a different surfing perspective

[marcus]

was riding my longboard today and doing my best to pump and get speed, and it's kinda been mulling over the thought for a while that riding a board stand up and riding a board prone give you a totally different perspective to reading a wave.

i know some of you may say "no shit Sherlock", but seriously, its quite an adjustment.
riding a bodyboard, as i have done since as long as i can remember has taught me the intricacies of the wave and where to pick up speed, what the wave is doing ahead, whats going on around me.

the on again off again attempts at being a capable stand up rider have been weird in that all the action seems to be happening down near my knees and feet. especially reading a wave and walking the board to accommodate.

to the guys that have experience riding prone and stand up, do you find you have difficulty adjusting to the way you look at a wave? ie looking down at your feet and slightly ahead, rather that reading the wave at eye level?

is it something that only happens in small waist high waves? does this change when the wave is overhead and all around you? is it just a learner thing?

maybe its just my poor eyesight and breaking a habit.

[puurri]

Marcus,

You sound mature enough to get to ride my retro twin fin 4 1/2 ft redwood bellyboard. Eschew the eski lid lad!

[Surfin Turf]

I find that when the waves are really small I look down ... but when the waves are waste to shoulder high I look more straight , eye level ... when the waves are over head I look straight and a little upwards ... when the waves are double or triple over head my vision gets a bit blurred from my eye's popping out of their sockets and my neck hurts from looking up wards at the massive lip thats about to land on my head ... then when it's really f'ing big I'm usually crying from having shat myself so it's hard to see anything ... so yes I do see waves from different perspectives ...

[marcus]

this is kinda what it seems like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwvVh0_ZelI

[2nd Reef]

A different surfing perspective?

I've started kneeboarding just recently. It's kinda been on my radar for a few years. Living around Cronulla I've always thought the ledgey reefs were well suited to a kneelo. Suppose it's the reason there's so many lids round Cronulla.

After I wrote something on Swellnet about kneelos, the photographer, Steen Barnes, offered me one of his kneeboards. I've taken it for a few hit outs and had a ball. It's easy to set the rail early, and also to make weight transitions back in the pit increasing barrel time. While not being a dissimilar approach to barrels as standing up, it's different enough to feel like something new.

Had my best session on it this morning; head-high plus barrels (if I was standing up!) cracking across a shallow bank. It was a semi-closeout and I was the only one out. Every wave was a pit and usually a traveller. F*cken unreal fun and I can't wait for the next session.

[RickyG]

Marcus, I bodyboarded until about age 21, then began the transition to stand up while body boarding occasionally. That was nearly 15 years ago and probably haven't been on the lid for about 7-8 years now so it's a little hard to remember, but I do get what you're saying.

Obviously when standing up in the small stuff you've got a better overview of what's coming up (eg of the next section's going to shut you down or hold up). When it's sucky you're really close to the action on a lid and are probably seeing things differently and reacting differently with it.

After a lot of mucking around I'll never forget the sensation the first time I stood on a wave and rode it a fair distance. It was just a closeout and I'd been boogering solidly for years, but the feeling of standing up and looking down, and over, the wave and board was amazing - I swear it was like changing from listening to music on an old transistor radio to a modern surround-sound system. Not knoocking the bodyboard, but that feeling's never left me.

[marcus]

but the feeling of standing up and looking down, and over, the wave and board was amazing - I swear it was like changing.

yeah i can remember the same feeling as a kid out wanda or eloura at cronulla and my brother guard and i on old single fins. Matty dropped in on me and i overtook him on my back hand and kept going all the way to stepping off on the shore, great memory.

haven't progressed much since, but still having fun

[Beanpole]

[quote="marcus"]attempts at being a capable stand up rider have been weird in that all the action seems to be happening down near my knees and feet. especially reading a wave and walking the board to accommodate.

is it just a learner thing?
quote]

Thats the standing up bit Marcus. This usually involves your knees and feet.

[roy Stewart]

Well there's no compulsion to surf bolt upright, if you need a view from lower down just squat down, many riders don't because their bodies would never make it back up again, but provided that you have functioning legs a range of heights and views are available..


.

[otway1949]

Well there's no compulsion to surf bolt upright, if you need a view from lower down just squat down, many riders don't because their bodies would never make it back up again, but provided that you have functioning legs a range of heights and views are available..


.

You can go even further and you might just have fun doing it.
Try head dips for outside looking in, coffin rides for inspecting the ceiling of the barrel, backside stalls and hand stalls to get to new areas of the wave ride, close out sections straight into the barrel coming the other way.
Try the forgotten art of the island and standing island pullout.
View shut down coming at you, run to the nose of your board break the tail free, swing the nose through to the back of the wave, squatting it's an island pull out standing tall it's a standing island pullout
Look back along the wake of your board as you ride turn etc it is a good way to get to understand what is happening through each manoeuvre.
There is a very strange thing that happens when you do these things your fun level goes up you cease to give a rats buttocks about what other people think and your surfing improves even if it's only in your own mind. Just fnucking enjoy

[Jimi]

I know what you mean marcus, I had the same sensation when switching from a booger. I think it is only on waves under about chest high that its really noticable though. First time I rode a standup on waist high waves I couldn't get over how wierd the view was, the wave seems tiny (and is tiny) but it is a strange sensation. Goes away pretty quickly though. I found I was staying way too high on the wave when I first made the switch, couldnt get where to position the board. Again though, didnt last long.
For me riding a lid made learning to surf pretty easy. (didnt need to learn about the water/waves etc). Didnt have a problem learning on a 6'3 as balance only had to be fine tuned and not discovered for the first time, then it was that different perspective/view that got me hooked. havnt even looked at my lid for about 4 years now

[marcus]

Ist lesson. When riding a long board if you are trying to pump for speed. Your doing it wrong

I dont know if he means pump like you would a shortboard, im guessing he means highlining or rollercoasting in a way. A deep bottom turn and going high, do it again, obviously not done as quickly as on a fish or shortboard but it works.
If this is wrong i dont see why, it works better than mid face trimming on a boring line, although thats better for walking the board.

yes, like you do on your fish, up high, shooting down into the bowl, up high, down into the bowl etc.
but more drawn out and less of them.
may have to watch some good longboarders to see if they do the same.

[Beanpole]

I love head dips. I'm sure it often looks cheesy but its fun.

[Trev]

I love head dips. I'm sure it often looks cheesy but its fun.

I love 'em, too. In fact did one this morning. One where the wave was really throwing out, so instead of just wetting my hair, I had my head right inside, with the wave hitting me down near the shoulder blades. Great view in there.

[otway1949]

I love head dips. I'm sure it often looks cheesy but its fun.

I love 'em, too. In fact did one this morning. One where the wave was really throwing out, so instead of just wetting my hair, I had my head right inside, with the wave hitting me down near the shoulder blades. Great view in there.

Feels great on a newly shaved head, rinse cycle

[Trev]

I love head dips. I'm sure it often looks cheesy but its fun.

I love 'em, too. In fact did one this morning. One where the wave was really throwing out, so instead of just wetting my hair, I had my head right inside, with the wave hitting me down near the shoulder blades. Great view in there.

Feels great on a newly shaved head, rinse cycle

Not shaved. Still got a pretty full head of hair and don't like it super short.