Need help with trimming on take-off.....

[rodd]

Ive got into a bad habit of always doing to bottom turn off each wave, instead of trimming high for speed.

Ive come to the conclusing that I'm standing to upright on each takeoff forcing me into leaning into a bottom turn.

So whats the trick to trimming high on a wave from takeoff???

Cheers
Rod

[stretch]

paddle diagonally rather than perpendicular to the beach and look well down the line when taking off.. use your legs like rabbit springs instead of geriatric screw jacks.

[Rug]

Get a movie called Framelines and watch the Mick Lowe/Dylan Longbottom session out at The Virgin(Its the bit after Lowey drives the boat out of Port Kembla Harbour). Also watch the bit where Dylan, Margo and Donovan surf at Red Sands. Some really good and varied ways of taking off on sucky waves.

[stretch]

the suckier the wave the later the take off...that my approach anyways. let the wave do the work for you.

[buzzy]

Even when I paddle diagonally I need to do a bottom turn of sorts...I mean I've never really thought about it before but when I want speed down the line I'm still doing an initial pumping type bottom turn with just a pivot off the top.

So, you always have to do a bottom turn. It's just a question of whether you're turning 180 degrees, or 120 degrees, or 20 degrees.

[stretch]

yeah, fair call but you know what im talkin bout. its just a hell of a lot more snappier too.

[seedy]

on me backhand I find that in the split second that me hands are still on the board but me feet are in the air coming up to land on the board I turn the board with me hands to the line I want so when I'm up I'm heading where I want to. On forehand it's all in the back foot for me.

[Waz78]

G'day Rodd,

I reckon that you may be bottom turning off waves due to the transition from a minimal to a nugget ie, moving to a board that is heaps easier to turn. As the other dudes have said by taking off and still having a bit of bend in the knees really helps. It might feel a bit akward at first but if you have a look at the better surfers they all take off with a nice low centre of gravity. Also practising poping up on the floor at home should help - that way it makes it easier to quickly pop up and have you feet in the right position and be balanced every time.

[Nikko]

The trick is to keep surfing.
Then WHAM, suddenly it all water under your surfboard...