help me become a mal rider.

[dinosaur]

Ok over the summer i acquired my first mal. Now ive been riding shortboards for over 20 years, sure ive ridden a mal or two here and there but never owned one and never given much thought to riding a mal properly.

This is a ten foot sean wilde nose rider. A real log with a big arse set fin. I only ride it in waves i couldn't be bothered riding a short board in. say sub 2 - 3 foot. I'm loving the feel and the glide of a nice fading take off, jamming the tail and the inside rail, swing it around, walk up trim. Practicing my cross step, working on it its all about style.

Im having trouble with the cut back. Im not talking feet planted jinking turn on some sub 9ft three finned abortion of a short board/mal/mini mal. Im talking a hard pivot right on the tail, the cat , midget throwing his arms in the air and all his weight back.

Of course they are master surfers and done like that is a high performance move, so im not expecting miracles. Im just having trouble, how to set the turn up. Obviously on a mal youve got to plan your moves a lot earlier than a short board.

So any tips?

Please be gentle.

[steve shearer]

this is a wind-up right?

[oldman]

Obviously on a mal youve got to plan your moves a lot earlier.

Have you thought of Broome? Start planning now.

[dinosaur]

100% serious. I want advice.
Im throwing myself at the mercey of the good and sensible people that follow the mal section. Which counts out you too cunts, so please fuck off.

[Womble]

Before we get into the technical logistics of the physics and theory in turning your newly aquired pasha-bulka ... theres a couple of fundamentals that need to be addressed first.

Ideally you need to show the outward signs of age ... a beer gut would be perfect ... but not essential.
Grey haired and balding is another sure fire way to portray the look ... totally bald would suffice.
The clothing is very important ... never underestimate the power of sartorial signage.
A nice bright pair of Okanui's or the Best and Less equivalent is a must for the gentleman logger. A long sleeve rash shirt with old guys rule printed on it. The rashy should be two sizes too big and fluro.
Ok ... where almost there ... all you need now is a bucket hat ... done.

You don't even need to turn the board now ... just take off and go straight.
Make sure you surf in packs of at least six ... and sit right in the middle of the critical section of the wave ... or just in front of the take off.
Speak loudly and constantly ... complain about the crowds ... lack of respect ... and your prostate.

And remember to only drop-in on the good waves.

Good luck.

[iggy]

befriend Wanderer..

no seriously, go surfing with him..
look, listen, and learn..
the man's got some real style and ability on a longboard, and perhaps to his benefit - the grace and poise of his longboard surfing translates directly across to his surfing on shorter boards..
no wick-wacks, jagged lines, or fragmented hacking, just smooth powerful and consistent flow..
he's written a very precise entry on RS about nose-riding that he may care to dig up for you..
longboards are more difficult to surf than shorties, and anyone that thinks otherwise has likely not pursued it..

[marcus_h]

Drop that back knee and get those hands in the air...thats all you need to know

[oldman]

... just take off and go straight.
Make sure you surf in packs of at least six ... and sit right in the middle of the critical section of the wave ... or just in front of the take off.
Speak loudly and constantly ... complain about the crowds ... lack of respect ... and your prostate.

Pretty good.

You forgot - paddle for every wave, make sure no short boarder ever gets a wave. Having taken the wave and establishing that nobody else can get it, flick off, ensuring the wave goes unridden as it peels another 100 metres down the line, and paddle the 15 metres back out and repeat.

Avoid tubes at all cost.

Apologies. I'll go now.

[dinosaur]

See I know when your taking the piss. You had me going until.

ensuring the wave goes unridden as it peels another 100 metres down the line, .

Wave peels for 100 mtrs ? In Sydney?

You go too far, then your cover is blown.

[oldman]

Wave peels for 100 mtrs ? In Sydney?

Nah, not Sydney.

Don't see mals around the Sydney beaches I go to. There has to be some respite somewhere.

This has been more my central coast experience.

[Chillin]

See if you can get a copy of WINGNUTS GUIDE TO SURFING if you can't, pm me and I'll sling you a copy

[BDL77]

Hey Dinosaur,

Looks like you and I had a similar summer with board choice. I have been surfing shortboards for over 15 years and decided to pick-up a 10'1 old school log to play around with when the waves are 1 to 2ft and weak. I've used it about 5 times in the last few weeks and gotta say it is great fun and a completely different sensation.

I have a whole new respect for proper mal riders not the stereotypical aging mal rider that Womble mentions but the guys who can surf a 10'1 like I surf my 6'1. Swapping from the mal (yesterday) to the 6'1 (today) makes the 6'1 feel like a twig but after a few waves I find the mal session has smoothed my style out a bit which is great. Also my attempts to cross step to the nose on the mal has given me a better ability to move my feet on the 6'1.

Just continue to have fun with it and ignore the pointing, sneering and crappy comments, I know I'm trying my best.

[dinosaur]

I dont want to ride it like any short board.
I want to ride it the way a mal should be ridden. I have more respect for goat boaters than modern mal riders.

[TrevG]

Now Dino. Here's the olive branch. Because you described the feeling very well.
This is a ten foot sean wilde nose rider. A real log with a big arse set fin. I only ride it in waves i couldn't be bothered riding a short board in. say sub 2 - 3 foot. I'm loving the feel and the glide of a nice fading take off, jamming the tail and the inside rail, swing it around, walk up trim. Practicing my cross step, working on it its all about style.
marcus_h is right above. And he does it well.
If you have a genuine heavy old log type board it's pretty easy to move your back leg back and put most of your weight back there with it, then lean in the direction you want to turn. It's easier if you are coming off a forehand turn to begin with - sort of like an "S" bend and it'll flow nicely. The moment the board starts to turn slide your back foot forward and even your balance out again ready for the next move.
If the board is a later, lighter version, it's a little more difficult as you can't move your weight back so far or you'll stall. Just takes a bit of practice to get the timing and back foot placement right.
And the arms have to go in the air. Refer my pic below which iggs likes to make fun of. But thats the aftermath of a drop leg cutback into a forehand turn.
And you're right. The fading take-off, hard turn into a trim is magic. Back in the day ( ) we used to call it the 180 take off (as in degrees of turn although of course it's not quite that much)
Iggs is also right about Wands. i've seen some footage of him riding and he's pretty smooth. Shame he's a goofy footer.

[dinosaur]

Thanks chillin I'll have a look although never had much time for surfing books. I'll check it out.

Thanks trev you old c.......

nah I couldn't could I.

I guess the thing Im having trouble with is timing. Like sometimes im up and trimming and Im not sure what I should be doing, you no do i just stand there till the wave tells me what to do?

I mean the board is nicely shaped new version of an old design but its still a ten foot log, its not a hot dogger. I guess sometimes you just gotta stand there.

[ric_vidal]

Watch Adrian Van Der Wallen, John Gill (Palmie, Avalon and environs), Longygrom (Matt - wherever he surfs these days) and Wanderer, actually all of them can ride literally anything with style, ’cept Wanderer would probably claim noseriding is more his strength on a mal.

Keep in mind J-saur it is a noserider so turning such devices can be a chore.

Dunno but probably more of a pivot than anything else to get it around.

[WANDERER]

sell it and stick to shortboards, mals are uncool, very very uncool.

[steve shearer]

I guess the thing Im having trouble with is timing. Like sometimes im up and trimming and Im not sure what I should be doing, you no do i just stand there till the wave tells me what to do?

Here...do it like this :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-VqTcQa7U0

and don't wave your arms in the air like some try hard Byron hipster .
Thats the biggest load of BS ever.

It's the only legit dance a whitey can do so don't make it ugly.
Use your feet and run through the turns with the hips.

Thats technique sorted, as far as timing doesn't Carroll hire himself out for an hourly rate to stand on the beach with a bullhorn?