November 2011

Surfboard Padd l ing T echn iques

Proper Surfboard Paddling Technique:

• Paddling technique is one of the most important skills in surfing. You spend most of your time paddling around during your session. Having the right technique will make your paddling more effective and less tiring.

• You should lie on the board so that the nose is only a few inches above the water. If you lay too far back on the board and the nose is way up in the air, your board won’t plane across the surface and you’ll be pushing against the water. On the other hand, if you’re too far forward and the nose is under the water, you won’t go anywhere and you’ll probably just end up falling off! Most beginners make the mistake of being too far back on their board.

• Once you’ve got yourself lying at the right spot on your board, the next step is to arch your back a bit so your weight is on the bottom of your rib cage. Your feet should be together and lifted out of the water so they don’t drag. This position is HARD for the very new because of the muscles involved. You’re going to get tired quickly, but you’ll soon build up the necessary muscles.

• The arm stroke itself should be deep. Don’t “lily-dip!” Girls and women tend to be guilty of not extending their arms fully down into the water, but guys do it too! Girls do have the disadvantage of less upper body strength, but that doesn’t seem to stop the women’s pro surfers from ripping! As you paddle more, you’ll build up your muscles.

• Reach your arm fully out towards the nose of the board, cup your hands with your fingers spread apart just a little, and bring your arm down through the water making a small “S” shape that goes slightly under your board. This is the most efficient way to paddle and is utilized by none other than Kelly Slater himself. Learn from the best!

• I’d advise against using a butterfly stroke. It’s not really necessary, and you lose speed when you bring both arms out of the water. It’s more beneficial to constantly have an arm pulling you. If you make your strokes deep and powerful, you’ll need less strokes to gain speed. Sometimes you see people windmilling their arms at a thousand miles per hour, splashing around like a wounded seal, but they’re not really gaining much extra momentum. In fact, they’re probably

slowing themselves down. Calm, deliberate strokes are the key. It also looks much better!

Practice In The Whitewater First: Before you try to paddle to the outside, past the breaking waves, practice your paddling technique on the inside in the whitewater. Once you’re good at pushing the board for momentum in the whitewater, you can start to try and paddle to gain momentum. As the whitewater comes towards you, climb on the board and start paddling towards shore. Once the whitewater catches you, grab

the rails and hang on!

Remember: Proper paddling technique is a huge piece of being a good surfer. -Surfinghandbook

 

Happy Thanksgiving!You should be getting one of these in the mail; use it by Nov 30, 2011 or miss out. Plus check out the back of the postcard: I have a Special Bonus for Gift card purchases! If you have not received the post card by now, it should be arriving soon!

Don’t forget!

 

Rock-Up ROCK-UP (Step Op Rocket) – If a Rocket (or other hybrid) has become your favorite daily board, and you find it frustrating switching back to a traditional, pointy nose step-up board on bigger, crowded days… then this board is for you. Designed to be ridden 2-4” longer than you would a Rocket (small wave hybrid board), the low entry rocker, flat deck and tapered rails (with a full forward outline) paddles through crowds and moving water, and catches waves with ease. The pulled in tail, combined with the aggressive tail rocker and a smoother, shallower concave, allows controlled maneuvers at high speeds on chest high to double overhead waves. Chris Ward’s one board quiver

these days.

Performance Boards With Paddling Power For Chest To Double Over-Head Waves

Stewart Surfboard S-Winger Model From 6’0 to 8’0 multi-purpose board with float; for all types of conditions to waves sizes well over-head. The board is thick all the way from nose to tail. The rail in the tail area is thinned out for high performance maneuvering. The bottom of the board is the popular Hydro Hull bottom which has the beveled rail on the front half of the board and

a single to a double that is close to the center of the board. This will allow you to turn the board easily without stepping on the tail. The beveled rails help make it easy to turn and will not catch a rail like a traditional board. Made to be ridden with all five fins. The front fin is a big vector fin with a lot of cant for deep turns off the board. The back quad fins are pivot fins for drive and maneuverability. The center fin is a small trailer to keep the board loose while still allowing you to drive deep off the bottom of your turn. “Not since the Hydro Hull have I been this excited about one of my new models.” - Bill Stewart. Riding the board as a 5-fin is unreal, it has the looseness and speed of a quad with the dependability of a thruster. Colin McPhillips and Jeff Kramer were blown away and a lot of local test pilots are hooked on it. By far the best scaled up shortboard we have ever developed and it has quickly become our best selling board. Board comes with 5 fins.  

Stewart Surfboard Clydesdale Model One of our best selling boards with the most float. The board is for someone that wants some serous float but still wants their board to turn with ease. Made for all types of conditions; for waves that are waist high to double over-head. The boards are big but light because they are hand-shaped EPS with Epoxy resin. Double 6oz. on the deck with a single 6oz. on the bottom. Hydro Hull bottom for easy turning and speed down the line. No need to step on the tail for it to turn, you can be in the middle of the board and it still turns without any problem. Boards are available in 9’0, 9’6” and 10” 9’0” x 24” x 3 5/8” 9'6" X 24 ¼” X 3 3/4" 10’ X 24 ¼” X 3 7/8” The Clydesdale was designed to facilitate the larger surfer. It is a stable and supportive board that will perform well in all conditions. The Clydesdale is a fantastic paddler and wave-catching machine. The template is designed to surf much shorter than its actual size and features the famed Hydro Hull bottom.

Oneofthetoughestchallengesinthelifeofasurferistoimprovesurfingperformancefromanintermediateleveltoanadvancedlevel.Wecanall lookatvideosof theprosandseewhatweneedtodo,butit’sevenmoreimportanttorecognizecommonmistakesinoursurfing.Thenextstepistomakeanefforttocorrectthosecommonmistakes. SurfScience.comwantsyoutoknowfourofthemostcommon mistakes intermediate surfers make and how toaddressthoseshortcomings.

Manage The PeakAccording to Martin Dunn, founder of SurfCoach.com and coach to 12 of the top professional surfers on the men’s and women’s world tours, one of the most common mistakes intermediate surfers make is mismanaging a wave’s peak. Taking off too far on the shoulder will produce a poor first turn, while taking off too deep or taking off on closeouts will cause them to miss the first turn entirely. There is a quick and obvious fix in Dunn’s observation.

“Surfers need to be on the peak or behind the peak at take off,” says Dunn. “This will result in a quality first turn, setting the stage for a great ride. Taking off on the shoulder, too deep or on closeouts will lower the surfer’s enjoyment.”

Generate Your Own SpeedAnother common mistake is made when a surfer does not use his own body’s power to generate speed, but instead relies only on the wave’s power to generate the speed needed to make critical sections. Again, a surfer can correct this problem.

“Learning the technique of throwing the arms forward in the direction you want to go is a big fundamental skill people struggle with,” Dunn points out. “It’s like performing a standing broad jump. Using your arms will increase your distance. The same thing happens on the board. If you throw your arms in the direction you want to go, then the board will accelerate much faster.” Turn Your HeadMost intermediate surfers make the common mistake of not turning the head during snaps, cutbacks, and re-entries. Turning your head will lead the way during those maneuvers.

“If you turn the head before you hit the top of the wave in a re-entry, which allows your upper body to rotate, which allows your hips to rotate, then all that rotation can go through to your board,” explains Dunn. He goes on to say that if you don’t turn your head, you can turn your upper body fine, but your hips will lock. The result is the power from your upper body won’t go through to the board because it doesn’t transfer through the hips. Remember: head, upper body, hips, and board. Bend The BodyDunn also points out that most intermediate surfers are too upright when performing a finishing or critical maneuver. These moves usually occur over heavier and harder sections so surfers get bounced off. The tip here is to get good center position over the board by bending the knees and waist. Dunn coaches his surfers to get in the “chest over front knee body position” to establish ideal balance and lower center of gravity. This will help a surfer perform that final maneuver with authority and balance, providing the perfect bookend to a great ride.

For more surf instruction make sure to visitSurfCoach.comandtakeadvantageofMartinDunn’s25yearsofsurfcoachingexperience.

Avoiding Surfing Mistakes With Martin Dunn: Intermediate Level

320 Ward Ave 112 Honolulu, HI 96814 Tel (808)597-9055 Mon-Sat 10:30-7:00, Sun Closed

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