I’m one of the losers who is spending way too much time researching and saving for a beginner board and not enough time like actually trying to surf. Waiting for that Christmas money I guess. All the local surf shops except one laughed at me when i mentioned a high volume fish for my first board. Guess they’re getting my business. 😂 Would love to have seen your student riding a fish and see his progress! Thanks for all the help in picking a board.
Great video once again Kale. When you said longer boards are no longer needed after the first 2/3 sessions I was suprised. I remember learning to surf and it took me about a month to transfer to a shorter board! (10/11 y/o). This might have to do with the waves we get here in Holland, I now work as a surf instructor and I notice that most of my clients actually need a solid 5/10 lessons before transfering. We normaly get less than 1ft waves with 0 push and howling onshore haha! Wish I grew up in Aus and learned to surf there must make a pretty big difference..!
I have an 8ft Floatie, im having a difficult time catching green waves in the back (Cali beaches) .. how do i know if i have the basics down? haha CAN i blame the board? Feels like theres a space gap between my nose and wave and i press down and nose dive wiping out. Should i just stick to the White with my wave storm?
I need to flounder in the whitewater to practice my pop-up. I tend to pop-up on waves with my back foot too far forward. It works great for the take off but doesn't work for turning. Sometime after I take off straight down the fall line (not taking a wave at the angle) I have a moment to readjust my foot position. I would like to pop-up with a wider stance. I should spend some time doing that practice technique.
Great video guys, but lot of anti-longboard sentiment on this channel! I understand that the waves at that beach may not have been ideal longboard waves, and it is good to get down to a fish ASAP if you can, but the longboard has its niche. If your local break has good small rollers no harm in learning on a log. Would love to see you on a longboard Kale 😃! It feeds into your point about people coming over from different sports - if you can hang ten, your shortboard game will probably be pretty good too.
Hi. I know there are plenty of videos how to turn a surfboard but I just can't find one that explains it step by step with all moves hands legs and body. I am stuck with turning. I can ride 8ft waves but all I can do is just bottom turns and then just a simple top turn to direct me down the line. I just can't carve. I feel like I am stiff when on and going. Not sure if I should put my weight on back foot and turn with front foot together with hands and core or turn with a back foot. I feel like i put it on a rail but my core isn't turning. If there is any chance you could do a very detailed tutorial I bet I would finally get it. Thanks for all these videos they are helping me a lot.
Great idea for this episode, really enjoyed it! I'd definitely be interested to see a follow up with Will trying a shorter board as suggested in those type of waves. I've always thought about getting a shorter board, but I've never pulled the trigger and I still ride my first board (a 7'10" funboard at around 60L... I'm 92kg). I've never pulled the trigger on a fish or groveler because the waves I ride are small and generally weak. They are usually somewhat steep as well and I've often felt like the length of my board is a hindrance. However, I also worry about how much wave catching ability I might lose by sizing down given that I've always heard it said that you should get a long board to maximize fun in small waves. So I've been torn between sizing up and sizing down, and ended up sticking with what I have.
The performance of grovellers these days are incredible. I have a Baked Potato from firewire. It is 6ft and 51 liters. It catches waves great, but can also turn pretty well and is great for any surf under 5ft. Then I have a Custom made 5'11 Evo that is right around 43 liters it works well in the 4-8ft range.. Until the baked potato, I was riding boards in the 7ft range. And oddly enough, the baked potato is actually has a few more liters than the 7ft board I was riding. I forgot to add, I am 205lb (about 93kg) .
@@Iamnivekone Thanks for the info, Kevin. Much appreciated! I think I'll take the plunge on some kind of hybrid small wave board this year. Sounds like it's a good way to go.
Thanks Kales, very interesting video... especially with regard to your point about how longboards inhibit progression + how you recommend the fish board. liked and subscribed
Loove your beginner videos, so helpful! Ive been using a 8'4 then 8'0 and now a 7'6 longboard for the past 20 surf sessions i had. Should i move to a smaller board, or maybe a fish?
Do i have to practice push up at home? I mean, i think i can pop up without workingout my arms..? What do you thing? And if i have to, how many? And THANK YOU SO MUCH❤
It is not contradictory to begin taking off by catching the wash. I taught myself to surf when I was a kid, and that is exactly what I realized I should do to advance quickly. I went to beach breaks during windy, low tide days when there was enough swell. And bingo, in no time I was ready to catch waves because I had the timing and balance down. Also, and very importantly, in surfing, the expression "He who hesitates is lost," can't be overstated.
Hi Kales brocoli :), I understand the fact to decrease the volume of your board very quickly to progress better and faster but how would you do to be able to catch a maximum of waves if those are very weak with a smaller board?
@@HowtoRip thanks, I have a 8ft 72L that i use most of the time but i love my 7.4 52L. I have way more fun with it but most of time the gulf has weak waves :(
Great advice Can you do a video on hip flexibility please? My problem is that I've had hip surgery recently and now I struggle to get my front foot through on the pop up. I'm thinking maybe more strength in the arms to push me up? Any advice guys please? Thanks Richard,South Wales uk 👍🏻
Great video. Thanks! I’m a beginner as well, and I’m tempted to try the fish shaped foamie boards, but my friends say it might be too soon and that catching waves will be more difficult. Did your client end up trying the fish you recommended? And how did it go?? Thanks so much!
Yeah that's it, as well my friends like a hypnotyzed saying - forget about other board. But few of them surfing allready 1 year, without any progress in turning - always str8.
Seems to me the main problem for a beginner (like me) is getting the front foot far enough forward on the board to prevent stalling. You seemed to instruct your student to use the toes of his back foot as leverage for swinging the front leg further forward. But of course you can't do that on a fish or shortboard because your feet are hanging off the back when you begin the popup. So It would be helpful to see how you'd advise this student to adjust his popup to a shorter board (or maybe I'm asking too much of a freebie lesson).
@@HowtoRip No, there was no audio. I was just going by what you showed him on the beach and the fact that you said you recommended that he break the popup into two steps. But maybe I assumed incorrectly.
Love your channel fellas, but this video doesn't really live up to the title "transform your popup." There is a before/after shot, but what's lacking is the description of exactly *what* the student was coached on to change his form (besides surfing whitewater). What are the parts of the takeoff you broke down into discrete elements?
Hey Kale I have a question, so I love close to a beach that also has a surf club but the rent of boards is expensive and after 3 times I rather buy a board that I can go with for the future I actually surf less now because the material gets expensive and rather sage money for my own stuff since I'll be able to go 3-4 times instead of 1-2 times right now What board would you recommend for me? I'm of average fitness level and are 5'6 (168cm) weight around 51 or 52 kg (115-120 lbs) and have surfed a couple of times in the white water and caught green waves on the inside I want to have a board I can progress with for the upcoming years
Hi guys! Great videos! I am a beginner and I ve been practicing in white water for a month. Started with a longboard 9', then moved to 8'4", then moved to 8'. I achieved a pretty solid stand up technique and at the moment I am trying to progress from white waters to small green waves around 2ft, still working on it. Would you recommend to move to a different board? What kind/size/volume? I am 70kg.
Totally agree the quicker you can go from a 8ftfoamy like I did to something shorter (6,2) the better takes a bit to get used to but better off biting the bullet and just do it way easier to manage in the water can duck dive and go faster haha...the turn at like 6:30ish was 🔥love it
I'm about to start learning surfing at the moment and I have got 7ft shortboard. Hopefully I will get that someday. I know it's gonna be super tuff at the beginning at that board but I'm pretty stubborn so yeah.. Everyone probably will discourage me from that but what the hell! YOLO :D If I will catch at least 1 wave this summer I'm gonna be happy! :D
I always watch the ocean stuff riding the heavy waves with heavy music like SoaD or Delta Parole or with relaxing music videos in background. If crazy like then always heavy tho
Hey Kales, always cool to watch your videos! as you made one only about the take off, i noticed you are doing the same "mistake" than i do which is your back leg doesn't slide between your arms but it goes outside your left arm instead which is ok for small waves but when it comes to surf stip and shallow waves it becomes very hard (for me) to take off that way! i ve been surfing for 10 years now but i didn't learn it the right way and now it became a habit i am struggling getting rid off! any advices? cheers mate!
Your back leg shouldn’t slide between your arms because if it did it would end up at the front of the board - I keep my back leg deceptively lifted but low off the board because it ensures my perfect foot positioning which allows me to go straight into turns or my line :) you’ve just gotta make it work for you
Hey guys I have been surfing for a while now and love the sport, but when I have been duck diving i tend to get under the wave but get thrashed around once under and sometimes lose my board when rising from the wave. I go surfing around 2-3 times a week depending on the waves but always find myself struggling to get under harsh white water. Any tips or tricks people could give me to help improve my duck dive so I can successfully get under dumpy white water. thanks
@@HowtoRip I surf a fish and i don't think its the board that is the problem but more my technique holding me back. I use my foot sometimes but either way find myself coming up to quickly and not maintaining speed from the duck dive or coming off my board. this makes me very fatigued and hard to paddle out the back.
So was it the board or the waves? ie the wrong beach or the the wrong part of DY. He didn't catch a wave so how could he stand? I'm sorry, sometimes help can sound like bitchiness.
@@HowtoRip Wow, I just flashed back to my first few sessions and how hard it was to keep from nosediving. Never occurred to me that it had to do with the length of my 9' foamie. I'm on a 6'8 now, 45L Casper, catching waves reliably and starting to turn a bit. Kinda want something shorter though I think...