Wow - that's fantastic Skeeee - I really appreciate taking the time to document everything.
Those videos are very helpful.
I can't believe those photos - such committment - especially when you notice the mountain of breaking water behind you. You must have been flying yet you still were able (and willing) to dig the rail for the turn. That takes some real leg strength.
Today I had a good surf in shoulder + size waves and was trying to really throw myself into the turns. I had a ton of fun and I must have been doing siomething differently because my legs were pretty tired/rubbery after 1.5 hours.
But thinking back, I don't think I used my paddle much on the bottom turn - I think I just surfed it... I have in the past used the paddle more (and worried I might break it), but that has often been because I overcommitted and needed the paddle to stop from plonking in the water.
I will keep trying. I would love to get some video or photos to see just how much I am leaning into the wave, and where my bum is... I actually own a solo shot (I wonder if they are working yet), but I normally surf approx 1 km off-shore...
Thanks again!
This video goes a long way to answering what I was hoping to learn in this thread - it is about posture on the wave: knees, back, and head position.
At 53 I decided to buy my 1st skateboard 
. I have in fact bought a surfskate (check out the Smoothstar website). I'm only 4 weeks in, but my balance, posture and ability to rotate through a turn has improved so much.
If your butt sticks out, you wobble and fall. If your feet aren't in line, you go round in circles. If your head, torso and legs don't work together, you go no where
Speed generation, bottom turns, top turns and carving cutbacks are all possible.
This has truly been an enlightening experience.
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..
This video goes a long way to answering what I was hoping to learn in this thread - it is about posture on the wave: knees, back, and head position.
Mate great video!
Given my board size I have been focusing a lot on lateral stability. I've been given a number of good tips along the way by Colas as well as personal experimentation which has really helped.
Given my boards range from 7"2 to 7"7 this becomes even more important. I had something of a discovery just recently where I discovered my head position was predominantly in the downwards position. I think this comes from the nature of stand up paddling where you can easily build the bad habit of looking down whether it's your feet or the tip of the board. This became even more noticeable upon take off.
So what I've done by way of conscious attention is to look out instead of down no matter what. This has had a real positive effect. Firstly, as he states in the video, the moment you bend you head down it seems to have a cascading effect of bringing the upper torso in a similarly downward position.
Why does this happen?
Well biomechanically a pronounced forward head posture must affect the rest of the body to compensate. If you notice in the video he emphasises lowering you body by dropping the knees which brings the hips down BUT without breaking at the waist. He also keeps looking OUT so the line under his chin is parallel to his knees in the crouched position.
Now if you fast forward in the video there is a point where he does break at the waist - impossible not to - but his chin is up and he keeps looking out. That's an important key.
Secondly by looking out and not down regardless of paddle position I'm not focusing on maintaining stability through conscious attention but rather let the rest of my body take over in the background. This is working for me. I liken this to learning to drive a car. At first you focus on all the little nuances that make up the driving experience. After a while however, you forget these steps and simply drive - seemingly your hands and feet do it in automatic.
Where this becomes more important is on take-off when the board is angled so there is extra effort to look ahead instead of looking down at the bottom of the wave which creates the sensation of almost falling forward which results a lot of times in the rider overcompensating by tilting back and falling off the back of the board. Clearly balance is the key so head and feet position accompanied by not breaking at the waist dominates this balancing act.
Apologies for the long post. Thread has really promoted self analysis in a good way.
Ozzie
Select to expand quoteghost4man said..cantSUPenough said..
This video goes a long way to answering what I was hoping to learn in this thread - it is about posture on the wave: knees, back, and head position.
Mate great video!
Given my board size I have been focusing a lot on lateral stability. I've been given a number of good tips along the way by Colas as well as personal experimentation which has really helped.
Given my boards range from 7"2 to 7"7 this becomes even more important. I had something of a discovery just recently where I discovered my head position was predominantly in the downwards position. I think this comes from the nature of stand up paddling where you can easily build the bad habit of looking down whether it's your feet or the tip of the board. This became even more noticeable upon take off.
So what I've done by way of conscious attention is to look out instead of down no matter what. This has had a real positive effect. Firstly, as he states in the video, the moment you bend you head down it seems to have a cascading effect of bringing the upper torso in a similarly downward position.
Why does this happen?
Well biomechanically a pronounced forward head posture must affect the rest of the body to compensate. If you notice in the video he emphasises lowering you body by dropping the knees which brings the hips down BUT without breaking at the waist. He also keeps looking OUT so the line under his chin is parallel to his knees in the crouched position.
Now if you fast forward in the video there is a point where he does break at the waist - impossible not to - but his chin is up and he keeps looking out. That's an important key.
Secondly by looking out and not down regardless of paddle position I'm not focusing on maintaining stability through conscious attention but rather let the rest of my body take over in the background. This is working for me. I liken this to learning to drive a car. At first you focus on all the little nuances that make up the driving experience. After a while however, you forget these steps and simply drive - seemingly your hands and feet do it in automatic.
Where this becomes more important is on take-off when the board is angled so there is extra effort to look ahead instead of looking down at the bottom of the wave which creates the sensation of almost falling forward which results a lot of times in the rider overcompensating by tilting back and falling off the back of the board. Clearly balance is the key so head and feet position accompanied by not breaking at the waist dominates this balancing act.
Apologies for the long post. Thread has really promoted self analysis in a good way.
Ozzie
I am glad it helped - I have played it many times. Thanks for your additional comments. But for sure, looking at where you want to go rather than just "steering" where you want to go is key.
The other point he does not specifically make that I have seen elsewhere (if I find it I'll post it - but OkiWild makes this point), is about weight distribution between front and back feet. You can see it in the shots below, but, depending on the situation (coming down the face - unless you are about to pearl - and during the top turn), you need more weight over the front foot and you angle your knees forward - front knee slightly forward, back knee far more so, with the rear foot positioned so you can lean the rear knee forward - but do it in a way so you can easily move your weight fore and aft. So, on the top turn, your weight is over your front foot (forehand turn) and your back foot/leg/knee is leaning toward your front foot - I am not describing it well, hopefully the photos and video make it more clear...
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..ghost4man said..cantSUPenough said..
This video goes a long way to answering what I was hoping to learn in this thread - it is about posture on the wave: knees, back, and head position.
Mate great video!
Given my board size I have been focusing a lot on lateral stability. I've been given a number of good tips along the way by Colas as well as personal experimentation which has really helped.
Given my boards range from 7"2 to 7"7 this becomes even more important. I had something of a discovery just recently where I discovered my head position was predominantly in the downwards position. I think this comes from the nature of stand up paddling where you can easily build the bad habit of looking down whether it's your feet or the tip of the board. This became even more noticeable upon take off.
So what I've done by way of conscious attention is to look out instead of down no matter what. This has had a real positive effect. Firstly, as he states in the video, the moment you bend you head down it seems to have a cascading effect of bringing the upper torso in a similarly downward position.
Why does this happen?
Well biomechanically a pronounced forward head posture must affect the rest of the body to compensate. If you notice in the video he emphasises lowering you body by dropping the knees which brings the hips down BUT without breaking at the waist. He also keeps looking OUT so the line under his chin is parallel to his knees in the crouched position.
Now if you fast forward in the video there is a point where he does break at the waist - impossible not to - but his chin is up and he keeps looking out. That's an important key.
Secondly by looking out and not down regardless of paddle position I'm not focusing on maintaining stability through conscious attention but rather let the rest of my body take over in the background. This is working for me. I liken this to learning to drive a car. At first you focus on all the little nuances that make up the driving experience. After a while however, you forget these steps and simply drive - seemingly your hands and feet do it in automatic.
Where this becomes more important is on take-off when the board is angled so there is extra effort to look ahead instead of looking down at the bottom of the wave which creates the sensation of almost falling forward which results a lot of times in the rider overcompensating by tilting back and falling off the back of the board. Clearly balance is the key so head and feet position accompanied by not breaking at the waist dominates this balancing act.
Apologies for the long post. Thread has really promoted self analysis in a good way.
Ozzie
I am glad it helped - I have played it many times. Thanks for your additional comments. But for sure, looking at where you want to go rather than just "steering" where you want to go is key.
The other point he does not specifically make that I have seen elsewhere (if I find it I'll post it - but OkiWild makes this point), is about weight distribution between front and back feet. You can see it in the shots below, but, depending on the situation (coming down the face - unless you are about to pearl - and during the top turn), you need more weight over the front foot and you angle your knees forward - front knee slightly forward, back knee far more so, with the rear foot positioned so you can lean the rear knee forward - but do it in a way so you can easily move your weight fore and aft. So, on the top turn, your weight is over your front foot (forehand turn) and your back foot/leg/knee is leaning toward your front foot - I am not describing it well, hopefully the photos and video make it more clear...
Yep definitely.
I was watching and YouTube of surfers out at Jaws just recently.
What was evident was two sections where the surfers were about to get thrown off and yet they were able to keep their balance by keeping their heads up despite being completely bent over!
So it isn't just good enough looking out with your eyes which you can do with you head tilted forward or down. It's also about lifting your chin up which seems to create these correction points throughout the rest of body to compensate.
Chiropractors talk about this with excess forward head position. This has the effect of creating a hunch around the neck area. How does the body compensate? Well it creates a sway back to realign the spine. You dont consciously do this yourself. Your body just does it for you to keep your balance.
Great thread!
You are obviously new to this case, if it's not a secret. In general, to catch a wave, you need to feel the water that surrounds you. As soon as you see a wave, row to catch it, if you want to stay on the wave, you need to bend your knees slightly and tilt your body slightly forward. Well, the most important thing is practice, because knowing the technique is one thing, and practicing these tips is another. I almost forgot, another main point is the choice of the surfboard. When I chose my surfboard in standuppaddleboardworld.com/roc-paddle-boards/, I touched every item and even smelled it.
