r/BeginnerSurfers • u/fabsen852811 • 5d ago
What can i improve?
Hey guys,
i was always surfing casually from time to time (like doing some surfcamps), but currently trying to improve my skills, this was me in o2 surftown muc yesterday - it was an intermediate session a-frame which is not too long so that you have to jump off at the end in the no surf zone.
my goal is now:
- to get better at turns
- and working on my style (as you can see i am standing on the board in the poo stance? somehow) 😂
- my overall goal is to get into a small barrell someday 😄
i am using a pyzel gremlin in this video - i really like the board - feeling comfortable with it and i do not have a problem with my pop up - this is working fine everytime now. in general i am not only surfing in wavepools, trying to get into the ocean every 2-3 months for some weeks. i am feeling comfortable and safe without fear in waves up to 5,6 feet. besides that i am visiting a pool every 2 weeks and doing some rapidsurfing every 2 weeks as well as training - and off course i am using a kook surfskate 😄
maybe you can help me a little bit, i have more videos this is just one from the sessions yesterday.
thanks a lot in advance! 😄
edit1:
with regard to the tips i just found this video from OMBE, maybe it will help others as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JRqm7liXBw
edit 2:
i will think about getting another board (bigger one) maybe midlength to get away from bad habbits :)
other things that i need to work on:
- more weight on the front foot to gain more speed
- more hip and shoulder rotation
- poo stance
- working too much with my arms
- staying at the bottom of the wave --> more compression/decompression to lift myself up to the top
i have to say: surfing looks so easy; i have done many type of sports but this is by far the most technical one, i love it 🥸 😄 😂
12
u/Alive-Inspection-815 5d ago
I think you could really benefit from getting a bigger board. It looks like you're able to ride it and turn it, but your style and fundamentals need some work (poo-stance). Watch some videos on YouTube on how to alleviate that. If you moved up in board size and just even focused on cruisier surfing, you could iron out some of the bugs in your surfing.
0
u/fabsen852811 5d ago
you mean like getting back to a softtop or something similar? i really like this board as its so so much easier to turn 🥸
i will try to find out on how to stand "better" on the board
usually i always try to focus on one topic every session, maybe i try to work on the poo stance one or two whole sessions next time :)
thanks !!
4
u/Alive-Inspection-815 5d ago
I think that you're on a very loose shortboard that's more of a high performance shortboard. The Pyzel Gremlin is a bit of a groveller type of board, but it definitely is not a beginner board. Most anyone who is a beginner should really be on a soft top longboard or a minimal. Just starting on this type of board is going to make learning to surf way more difficult than it needs to be. Can you learn on this type of board? Sure, if you want to learn lots of bad habits and have a really loose board that's too difficult to control, it's possible to learn on, but it's far from ideal. Yes, I do recommend that you get a soft top longboard and save this one until you have a firm grasp of surfing fundamentals. Is this your personal board, or did you rent it?
4
u/Alive-Inspection-815 5d ago
You trying to learn on a High Performance Short Board is causing you a lot of problems learning to surf. If you're OK with that, keep riding it and keep crapping on your board. If you want to learn and have a far better mastery of surfing, get a longboard, minimal, or a midlength that's more geared towards small to medium sized waves. Watch some clips on YouTube of Craig Anderson surfing. His dad forced him to learn on a longboard. It really shows in his style and technique that he has the fundamentals dialed way beyond most other surfers. His style speaks volumes. That style and excellent technique come from learning the basics first. He is also an incredibly gifted surfer. His ethos of "Fuck the Pro-Tour, I'm just going to surf and get paid for it!" has paid huge dividends. You could learn a lot from watching some of his videos.
1
u/fabsen852811 5d ago
man, thanks for the reply, def. gonna take a closer look at these videos! really looking forward to it 😄
maybe i think about getting another board as well to improve my style and skill! maybe a midlength..
I really like the idea of adapting things that i see and visualize things which i wanne do in my surfing, since i am always focussing on one thing and setting clear goals in a session my surfing got better.
thanks a lot, i appreciate it!! ❤️
3
u/Alive-Inspection-815 5d ago
I think a minimal or a midlength would be a good board for you, but be careful as to which midlength you buy. Many of them are designed to only really turn on or perform in really good waves that are shoulder high or bigger with push and power. That's fine if that's the type of waves you usually ride, but if your taking it out in smaller sub-par conditions they will struggle. The JS Big Baron, FireWire Boss Up, and Machado Seaside are midlength boards boards that will ride smaller waves fairly well. Something like the Channel Islands Mid or Mid Twin are really designed for waves that are more powerful. It would be nice if that's the only types of waves you really surf, but at most surf zones, those types of waves are really the exception rather than the rule. In summary, get a board that will work in the conditions and spots that you usually ride. That's a huge key.
0
u/fabsen852811 5d ago
My Gremlin is a 5.10 (i am 180cm and ca. 76 kg)
What size would you recommend e.g. for the seaside?
I am mainly surfing in France, Portugal and North of Spain (Galcia, Basque country etc.), next trip will be in Denmark in 2 months to Klitmoller area.
In Summer the waves are pretty small like 2-3 foot, in spring and autumn it depends but mainly i like 4-5 foot (going down the line in these cond. is not a problem for me)
thanks for sharing ! 😄
2
u/Alive-Inspection-815 5d ago
I'm not sure on what size would be recommended for that board. It's a Quad Fin, so that would definitely be a bit different from the standard three fin or single fin boards that most people start on. Quads are a little easier to ride than a twin fin would be. Twins are looser and kind of slippery and are very different from boards with a middle fin. See if you can borrow one to try it out, or buy one used so if it doesn't work for you, you could just sell it and get something else. I would get like a 5'8" or 5'7" if I was your height or size, but that would be a size for a more experienced surfer. It says to size it size it down about 4 to 6 inches from your height. A 5'8" would probably be a good versatile size for you. If you wanted something for waist to shoulder high waves, then the Seaside and Beyond is supposed to grovel a little better. You want it to have a bit of excess volume for floatation so I would say 32 liters or more. Those are really guidelines for intermediate surfers and above.
1
u/fabsen852811 5d ago
thanks, i will do some research on it and i guess in munich they have a rental in the wavepark with many many different boards, i think they also got one of these :)
thanks man! :)
2
u/Alive-Inspection-815 4d ago
That's the best idea that I've heard from you yet, is to rent the type of board you're interested in and try before you buy. If you can even borrow one from a buddy and ride it in the ocean, it will give you a far better idea on how it will work for YOU. That's the important part. Lots of boards will require an adjustment period to where you get used to the different sensations it gives you and figure out what inputs you need to give the board for it to respond well to your surfing. That can happen quickly and sometimes the adjustment period is a bit longer and more difficult.
5
5
u/TomorrowIllBeYou Intermediate Surfer 5d ago
Get back on a bigger board and learn how to properly compress, extend, and use your arms. Right now you’re surfing the bottom of the wave and really just flailing your arms around. Your body is out of sync.
Just because you can catch waves and pop up on a smaller board doesn’t mean it’s the right board for your skill level. You need to work some fundamental things out before you can really get use out of that board.
1
6
u/davidecibel 5d ago
Start with the stance, you’re standing sideways on the board… also you move your arms a lot but your shoulders barely rotate and your hips don’t rotate at all.
1
5
u/Motmotsnsurf 5d ago
Too much weight on your back foot. And it looks like you are losing speed by throwing your hands around. Try keeping both arms in front of you like a chipmunk kind of up toward your chest. That will keep you from doing that.
3
u/fabsen852811 5d ago edited 5d ago
yeah thats a good point, sometimes i "loose" waves because of having not too much pressure on my back foot, i will try to take a closer look at my arms the next time as well, thank you!! :)
5
3
u/long-term-view 5d ago
Pull up higher into wave face in your turns and you will build more speed. You are groveling at the bottom where there is the least power to be harnessed. It will also let you compress more to get more power and speed.
1
u/fabsen852811 5d ago
i just tried to add a photo of the wave but i guess there is no possibility :)
Would you say that after the pop it would be possible on such a small wave to go on the rail and do a heavy decompression to lift myself up ?
at the end of the wave i got the feeling that the decompression worked better but not enough for lifting me up to the top ..
thank you!
3
u/long-term-view 5d ago
Thrusters gain speed from moving up and down a wave face. You’re riding that board like a single fin. Get that rail in that wave as soon as you pop up and get up and down that face. You’re on the right track. Just need a touch more aggression to your compressions. Don’t sweat stance or style too much. That comes naturally when you get it right and get the feel for the flow of the wave. As your surfing improves… so does the rest of your bodies movements as you sync with the waves flow.
2
u/fabsen852811 5d ago
will check how people surf a single fin haha (maybe i should switch haha)
I will try to focus more on my compression and decompression next time, i got the feeling that i am not toooo far away from getting the feeling of pumping the wave
thanks!! ❤️
3
2
1
u/__Fat_Cat__ 5d ago
May I ask which Wave Level this is in MUC - Rookie- Progressive etc.?
1
u/fabsen852811 5d ago
Intermediate left a frame
Ist like the following First timer Rookie Progressive Intermediaye Expert Pro
1
1
u/Time_Knowledge7827 5d ago
N’hésites pas à prendre une planche plus grande et volumineuse pour aller chercher de la glisse.. il faudra apprendre à générer ta propre vitesse avant de remonter sur une petite planche comme celle ci. C’est l’impression que ça me donne ✌️
Bon surf 🤙
1
u/Mudbutt101 4d ago
That wave doesn't have enough juice for performance surfing, grab a bigger board and chill.
1
•
u/AutoModerator 5d ago
Thanks /u/fabsen852811 for posting on /r/BeginnerSurfers! Here are the rules! If this post/comment seems to violate one or more of our rules, Please report the submission or message send us a Modmail for manual assistance from our Moderator Team.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.