Pop Up: I Hate My Pop Up 

Thanks for the comment and sharing your thoughts, much appreciated 🙏

Yep, 2 totally different environments IMHO. Interesting that you find the sea easier. It’s the opposite for me. What are things at the wavepool that are weird or challenging?

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Great to hear someone else’s details and points that worked for them. Nice one mate 💪

Now this is a good shout. The push back about getting a longer and different shape board is that there are so many different variables that come into play, they paddle different and the pop up environment is totally different. That’s not the logic fix for me, but appreciate other people’s opinions. FYI: not board snobby at all. Did a few intermediate sessions on a foamie the other day and loved it. But the volume shout is a good one.

As you get better, the timing between placing your back foot and bringing your left leg through your arms can become less and less. Some pro surfers place their back foot and front foot simultaneously, but they are often relying on the steepness of the wave and the snap of their back to help them bring their legs through.

There is an Aussie / Swiss Champ surfer called Rachel Bonhote-Mead who uses this technique really well and said the same. It works for her and she rips using it. The only thing that puts me off this approach is the extra time it takes. Think you’re spot on about that horrible front leg dominance. Having the weight through the back foot seems to help no end with late drops, not pearling and avoiding messing around trying to get it positioned properly. Nice share, thanks for this 🙏

This technique really clicked for me when I figured out that I could push my upper body up and place my back foot at the same time / in one step. The next step is just swinging the front leg through and placing the front foot. So this is really just a two step pop up.

Now my timing between steps one and two is so small that it just feels like a one step pop-up.

There is a great RU-vid video of all the pros from the Kelly Slater wave pool stop a few years ago and the variety in techniques is crazy. Clearly one of the cool things in the sport that there isn't one technique that works for everyone. When you look carefully some of the feet landing are backfoot then front foot. Whatever you're doing sounds like it is working. Will give it a crack, although I'm close to being like a golfer now, tinkering with their swing all the time! ;)

Overthinking it couldn’t be truer. Just check the next vlog and the amount of pop up issues! And I also like the point you make about no substitute for just surfing more. Nothing beats that but packing less weight, having the key muscles for the process and doing some drills whilst being stuck in a city also seem to make sense. It’s funny but the confidence only comes from validation of actually catching the waves. The rub is when you have muscle Memory for a crap technique which later on gets exposed and it’s even harder to undo the bad habits! The takeoff ….the holy grail 😂

Thanks for this advice. I’ve been doing a lot of swimming and totally agree about the arched back. Being as long and flat is key for swimming, as is the vertical arm and stroke. The feet together is nice one too. All posture disappears as I’m scratching like a mad man 😂 Thanks for chiming in and helping

@@averagejoe6355 The arch of the back is something necessary for a good paddling in the surf, but it should not be too pronounce because it causes discomfort, pain and tires the lumbar muscles more quickly. We should slightly bend our back so that our head and neck can also rotate to look around and have greater muscle mobility. If our muscles are tense because they are in an uncomfortable position, they will surely become tired and ineffective quickly. The arch also helps with your paddle and keep the elbows above water which is very important for more paddle power. Regarding the importance of keeping our feet closed while paddling, it is easy to understand... When we paddle with the upper limbs there is naturally a reaction against the movement in our lower limbs. Our body naturally counteracts any imbalance caused by movement. An example: if I wave my right arm away from my body, naturally my left leg will respond with a tendency to move in the opposite direction. Therefore, the way to maintain ourselves in a correct and comfortable position on a surfboard is to keep the legs always together and stretched in order to resist any imbalance caused by our paddling. If legs aren’t together as soon we paddle more they start to open more and that creates more drag and with more drag we lose speed and control for the takeoff. It is easy to train our body and our brain to correct these problems, we just need to keep thinking about what we should do while executing. We can, for example, bring our ankles together, feel our knees touching and squeeze our buttocks slightly while paddling. in a short time we corrected our posture, became more comfortable and less fatigue... Train your brain and practice while your are paddling to the pick and then when your are about to catch a wave remember your posture (ankles, knees all together) and for sure you will fill the difference. My advice for surfers who are struggling with takeoff is to learn and practice the “chicken wing” technique and don’t worry to much about legs position because your upper body works like a spring that will carry your legs naturally to the right position. The work of the upper body is more important then your legs in the pop-up. Practice your upper body technique especially on top of an old surfboard in land but remember that practice in land will not be the same on the sea but is better to do it on a surfboard then on the ground. And finally the most important thing that we should do naturally, always... ALWAYS look forward where you what to go, never look at the surfboard nose… Like riding a bike, you never look at the front wheel while riding it…. Look FORWARD and everything comes naturraly.

Interesting suggestion. Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the share

7 to 8' midlength I'd say so he can get to his feet on one go instead of 2 stepping it. That 2 step rocks the board, throws off his balance, gets him in late, and the wave runs off. Borrow a midlength... Might just take you a month or two to iron things out.

@@luckyuliveHI just mentioned this to another poster, but the same issues are there on my mid length. The logic and reason sounds good. More stability / less wobble then can focus on the issues. Did an intermediate session on a foamie to get the numbers in and do exactly this but it’s very hard to undo old habits. The kicking and stress is a bigger factor for instability than length of the board IMHO. Appreciate the share and your thoughts. Thanks

@@luckyuliveHI in fact it was you posting twice! Thanks again

@@averagejoe6355 good luck. Having a strong paddling style and strong core will develop in synergy with your dynamic pop up. I used to have the same problem for years until I actually stepped up a board, now I can pop to my feet in any size wave or board.

Love it. And all opinions welcome! The point about paddling and doing it over barrel is a good one. Good swimmers can go straight then get a good vertical arm but for the rest of us going deeper seems to promote that vertical arm easier. Super good observation and will try adjusting that. Nice catch, thankyou

And next time you’re down at the wave make sure you say hello again too!

James, it’s probably every beginner abs intermediate surfers focus! 😂 We are not alone. If we can’t catch the wave then all the fun stuff doesn’t even happen! Feel free to share any useful links, coaching or things that are working for you.

Absolutely don’t beat yourself up too much you just need to tweak it a little I had an input from Pierre he said the same look right and keep low !

@@jamesbayliss6794 thanks chief. I’m not beating myself up, just brutally honest and totally against showing only good stuff saying look at me or doing a vanity piece!

I’m utterly shit but still loving it 😊

@@jamesbayliss6794 me too 😂 but couldn’t agree more with you. Still loving it! What an amazing pastime / sport to be involved with :)

The kicking thing is just plain annoying. A small bit of research on swimming highlights that the propulsion benefit is minimal, that swimming is all about drag reduction and having the right stroke (arm positioning and power band) so it’s just me having a super bad habit. I like the front knee to centre of the chest suggestion. Going to try that. The one going outside the knee is again…… just very annoying!

Wow, thanks for the fantastic comment and share. Think you nailed loads of good points. The point about needing a required level of strength is spot on IMHO. There is a balance been strength and technique but having that fast movement to get the arms extended and then legs up are key. Push ups and yoga ball (with kegs balancing on them are the order of the day! Thanks again for posting, really cool!

It seems to be a trade off. By the wall is the holy grail, most power, but between 0-2m (where this part of the wave breaks) is also the most critical. Coming away from the wall it is still steep enough to catch, but not so critical. if you are by the wall, the set up is further back and for 2m from the wall, a surfer needs to be further forward. Bottom line need to be in the right spot / positioned where the wave is steep enough, but the choice of by the wall or 2m out is one I've always considered. Now there is a difference on the left reef wave at Bristol, but won't share my crack pot thought here as I'll be opening up a can of worms (the left and right walls aren't aligned the same.....) Thanks for the comment and support, great to hear all these useful posts and ideas :)

Don’t tell everyone that! 😂 Yep, on the press-ups, burpees and yoga ball movement stuff. Think I might need a teaspoon of cement to harden the f*ck up. 😂

Ha ha ha, that just made me laugh outloud. That should have been the title of the vlog! Actually, think it will be the next one.😂

@@averagejoe6355 It's a 50% 50% these days:)

My pop up technique and issues are the same on my bigger board (mid length). Not sure there is “tick tacking”, most people commenting are telling me I need to pump more! Which I actually don’t agree with as think positioning and understanding where to position yourself is more important. So we have some common ground on agreeing that flow is important. Thanks for the comment

@@averagejoe6355 if the issues exist on your current bigger board, you need an even longer board. If you're still 2 stepping on a 9'0, then it's a mobility issue, ie hip/hip flexors are limiting you from swinging your lower body directly beneath you so your front foot lands between your arms while your back leg slides in under your butt. Tick tac is when the front of the board swings back n forth left/right. People do this in an (futile) attempt to generate speed Pump is up and down the wave. That wave is pretty short so you may not even get more than 1 or 2 after your bottom turn or first hit. Good luck on your journey!

@@averagejoe6355 and you're spot on about positioning, but that requires timing, and that means proper execution of your pop up, then bottom turn.

@@luckyuliveHI hip flexor, body movements and putting some ground work in sounds like a plan. Thanks again for contributing

@@luckyuliveHI 100%. The holy grail :)

😂 thanks for the comment, couldn’t agree more 😂

Oh ya cock you back leg and the very end straight legs then side one up quicker stand up is key