SUP Surfing Footwork - How To 

Hi, Learn to Foil: clayisland.com/learn-to-foil/ More videos: clayisland.com/category/member-videos/

Perfect narration and video pace. Well done

just love this video it was a huge help for me when i started sup surfing last year. Its a huge gamechanger .thanks

What a great video. I want to try some of that here in Costa Rica 🏄‍♂️🇨🇷

Awesome sup tech tutorial!

Nice. Very humble. Good tips man

Awesome. Thanks man! Love the stoke

Thank you for this information. I river SUP surf and.find it very similar on that environment rhe.need to pivot and.dance a bit.on my board.Keep SUPing!

thank you! right now i just need to master the footwork, I surf backside so, thanks again!

Great vid. I really appreciate your humble and thoughtful way of communicating.

Great video, thanks for the info. Very helpful.

Nice Work, I will be trying it out on my new board today.

Absolutelly love it. Love this video

Lol this video was a revelation, I tried being more mobile towards the inside rail during my last session and it was like night and day. It’s so much easier to make a sharp bottom turn and keep a high line. Thanks for the vid!

Thanks for the video! All my paddling is usually on a lake that's at 4000 feet above sea level. It's always cold water, so no fun to fall. I will be in Maui this June and want to try SUP surfing. I took surf lessons for first and only time there and found I was too old, slow and unflexible to pop up and land both feet properly. But SUP eliminates the first problem of getting to my feet and into the wave. Next, the other challenges like balance, foot work etc.

Great video, thanks for the tip

YES. Thanks from an Oregon-based SUP surfer. SUBSCRIBED!

Very cool and helpful video.

hey man thanks for making this video. I am at this point where i am trying to learn top and bottom turns and this has helped me understand it alot! great video.

This is fundamental insight. Thanks for your concise analysis with a personal touch. Rock solid!

Great video thanks

OMG! light bulb moment for me. I've been surfing (mostly short boards) for 35 years, and i just couldn't get me head around turning these big boards. Now that i've stumbled across this information I will totally apply it to my longboard and SUP surfing. I can't believe I missed it. I just watched the SUP movie 'That First Glide' and it's so obvious now, that the back foot gets moved toward the inside rail for each turn. Thank you so much.

Hey just wanted to say this is the best film on this subject that I have found on the net after weeks, no make that months of searching. Liked, shared and subscribed. Keep up the great work!

It helps for sure!!! Still trying to master!! So close but not there yet

Just thinking about getting into SUP surfing and your videos are totally inspirational. You are one smart cookie in the way you filmed this video. I can actually follow your instructions along with the video. Most surf videos are soooooo terrible and shot so poorly, so thanks a million and look forward towards your next film, whatever that maybe.

Love your videos! Thanks for all the tips to help me catch some waves.

Great Tips! Super helpful!!!

Thanks for the great video from a SUP beginner. SUP-SCRIPED the channel :-)

Thanks so much for this video. I’ve finally been able to catch waves this last year and have a new board on the way with a good surf rail design. So these foot work tips are great. Hopefully I will be surfing them with some control soon.

🤙🤙 Thanks so much great insight!! I have been falling on my face or on my back so much recently trying to get this 8’ SUP to TURN!!! Can’t wait to try this !!!

Thank you so much! Great vid!

Saw your video a few days ago and tried this technique yesterday. You're so right, an absolute game changer. Thanks.

Awesome video! Love the slow motion shots of regular and sup surfers for reference. They are amazing -this morning I had the chance to surf with Finn and his brother in Tofino and they were the ones to watch. Finn was standing knee deep on a regular surfboard as his sup. For me as a 40 year old grom, this video and sup surfing keep me so stoked! Love to see you get barrelled and document that...

Thanks for the vid. Pumped to go out and analyse my own stance in the morning :)

Awesome man !! I’m a short board rider and convinced my self to buy a SUP this summer I’ve been out on it like 10 times . Today was the first day back on it in Months ! .. conditions was perfect Glassy and chest high .. but I feel you on getting used to the SUP feel lol 😂 same here I feel like a Kook some times so used to shredding hard on the waves and with this big heavy 9’6 I feel like I’m riding a limo lol 😂 definitely will change the fin setup for the next time not liking how sluggish the turns are .. I’m still working on mastering this paddle thing in my hand lol I’m not very good with it lol I’m 5’7 and I have the paddle set at 5’10 any longer it feels klunckie haha 😆 ..

Very helpful. Thank you

what a great presentation and told as though you were right here in the room conversing. Showing the falls was also a good thing for the human perspective. Thanks! really enjoyed.

Great video and advice. I had years of short and long board experience when I started SUP surfing. And had the same problem, and frustration, you did in the beginning. I tried to turn long board style by getting way back on the tail. It worked but I would lose all my speed. A buddy told me to move my feet toward the inside turn rail. And that worked much better. The trouble was I wasn't going far enough. To get a big wide board to turn I needed both feet on the rail. (Like my toes wrapped over the rail) to hold a right trim or turn. I started on a 12' x 32" and over the last 3 years have gone thru 5 progressively smaller boards to the 8-4 x 29 120l board I'm riding now. All those boards needed rail weight. But the smaller narrower boards needed less weight but greater percission. My small board has a smaller sweet spot to move in. Just a few inches off n things can go wrong.

Great video as usual Clay! Cheers!

I've been sorting is out on mij own but this is going to help allot ! Thanks a million !

I have been searching for an explanation as clear and helpful as this for a while. Thank you! You have another subscriber and a Patreon supporter. I hope to run into you at Paddlefest 2018.

Cool video man! Spot on advice. Really enjoyable to watch :)

Awesome video. I just got a L41 SimSup ST and had the same issue as you did. If I didn't stand on the rail when I tried to turn, I would come right off the board. Once I learned that everything started to click and the board became much more maneuverable. I really enjoyed the detail you went into!

great tips. thanks. I was looking at footage of my self from last night and noticed I keep my feet very central and struggle to turn. will be trying this next time.

Great advice. Very well explained

Thanks for sharing dude, good illustration.

Great videos! Thank you so much. Helping me learn. I just bought a 10'6" x 32 NSP

You can trim from the nose on a big board, with more small fins instead of big centers. Watch Laird Hamilton on a 10'6" SUP. He has a thruster setup with 3.5" fins and he is surfing head high waves on the front and middle.

Great. Really interesting video!!! Thanks

Great work! Keep it up!

Thanks, great vid

I love your videos! Very honest and informative, but I LOVE the camera angle from your board the most. Please, keep churning them out.

cool video!

great tips, thanks!

Nice video, nice information, you are very clear explaning thanks for that bro, nice waves for everybuddy🤙

great analysis

Great video. Thx

I think a lot depends on the board size. On my 10' 6" x 30" there is no way on god's earth that board will turn without planting the rear foot back over the fins. On smaller board the rear foot is already over the fins or very close to it. Hence little if any rear foot movement is needed. Without the fins having weight on them I doubt that rails can do it alone especially on big boards. Hence people fall off when they just try to lean and use rail when there is little weight on the fins. Remember, the fins are basically a rear pivot for the nose to turn and more weight on them provides a better moment of leverage. Take a ruler, push it sideways from the midpoint. It will just slide sideways and if the ruler was a board then the rail would dig and you would fall. Now hold the rear of the ruler with a thumb on the end and then push sideways. The front of the ruler will rotate. When you ride your smaller board all that is happening is that because of the board's shorter balance point, your weight is already a lot greater on the fins than on a larger board and hence when you have some finesse in leaning on the rails you won't fall off as often since the rear of the board is pivoting due to the better traction of the fins with weight on them. I have an 11' 6" and NO amount of rail will budge the nose. I plant the rear foot over the fins and lean and that nose is like an oil tanker coming round. Your point about moving both feet to same side of the stringer for a right hand turn being more effective will only work on a shorter board where the weight distribution means the fins already have weight on them and rails can be effective. But on a really short board, almost no foot movement is needed since the fins have plenty of weight/traction and all that is needed to turn is to lean for rail traction to make the fin pivot. And because the nose is so short the turn is mush faster. Try holding your arm straight out and rotate your whole body. Now hold your hand straight out at the distance of your wrist and rotate you body. WAAAAAAAAY faster turn. Basic physics.

Thanks!!! From Kailua Hawaii. Well done!

Great advice!!!!

Cool 👍

Great explanation- slo mo is key!

Change my game bro!

This is awesome. More vids like this one (e.g.technique)!

Nice video!

Sick channel dude!!!!

really! great tips!

What a great video clayisland! What kind of vest are you wearing at the 7:00 and 9:00 mark? On bigger days where I'm paddling out much further I'd like to have some kind of impact vest or extra flotation if I take a bad wipe out or get caught inside. Thanks man and you got a new subscriber now!

I really like your video and especially the foot placement and the dotted line examples. What I don't see in most surf vids is HOW far back most advanced surfers back foot is when execution radical turns.... The videos are usually obscured by the water spray . But I have noticed that most are with the back foot almost on the tail behind the thruster fins and not centered over the thruster fins.Even more so for the longer the board (slower to turn).Thanks for your insight I am 64 yrs and 215# on a stepped rail 8'6" 32" wide 134 liter custom board. I actually saw at the end of your video it looked like you had a vest on ? I need some insurance out in the water these days. Have you a recommendation on a low profile inflatable rash guard or vest?

Really like all your videos and your honest and chilled commentary that’s easy to relate to. Thanks very much for posting. I ride an iSUP and have realised how crucial it is to place the feet right to be able to engage a rail. Out of interest where is Clay Island? Looks really nice, much better waves than the UK.

Nice tip bro!

Looking good we surfed together last couple years at the paddle fest ...Great videos! Reid Kitchen

Excelente video! Muchas gracias!

Ok just watched again and the footwork is definitely correct but the huge omission here to all of the turns is not using the paddle. Being a SUP'er for a good ten years and still learning but I've got a pretty good idea by now!. Watch the pros surfing and you will see that the paddle provides a pivot point to ALL turns. Watch where they place the paddle for cut back and of the tops. I call it pole dancing!! Stick the paddle in and pull back plus the footwork tips and bam!! The trick is where to place the paddle for each turn. My favorite hate is watching people placing the paddle over the back of the wave for a cut back, you can only turn the board 90 degrees. Watch these turns at the given time in the video to back up my point and a break down of whats really going on. Bottom turn forehand at 1:07, top turn forehand 1:11, fore hand cut back (my favorite hate!)wrong paddle placement and positioning at 1:23 the paddle should be on the other side of the board and in front of him, correct position at 4:06 look at the difference in the turn, 4:23 opposite side of board for forehand snap tighter in the pocket same for a forehand reo. At 4:11 its not a pivot around the heal but a pivot around the paddle! this guy does it so well!! When you get it right the board will always rebound of the foam ball. When this guy is off balance its the paddle again that allows the surfer to right him self. See the bend in the shaft and you will get and idea how much force he is exerting in it. Ill leave the rest of the observations to you guys but trust me get that paddle in the water on turns and pull and push to get that rotation point!!

Very nice, mate! Greetings from NZ :)

Very helpful! I just subscribed. I'm curious about how you had your camera mounted? it is a great angle.

Cool video and a great cause to help be good stewards of mother earth.

Great vid clayisland. really enjoyed the camera angle of yourself learning and trying out the new moves. Love to know how you managed to do this? Just stopped moving me feet more and starting to notice the different and the extra control. Still finding it difficult heel side tho if you have got and extra points to work on?

Great video and I like how you filmed it. How long is the extension on that camera?

Clay you need to watch Keahi de Aboitez a kiter but also JP SUP rider, watch jis back foot on top turns etc. I learnt this from watching too. Love the vids and the stoke

whoooo!!

Hi firstly a great video ;-) Question though, does it matter then whats fin set up you use for sup surfing? Ie. Thruster? etc

Excellent. I’ve got a VESL 11’6” SUP single fin. I’m new to SUP. Any advice for taking this out on the waves for SUP surfing? Thanks 🙏

The Titanic would have missed the iceberg if all the passengers ran to the port side, who would have thought. LOL.

Great video. good tip -- what did you use to film it? Looks like go pro but higher off the front of the board.

Question for you, I'm on a 9'5 x 33 and I'm catching rides no problem for a year now. If I want to go narrower for a faster sup what would be a perfect dim...I'm an intermediate rider who likes to go fast down the line but not cutbacks due to knee surgeries.

Muy buen video!! Solo una cosa. Hay que tener en cuenta que los pro llevan tablas pequeñas en las que hacer las maniobras es mucho más fácil

Yup, both feet on the rail! Tear it up!

Quite a new SUPer here! Is this something that becomes more intuitive as you learn? Great vid :)

Good video. Learn to use the paddle more and you can transition even quicker with more stability. Check out Berndt's paddle work in your video. Peace and stoke.

Crabwalk is key!

how did you get this camera angle?

Sadly in the UK at the moment with the waves we get you can either do one manuver or just go across the face for a while

With a low volume board you can surf like you are on a shortboard. They aren’t as wide and they are short. I surf a 7’0” that is super low volume. You are on some high volume SUPS. Go under 100 liters.

always moving feet. got to

How tall are you and weight

Kitesurf ;-)

I need to stop digging my rail!!

no matter how well u turn even like a pro sup == kooooooooks

My name is Robin Feiyu WG2 Water Resistant. I hope you donate to the bike club for the environment in Bangkok at the very first thank you.