progression in surfing

[bood]

http://www.trimyourlifeaway.com/home/pr ... ailer.html

1st and 3rd waves are choice, 5th wave looks fun, 2nd and 4th waves are interesting but you would only watch them once.

[Spoon]

Consistant aeriels only is like the kids who sit on flat surfaces trying to flip their skatey over. Ride down a hill and use the whole wave. It is about the flow and glide fo me.

[moreorless]

Seems to me that "progress" in wave riding has depended on "progress" in the design and use of surf craft (and I'm not just talking about surfboards) and in notions of just what is a surfable wave.

The shortboard revolution led to major progress. Same with the advent of the thruster. Incremental progress in design and materials since then has seen the surfboard taken to ever more extreme realms, especially since surfboards and jetskies came together. Who knows where it goes from here.

What really blows me away these days are the waves that are being ridden - waves that 10 or 15 or 20 years ago would have been considered unsurfable. And not only are they being surfed, they're being shredded.

[oldman]

I'm with moreorless in that the craft we are riding are getting just better and better.

Here's an interesting question for you gumby, as you seem to be interested in trying to make a career out of surfing:

Is it possible to be a seriously good surfer if you are over 5'9" (175 cms)?

Virtually all the top surfers are and continue to be short by modern human standards.

[bc]

Is it possible to be a seriously good surfer if you are over 5'9" (175 cms)?

Andy Irons and Joel Parkinson are 6'0"
Dean Brady is 6'5"

Centre of gravity is higher, and you're pushing more bulk, but i guess you also have better paddling ability.

I'm 6'5" and rubbish, but its not my height that's to blame.

[mds]

yea and jordy smith is 6'2 and i think he ways like mid 80s or some thing and he rips

[g_u_m_b_y]

Is it possible to be a seriously good surfer if you are over 5'9" (175 cms)?

Andy Irons and Joel Parkinson are 6'0"
Dean Brady is 6'5"

Centre of gravity is higher, and you're pushing more bulk, but i guess you also have better paddling ability.

I'm 6'5" and rubbish, but its not my height that's to blame.

ways?
i think you mean weighs.

[mustkillmulloway]

i ask this

u can surf like occy or fanning

take u pick

both rip but ones power and ones power plus



the whole debate is far too subjective

what i think looks red hot...u may find weak :?

i was thinking about my orginal post here

i am trying improve certain aspects my surfing.

progress

i want learn surf much nearer too the breaking bit

i want learn slow my surfing down a fair bit

i want learn how surf all these wonderfully different designs that are around ...quads, mals, shit...even...bat tails

i want

i want

even thu i'm happy in my own surfing, i still have far too many areas too improve on in one life time

i think thats why i'm hooked, addicted, base my whole life around surfing

cause even when i have a great wave, i could done better :?

it kinda bugs me and challanges me at same time :?

[oldman]

Of course, Dean Brady, 6'5''.

Bonus surf geek prize if you know who Dean Brady is?

Just thought I'd ask. You can find your examples, there'll be 10 short guys for each tall guy, particularly short stocky physiques. You've got one so far, I'll assume he is on the WCT. Even 6' would not be considered tall, although it was the benchmark when I was growing up.

I'm wondering how much the equipment has reinforced that. Mark Richards is the only surfer I can think of who has that taller/leaner physique (god knows how tall, someone will tell me 5'2'') who was such a genuine quality surfer, but his style used his arms in ways that virtually no-one has repeated, and he was surfing mainly a twin fin.

Andy is a bit more in the skinnier bottom half heavier top half type physique, but doesn't stand out as tall.

Being tall and gangly just doesn't seem suited to surfing. Ah well, they can have basketball.

[Freshie Boy]

heh us tall and gangly folk just stick to riding retro shapes or mals whilst looking ultra cool

[wanto]

tosspot.

[kreepykrawly]

I have rib cartilage damage and I have to now go to warrief-ckinwoodcr-p medical centre for a x ray.

I hate them boolshitting cr-p heads that work behind the counter with their “it’s only a half hour wait” cr-p.

If I ever got diagnosed with a life threatening disease I’m gonna buy me a sawn off and start blasting away the counter staff at wallyworld medical centre followed by an avocado quarter pounder @ maccas on the other side of the fence.

F-ck I hate medical centres !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish i could just x ray myself.

[ric_vidal]

I wish i could just x ray myself.

Don’t let us stop you

Why bother Krusty, nothing much than can do ’bout a rib, no?

[Nick Carroll]

You can find your examples, there'll be 10 short guys for each tall guy

Oldman is thinking of days gone by. In the 80s and early 90s, elite surfers tended to be shorter than average, with a propensity to lower centres of gravity.

But in recent years the pro surfing doorframe markers have definitely shifted upward. KS at 5'9" is now among the shorter of the super elite performers. Parko, Fanning, AI, Jordy, Dane R, Bede, Rasta, groms like Owen Wright, even girls like Steph, all are showing that height-based leverage can be a big plus in modern performance surfing.

There's a number of reasons underlying this shift, improvements in shortboard surfing technique, increasing focus on power and flexibility and a more rounded turning style as opposed to snaps, and it doesn't rule out shorter surfers from ripping etc, but it's a marked trend.

Kinda flashes you back to the higher points in longboard surfing evolution, the mid to late 60s: guys like Nat, Mike Doyle, Joey Cabell etc were all a bit taller and could use their height to advantage really well. Maybe the scales are just being re-set to where they should be.

[Surfin Turf]

^^^^^

given that I am 5'10" which puts me at 1 inch over the limit ... am I only 1.4% sh!thouse representing the 1" , or am I completely sh!thouse because I am simply over the 5'9" limit ... :?

how does that work ....

[Nick Carroll]

^^well you're about six inches taller than TC and RCJ ... which means those 20' waves you saw 'em towing in Tas the other week are, that's right, only about 12' for a normal human.

[Surfin Turf]

^^^^

in that case the 2' dribble I was surfing at Narra this morning was really a lot bigger .... so I'm much happier now ... I think ... :?

[kreepykrawly]

I wish i could just x ray myself.

Don’t let us stop you

Why bother Krusty, nothing much than can do ’bout a rib, no?

was told it would be half an hour and it was only 20 minutes. Went for a surf, 10 k run and a 2 k swim to celebrate.

You're right about the rib Mr Vidal Castro> nuffin you can do about it.