Popping UP !

I don't have much experience teaching people, but I'm just going to try to walk through what I do.

When you feel the wave's taking you, put your hands on the rails next to your pectoral muscles on your chest. Then, SMOOTHLY and in ONE FLUID MOTION (these are very important), do the following in order:

1. Push up quickly and sharply with your arms
2. Swing your lower body under your arms and put your feet into your stance, crouching
3. Straighten your legs until you are in a slightly bent stance
4. Make your turn

If you're surfing dumpy or steep waves, a slightly wider stance when popping up helps you to balance better when dropping in.

Hope this helped.

 

Make sure you plant your front foot between your hands... right where your chest was. Your back foot stays back. NEVER go to one knee. Try doing through the motions of a squat thrust with a pushup... but more surfing style, popping up out of the pushup, standing up in a medium crouch, feet sideways, hips slightly rotated forward, and shoulders square with hips. Really try to explode up out of that pushup. Do it repetitively to get some muscle memory, and build strength in the muscles you use for a quick pop.

 

Try taking a private lesson, it could save you alot of time and wasteful energy. You may be missing something on the pop, legs arent bent, feet to close to rail, standing to far back, or forward etc. Like learning to play a musical insrument. You would get to you goal a lot quicker with instruction rather then try by youself. Also there are some instructional videos out there. P.S. Have someone look at your board it could be to small.

 

What kind of board are you using?

 

what are you wearing right now?

 

Don't ever bail. Remember that you are always safer when standing up then laying down. Pop-up regardless of whether you "think" you're going to make it. you'd be suprised the steep drops that you can make on a surfboard. The fins dig into the wave and provide amazing grip that will help keep it from nosediving. Also think "back foot on the pad" when you pop up. Positioning is everything. Good luck

 

6'8" board will take you alot longer to learn on then say an 8ft.so just realize that. You tube some vids. That should help.I actually like popping up.with my hands.at my ribcage.I feel llike I get more of a spring from that position.Goodluck and stay thirsty.

 

This is really good advice, it's a bad habit to get into. I always bailed, even after a good wave I would just flop and bail (never when someone was nearby). I thought it was fun and did it since I was a kid. It teaches you the opposite of what the point of surfing is, to stay on the board as long as possible. Only recently over the last several years have I concentrated on not bailing and my surfing has lept forward by a huge margin, this after 30 + years. Even after the wave has died out out I try to stay on the board to the very end. It helps in everything from floaters to barrel riding and I would guess even just starting out. If you get into the habit of bailing you will do it when ever the wave gets threatening and never learn to manuever up, over, under or around the obstacle.

 

just to add...if you're gonna bail, bail flat, no dive

 

Your core is the single solid most important thing in surfing. It extends from below your sternum to the back of your knees. Your core controls your ability to turn and do manuevers. Three sentences that i hope you enjoy

 

http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Surf-Surfers-Strength-Conditioning/dp/0071419535

Do the "burpees" or land based pop ups.

 

They sure can't hurt... But to be more surfing-specific, I think the squat thrust is better for getting the pop up motion down. In a squat thrust, you're pulling your knees to you chest, which is lower abs, where as a bent knee situp is more upper abs. And popping up is pulling your knee to your chest.

 

Did 100 burpees and a 600 meter run in 12 minutes the other night at crossfit.