quite vicious compared to natural rivers).
- when I'm on the wave, I lean back further than I thought was possible and this prevents the bow pearling. On Sweet Lips, I can hold the boat straight against the flow and not pearl, but the sweet spot on Main Wave is more elusive at present. On Main Wave I sometimes ender--it's quite freaky!

I'm starting to get the feel of slipping backwards, steepening up, then sliding forward on the wave. Timing my reactions based on these components of the surf have been important too. Reminds me of surf boarding as a teen.

I haven't got the hang of dynamic surfing yet. But that'll come with time, I guess. I tend to exit accidentally as I experiment with carving.

[yarnellboat]

Good to hear! Glad someone's getting in a boat.

That's what I called the stern pry "cheat". As a lefty it's usually easiest to get all that angle & power stuff fine-tuned from river right, because you've got your pry to keep you from getting jetted.

When I made my comments on your vid, I was also looking at Sweet Lips around 1:23 and after, where you had a decent 1st attempt on your onside, and then the offside attempts really stood out as low percentage.

Pat.

[Einar]

Lots of good analysis here.

I decided I didn't like my surf skills at one time and I needed to Rebuild (kinda like Tiger Woods rebuilding his swing but without the extracurricular distractions)

First thing I decided was to divide my Rebuild into two; getting on the wave and then... everything else.

I found a small slow surf wave and practiced with the goal of making my wave entrances as slow and as efficient as possible. I mean really slow... and slow is hard! Really challenging, at least it was for me.
I must have done dozens over days (close to home)
As soon as I got onto the wave I pulled off and did another entrance, and then again, and then again, and then again till I was smooooooth. No surfing was allowed.

Using a small slow wave was important as then I could dominate the event, starting, stopping, moving up, moving back, leaning forward for effect, or backwards, and working the chines with subtleness, a lighter touch. Sounds anal. It was. But things happened slow enough that I could observe and teach myself.

Then I moved on to actual surfing. On the same slow wave. Tearing apart and rebuilding.

You have a great water park and that is pretty fast dynamic wave but it might not be the best teacher.
Looks like fun though.

[Pea Pod]

But things happened slow enough that I could observe and teach myself.

….

You have a great water park and that is pretty fast dynamic wave but it might not be the best teacher.
Looks like fun though.

Yep, I agree that there's great value in having the small, slow feature that you speak of, Elnar. (By the way, I love your meticulous approach to relearning your surf.) And while there are some more gentle waves that Sweet Lips or Main Wave at Penrith Whitewater, it's essentially a slalom course for decked boats, that doubles as a recreational course for rafts, kayakers, and one open canoeist (me). Not the best learning environment but pretty bloody good all the same. It's been a steep learning curve paddling there, but I'm a better paddler for it.


And I try to avoid learning bad habits by reading/watching the classics:
- Thrill of the Paddle
- Catch Every Eddy, Surf Every Wave
- Bob Foote's OC Roll
- Drill Time (Dickert, Foote, Ford)
- Solo Playboating (Ford)
- cboats.net

[Einar]

All the good tips have been taken so now it is the Weirdos, Wackos and Nutbars chipping in.

Linda made a video of me surfing and from that I decided that what first needed correcting was my Surf Paddle style. I was relying on the paddle way too much, using it as a crutch for self confidence and for stability, and using it as a last ditch attempt to power out of trouble. Lots of jet ferries.

I needed new idea, something that would beat up the old idea; less surf paddle, more surf boat. I needed to have less paddle in the water and rely more on the hull planing, the chines, and the body position.

So I marked the position that I normaly grip the paddle in for river running and then marked a position 3-4 inches below that, towards the blade. At this lower position I wrapped a rubber tape around the paddle shaft and whenever I wanted to surf I dropped the shaft hand down to the marker. The physical result was I had less blade in the water and I Had-To-Learn a "less is more" style: leaner and more subtle. For me it worked. I'm not a great surfer but I am a better surfer.
I've included a photo; the hand position and white tape shows the river running position, the yellow tape shows the surf hand position and the yellow diagonals on the blade the roughly amount of blade "not in play".

Whatever gets you there! From the Weirdos, Nutbars, and Wackos section
Einar

(ed. There is a white band on the shaft just above the blade, it is apropos of nothing)

[Pea Pod]

All the good tips have been taken so now it is the Weirdos, Wackos and Nutbars chipping in.

No worries. I'm loving it!

Looks like the lower section of your blade, hatched in yellow tape, was Plan B? Cut that portion off? Less is more?

Seriously though, I know that some instructors get boaters to surf holes WITHOUT paddles, so that they tune in to their body and boat positions. Your principle is that same.

[jakke]

Another wacko, maybe controversial point of view.

You can get better at surfing, by not surfing . No, seriously, surfing is the sum of a whole lot of skills, with limited margin for errors. You need trim, tilt, rotation, paddle postion, paddle drag, ... . You can get better at all these things, without surfing. And when the become autonomous, you'll notice you're surfing better to. I know I became a lot more solid in a wave, after working on all the components separately.
And most of these foundations are build on, surprise surprise, flatwater and easy (class I) currents. I know, it's not a popular vision, but most of the times I manage to challenge people on easy rivers or even flatwater.
Agreed, just technique training on flatwater can be boring, that's why you have to give yourself challenges. All you have to make sure is that in these challenges, you are working on:
* stroke quality
* fine blade positioning
* trim
* body rotation
* paddle grip
* ...
On easy rivers there is other things to work on
* timing (approach feature early, late)
* speed (approach fast, slow)
* go hard, go slow
* minimize your stroke count on a move
* ... .

Clearly the above does not prepare you completely for the more advanced environments. You can't learn all class IV skills on flatwater and class I, you do need the experience just as well. But I'm a strong believer that you have to get the foundations right, and keep on working on these foundations in an easy environment.
So yes please, go and have fun on these big waves and features. And take the lessens you learn there, back to the easy environment so you know what to work at. To become a solid paddler, you need time on the lake and easy rivers, time in your comfort zone, and time slightly out of your comfort zone. And that's how you progress, steady but safe. At least, that's my opinion, I know there are people around who will not agree upon this vision.

You can find some inspiration on my website, if you fancy some flatwater drills.

[Pea Pod]

Another wacko, maybe controversial point of view....
And most of these foundations are build on, surprise surprise, flatwater and easy (class I) currents. ...

I absolutely agree with you--you're a wacko. Just joking! Drills on flat water and easy features are important.

I have some flat water nearby that I paddle on for drills. This has helped me improve my forward stroke considerably (still working on it), which I can't imagine doing in Class III before the flat water muscle memory building. Plus, the Penrith Whitewater (considerably further away) has a warm-up lake that I always make use of.

[Pea Pod]

Here's some footage of some successful, if short, front-surfs. Thanks for the tips, folks. Still practicing.

http://youtu.be/M_Dkb06niuc

[yarnellboat]

Looks good! Certainly not Einar's school of thought on learning on waves that you can dominate - those look like tough waves. Most of us giving you advice probably couldn't surf them any better! I don't even know if I'd go in Main Wave

Much better entries with staying on your onside and using the stern pry, but your blade seems really far to the stern as a regular position. Maybe that's the nature of the waves and you need to lean back like that, but it seems you should be able find a more neautral/normal position with the paddle closer to your hip some of the time. Hard to say for any particular wave.

And as for killing the carve when you're been jetted towards your onside, well, it's just tougher to get that leverage out of your draw unless it's timed perfectly and aggressively with dropping back & tilting, and so exiting to the draw side like that is just how most surfs end! You'll probably find you're more willing to do big, wide, fast carves towards your right (offside), but want to manage any angle back towards your onside more tightly.

Thanks for the update.

Pat.

[Pea Pod]

Hi Pat,

Yes, I have to lean back that much to free the bow, and consequently, my stern rudder is that far back. The hand position felt a bit weird the first few times, but I think it's the best position to stay on the wave. I did manage some longer surfs that weren't captured on camera.

I feel confidant getting on Sweet Lips at the moment using the stern pry, as you recommend Pat, and I can steady the boat using small prys and draws, but haven't managed carving yet. So, I blow out mostly on my onside (stronger stern draw stroke required) but also on my offside (stronger pry required). I noticed in the footage, that when the bow grabs, I tend to get jetted off the wave, one way or another.

Another way that I screw up, is tilting into the turn (like arcing), when the opposite is required. Gotta re-train the brain! Leaning back like that and pushing with my knees is a challenge for my hips. Probably got some muscles that need practice too.

Main Wave was intimidating for a long time, but there's not much consequence for capsizing or wet exits. It's a good place to practice rolling up in turbulence. I've managed a brief surf here too, and the key is leaning back. But I don't stay on for long, and get blown off the wave in front enders, broadside, and all other combinations!

Thanks for the extra feedback, Pat!

[yarnellboat]

Maybe you can keep your body position back without committing your paddle that far back?

As you said, it's difficult to drive the boat's tilt with your knees when everything else is going the other way (leaning way back). And same for your bottom hand/arm - when it's way back in that high-brace-like rudder, it probably limits the transitions and force you get from the draws & prys.

When you can, I'd play with bringing my arms and paddle (if not my whole body) into a more compact stroke closer to your hip.

Pat.

[Pea Pod]

When you can, I'd play with bringing my arms and paddle (if not my whole body) into a more compact stroke closer to your hip.

Pat.

That's on my list of things to do, next time I go play!