Solid advice... I remember the summer I learned to surf. Of course I remember my first good wave down the line and whatnot... but I also remember the day before when it was crappy but I had spent the day riding whitewater and trying to go left or right - not on the open face but in the whitewater. Yea it was lame, but I remember thinking about how I stumbled upon a solid "betweener" way to practice. I wasn't really surfing, but I was faking it while doing better than I would have if I was trying to catch waves like the real surfers and it was just the thing I needed. The next day I caught my first real wave (a left into the jetty) and had a few more to varying degrees of success but I am convinced that day out in the whitewater "faking it" was crucial in figuring it out. I also taught my fiance' and a close friend with this and it definitely helped. Gave them a chance to feel the board under their feet without having to coordinate popping up and turning down the line which is brutal for beginners. The only other advice I'd give is to give ALL other surfers the right of way until you get it down and know with some proficiency what you're doing. My buddy is brutal with missing/falling on/dogging good waves just because he got them since he was in position. Drives me nuts especially since I taught him. Have fun and be safe.
move further up on the board. practice popping up on dry land. If things don't get better go to a surf shop that offers lessons and spend an hour getting a private lesson.
You need lots of water time, big waves lil waves, crunky waves, mush burgers. Pop up at an angle and ride over stingrays. BTW back on the gulf Coast lake michigan was fun to surf
