Early transition to a shortboard (I know, I know...)

I want to share my recent experience of trying out a shortboard as a beginner in his 30s and see whether anyone has any reactions / tips / comments (other than "stop surfing on a shortboard you kook"). Part of the reason I'm posting this is that it's very difficult to get serious advice on the hybrid-to-shortboard transition, especially for those who are still starting off in the sport. I am aware of all the drawbacks of moving to a shortboard early in one's skill development, but I have to say that my experience differed in some marked respects from what I'd heard from various detractors.

First, a bit of background. This is my second season of consistent weekend surfing in New England (along with a couple of brief trips abroad). I'm 35, 185 lbs, 6'1, relatively fit. I'd been surfing on a 7'6 Firewire ADDvance, which has felt very comfortable in every respect, except for the occasional difficulty of getting out the back (like a longboard, it's virtually impossible to duck dive). I can catch most waves, stand up almost every time, and ride down the line, though without too many fancy moves. Recently, however, I got the opportunity to buy a never-used 5'10 CH Weirdo Ripper at 50% off retail price. I couldn't resist the temptation, even though I know that it's crazy to switch to a shortboard as an "advanced beginner" (or whatever I am). I took out the shortboard for the first time yesterday in RI and loved it. The session wasn't without its challenges, but not nearly as many as I'd anticipated. The conditions were chest to head with side-shore wind - not ideal but still fun. Here is the rundown:

Pros

• My fear of big waves disappeared. Duck diving is a lifesaver, even when not executed perfectly. Not even the occasional overhead+ wave was a problem to get under.
• Pearling seems to be less of an issue. I worried about it every time I did a steep drop-in, but the pointed nose and weight distribution toward the back of the board prevented this from happening, much to my surprise (even when the nose got submerged a bit).
• The lightness, portability, and maneuverability of board felt liberating. I was in control of the board and not vice versa (this made a difference even when walking down the beach against the wind).
• The traction pad felt great when I managed to land my back foot on it. It felt like my foot was glued to the board and gave me extra confidence that my position on the board was correct. I'm thinking of getting one for my hybrid.

Misconceptions

• Contrary to various warnings I'd heard, I didn't notice a huge difference in paddling, most likely because the board requires perfect balance just to stay afloat, which forced me to use better paddling form (this was driven home by my wetsuit neck rash caused by constant arching of the back and neck; incidentally, the arching also made it much easier to look back and sideways as I paddled for waves).
• On a related note, whatever I lost in slower paddling speed, I gained by making more steady progress during the paddle out, thanks to duck diving. Breaking waves rarely pushed me back very much, which is a very different story than what happens on a hybrid (the turtle roll helps, but it's no panacea).
• Wave catching is not necessarily all that much harder. Sure, fewer waves are suitable for the board, but those that are can be caught relatively easily. I just had to adjust my position on the break (closer to shore where waves wall up) and my expectations (not every wrinkle on the horizon turns into a rideable wave).

The tough part: the popup is a lot harder (but for reasons I hadn't expected)

• Foot position has to be perfect. There is much less room for error (ok, I'd heard that but it became even clearer in practice).
• In steep waves, the popup has to be executed immediately upon catching the wave, otherwise the centrifugal force makes getting off the board very hard at high speed. I tried getting up a few times but literally couldn't peel myself off the board and as a result rode in on my stomach or knees (sometimes finally getting up when the wave slowed down).
• It hadn't occurred to me that the popup is made more difficult by the fact that your toes are not actually on the board so you can't use them to push off. After analyzing the move at home later I realized that the contact points that should drive the move are your knees and hands (I should have realized this even on the hybrid).
• I did get up a eight or ten times but usually when I hadn't actually caught a wave, either in the whites after the wave let go or on top of a wave I caught late (though I did have a couple of failed well-timed popups). Dropping in and popping up at the same time will be a challenge, but it doesn't feel insurmountable.
• Despite all this, the session was a ton of fun. I didn't feel frustrated and the pluses of shortboarding seemed to outweigh the minuses.

Goals for next session

• Improve duck diving: lower head to the board when under, try to keep eyes open, dive deeper, remember to put hands far forward on board.
• Angle into waves.
• Lower head and add three hard paddles as wave begins to break.
• Pop up earlier and set rail immediately.

I'm curious if any of you have had similar experiences or have any suggestions. I imagine that I'll get a few comments advising me to give up shortboarding, but the truth is that I probably won't (unless the novelty wears off and serious frustration sets in at some point, but I can always work in some sessions on my hybrid to regain confidence). Constructive tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

KookieMonster: At first I had no idea what the hell you were talking about (EMass??), but then I searched through the archive and got it: same equipment, similar skill level, equally verbose posts, same overly analytical style. Definitely not the same person, but it was actually useful to read some of his comments, so for that, thanks. As far as Winthrop goes, worry not, I have never been tempted to surf there. That "break" is all yours.

Sissurfdog, pkovo, and pinkstink: Thanks for the tips! I bet they will be really helpful the next time I go out. So far, I've heard the following: stay forward (have been doing my best), don't do a two-step popup using your knees (I avoid that as much as I can), try out the no-paddle drop-in (I've done that on the hybrid and it worked well at times, but haven't tried it on the SB yet). Anything else?

 

Thanks, guys. Workouts between sessions and quick popups without knees sounds about right. Sisurfdogg, I also really like your advice about repeating the "quick to your feet" mantra three times - this kind of stuff has worked well for me in the past. And wave1rider65, you're probably right about the c-force - I had a feeling that this wasn't exactly what was actually going on, but it sure felt like it at the time. After missing the critical drop-in point, I was going so fast that I just could get myself up, but that may have had as much to do with balance as with anything else. Gotta get up faster.

Spicoli: I guess we both like writing mini-novels, though mine seem to be filled with bullet points and yours with some intense surf lingo, brah. Truth is, I just got so stoked after that last session that posting my experience was the second best thing to going right back out there (which wasn't an option because of work and flat conditions). But yeah, I also find that analyzing my technique in most sports helps, as long as I don't overthink things (I try to focus on one part of the process at a time). Maybe we'll run into each other out in NH, RI, or ME sometime. In the meantime, happy shredding.

 

Thanks, Mad Atom; I will definitely put some more effort into angled takeoffs. Now I just need some waves to come in for a pre-work session tomorrow morning somewhere in New England. Not likely from the looks of it. Maybe I should hightail it to Dirty Jerz for some of that crazy tow-in action. If only Maya Gabeira had trained at Sandy Hook, she would have come out of Nazaré unscathed.

 

The forecast does look really good - should be at least as fun as last Sunday in RI. Too bad I'm under a surfing ban this weekend while in Nantucket for my wife's bday. (Ok, so it's my bday too and the ban is self-imposed as thanks for her endless patience with my addiction, but still.) Hope you have a great time out there!