Ask Carroll

[Nick Carroll]

I was cast as Tom's supporter way back when our Mum got sick, it was part of my makeup to look after him, to go into battle with him in the one area he seemed destined to succeed would have been completely at odds with what I felt I was supposed to do for him... Completely impossible in fact.

Yeah Nick that rings true, completely impossible. I guess you would not have been able to live with yourself if you betrayed those responsibilities you felt, there are things more important than a world title.

Yeah I wouldn't say I thought it through at the time, I just had an instinct about it and when I thought of doing it, it felt like I would have to become a very fcuken bad person to manage it. Of course, killing off my brother would have made me pretty much invincible as a competitor, but I hate to think of what would've happened down the track. As you say there are things more important than a stupid world title.

[Narra Kook]

Nick, how good a surfer was Newport Plus surfer Peter Phelps and does he still surf?

[Nick Carroll]

Ah Phelpsy was pretty accomplished. Very combative and competitive in the water. A bit of a stiff legged sort of style but he was right into it. Had some sort of ceiling size-wise I seem to recall. He's a SUPper these days though gets out a minimal on occasion.

[tootr]

So when are you taking one of Roy's shapes into 20 foot Waimea.

with crash helmet and bright orange kit.

Get Red Bull on the line

[Nick Carroll]

Whaaa....?

[rmb]

So yeah, most of the time the best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun. Because that surfer has developed the skills and senses that allows a deeper engagement with the session as a whole. And when it comes to riding the great waves at a high level, that's where the true gold of surfing is at, so if you want that, you have to get very good at it.

Again this is just going on my own experiences as a surfer, I know a lot of people don't react well to that but that's how it seems to me.

Nick how does a surfer bridge the skill gap between Intermediate and Advanced. Time in the water is a given but there must be other skills intermediate surfers can nurture to enhance their skill set. To further expand their surfing experience.

[godsavetheking]

I'm beginning to think GSTQ is in fact a dwarf.

Yeah right. If this bloke isn't a direct descendant of the House of Carroll I'll eat my Union Jack straw boater.



Nick, I know you tire of the subject but are you as shocked as I am that 'midget' and 'dwarf' are being used interchangeably here?

Nick, do you believe in nominative determinism? Was your brother's middle name being Victor that crucial extra ingredient in his belief that he would become the best?

Nick, where does the oleaginous Turpel's "He gets a vision" expression come from and what exactly does it mean?

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[Nick Carroll]

Nick how does a surfer bridge the skill gap between Intermediate and Advanced. Time in the water is a given but there must be other skills intermediate surfers can nurture to enhance their skill set. To further expand their surfing experience.

Wow what a fantastic question.

I can only draw on what I've seen for an answer.

Some surfers seem to make a very swift leap through these levels and layers of surfing skill. I think this is usually because they have some really surf-friendly stuff in their physical makeup. My friend Simon Buttonshaw would see some people do Yoga and say they had a "fortunate body", I think this is true of some people who surf; they have a fortunate body and it fits what is needed from the waves and the boards of the time.

For others it's a longer but perhaps a deeper transition; they are surfers who are willing to keep trying and beavering away but require some external factors to play a role. Like they may find a surf spot that fires their imagination or a series of surfboards that carry them to a deeper understanding of what they're doing. For sure, competitive surfing can play a big role here -- it has a way of forcing people to advance despite themselves. But it's not the only way.

The key word here is "understanding". To me the greatest difference between an "intermediate" and an "advanced" surfer is in the understanding of what they are doing. I have no suggestion for how to achieve this other than to keep following your nose in the sport. Not everybody is supposed to be fantastic at everything and maybe the trigger for your advancement will remain hidden to you for some time, or maybe it will come quite quickly and early. But it's not gonna be a result of magic, it'll always be a result of time spent in the water and time obsessing about what you're trying to do in there.

[godsavetheking]

Nick, on that point (ignore my other stupid questions) do you think that proprioception is key? The "ability to sense movement within joints and joint position…to know where our limbs are in space without having to look"? I suspect that really good surfers don't have that 'Oh my God' moment when they first see themselves on film

[Nick Carroll]

Nick, I know you tire of the subject but are you as shocked as I am that 'midget' and 'dwarf' are being used interchangeably here?

Nick, do you believe in nominative determinism? Was your brother's middle name being Victor that crucial extra ingredient in his belief that he would become the best?

Nick, where does the oleaginous Turpel's "He gets a vision" expression come from and what exactly does it mean?

No god save, I feel that a callous dismissal of the plight of the midget/dwarf is the only appropriate response to this farcical discussion.

I do not believe in nominative determinism. My father's first name is "Victor". Is he a world surfing champion? No! I believe in the complexity of things, not all of which are within our individual power to control. Which by the way does not dismiss in my mind our profound responsibility for our actions in the world.

That said I cannot speak for Joe's magnificently liquid expression. "He gets a vision"? Whence does this vision spring? Can it be replaced by another vision in the moment? If so, what is the value of such a fleeting vision? How can it be said to guide the aforementioned "he" in his endeavours? Will this vision still be present tomorrow? Next Tuesday?

My feeling is that it is a nonsense.

[Nick Carroll]

Nick, on that point (ignore my other stupid questions) do you think that proprioception is key? The "ability to sense movement within joints and joint position…to know where our limbs are in space without having to look"? I suspect that really good surfers don't have that 'Oh my God' moment when they first see themselves on film

Ah I think it's pretty complex, most of the surfers you're seeing in the WCT for instance have seen countless rides of theirs on video going back to the age of 14 or whatever, and so their proprioception has been tuned very finely by external feedback. This is a vital part of any high level surfer's development these days, indeed it's part of any modern athlete's development. It's part of how their skills are accelerated rapidly away from the pack.

Really good surfers are incredibly critical of themselves during video viewing of their performances. They'll slag off at themselves endlessly. I've listened to this stuff from numerous extraordinary surfers, including the likes of KS, Andy, Taj, Parko, Fanning and co all the way down the line to the Wright kiddies etc etc. They watch vision of themselves with a keenly perceptive, not to say harsh eye, and make numerous subtle changes to their techniques as a result. If at times you feel as if you've watched a top pro evolve their surfing skills in some way over a year or so, well, that's what you're seeing -- a very conscious piece of work from the surfer involved.

[ctd]

.. But it's not gonna be a result of magic.

#£%# it, there goes my chance

[Little]

Some surfers seem to make a very swift leap through these levels and layers of surfing skill. I think this is usually because they have some really surf-friendly stuff in their physical makeup. My friend Simon Buttonshaw would see some people do Yoga and say they had a "fortunate body", I think this is true of some people who surf; they have a fortunate body and it fits what is needed from the waves and the boards of the time.

In my early twenties in the early eighties, I was playing under 23's/reserve grade for the mighty Balmain Tigers. My training partner at the time was Wayne Pearce. He obviously had it and I didn't. That's about it, I think. You eventually reach your limit. You may make incremental improvements in some aspects but I was an intermediate footballer, just as I'm an intermediate surfer.

I should tell you my Aussie Joe Bugner story but I'm also an intermediate typist.

Bloody good driver, though.

[Beanpole]

MPs Mum used to film him on a Super 8 I think.

Some people have got better hand eye coordination than others.

[Davros]

IMHO all good sports people have vision, timing and positioning that comes naturally first, then it's everything else next.

[Skipper]

did you have to look up oleaginous and proprioception Nick?

[tootr]

did you have to look up oleaginous and proprioception Nick?

his wife might have had too