I am an aging surfer interested in improving my surfing. I managed to get my Soloshot videos uploaded from yesterday. It was a nice day with small waves, I shortened my paddle by about 3 inches hoping that might help a bit. The board is an 8'7" Creek with small cdrive side fins and a very small trailer. I am 70 kg, 64 yr stoked aging grom. I would like to improve my bottom turn. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Below are a couple of short clips.

Cheers

Bob

More energy.
Drop straight down the wave, step backfoot back, drive harder thru your backfoot using thigh and calf, and counter off the top immediately.
Don't just stand and glide like a lazy surfer.

Thanks Lee

Will do. Just what I was looking for.

Bob

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FRP said..
Thanks Lee

Will do. Just what I was looking for.

Bob

Bob!first of all congrats on surfing as well as you do ,and having the courage to put it out there for all to see.Im slightly older than you and understand the challenges of an ageing sup surfer,and trying to learn new things.IMO,if I may comment,first of all the board is definitely wanting to turn,then apply what Lee said,it's about energy/COMPRESSION.But the stand out mistake for me is not using your paddle to LEAN on to help with the compression through your lower body,transferring into energy/ forward projection you are wanting. For me this was the biggest learning curve of paddle surfing THE PADDLE, you can definitely surf Bob,and we can all benefit from improving our paddle skills.

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justaddwater said..

FRP said..
Thanks Lee

Will do. Just what I was looking for.

Bob

Bob!first of all congrats on surfing as well as you do ,and having the courage to put it out there for all to see.Im slightly older than you and understand the challenges of an ageing sup surfer,and trying to learn new things.IMO,if I may comment,first of all the board is definitely wanting to turn,then apply what Lee said,it's about energy/COMPRESSION.But the stand out mistake for me is not using your paddle to LEAN on to help with the compression through your lower body,transferring into energy/ forward projection you are wanting. For me this was the biggest learning curve of paddle surfing THE PADDLE, you can definitely surf Bob,and we can all benefit from improving our paddle skills.

Thanks Justaddwater

I can see that! I am just skimming the surface with the paddle and not leaning on it. Compress, lean and more energy. Need to work on this at the start of a session not at the end when I am whacked. The bottom turn seems to be such an integral piece to improving. When I am out there I think "now that was a bottom turn" and then I see the video evidence and it could be so much better.

Cheers

Bob

Yep agree above lay over on the paddle and engage the rail

Check out any of Julian Wilsons bottom turns and watch religiously.

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TimKay said..
Check out any of Julian Wilsons bottom turns and watch religiously.

Wow!! That is amazing. Thanks

Bob

Hi Bob,
Try to feel like you are "throwing" your body forward and out over the rail,in the direction of the turn.
As you drop down the face, allow your body to compress, by bending your knees and lowering your center of gravity....
as you reach the bottom, "explode" up and forward, out over the rail... in the direction you want to go.

Your body moves ahead of your board as you extend out of your compression, and you are almost pulling your board through the turn.
The board turns and comes back under your body, centering your weight back over the board.

To get the "feel" of a proper turn, practice at the end of ride.
Just lay down and turn as hard as possible, when you kick out of the wave.
If you fall over... it doesn't matter, cuz the ride was over anyway.
You will find out just how hard you can turn.... then just start to work it into the middle of your ride.

This vid give a look at how it works in a slow motion kick-out..... I was testing a new board, to see how hard I could turn it.
You see how far out I commit my body over the rail.... and how the turn brings the board right back under my body.

Get your back foot right back towards the back of the kickpad , lean over towards the face , bent he knees and lean out on the paddle to support yourself. Also look at where you ant to go on the wave.
Dig the rail in too.

foot back ,use you paddle to hook it around ,it also slows your board down in stead of racing away from the wave ...

stalling ,more pressure on the rear foot ,less on the front .


this is the first photo ..^^^

Hey FRP, Mo Freitas is my bottom turn hero, if you can watch some vids of him you will see how hard he pushes them turns.
also agree eyes where you want to go and like creek says practice pushing them turns when you have pretty much finished on the wave.
post back with your progress will be good

From a while back but This is some of the best SUP bottom turning you'll see! he has both feet in the middle of the board.

I thought this was a good thread when it came out years ago and is still good today!!!
www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=3429.0

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Suporator said..
From a while back but This is some of the best SUP bottom turning you'll see! he has both feet in the middle of the board.

FRP, At 1:15, watch how Casey fades high towards the breaking portion of the wave before initiating his bottom turn. That's the move you want to pick up to build power in your turns and take advantage of the more critical sections of the wave. It might feel counter intuitive, but setting yourself up for a bigger, 180 type turn is easier to get power from than trying to just get that projection from a simple 90 turn, especially in mushy waves.

I found this video series quite helpful:

And this breaks down the bottom turn into its most tiny of components.
twitter.com/erik_antonson

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supthecreek said..
Hi Bob,
Try to feel like you are "throwing" your body forward and out over the rail,in the direction of the turn.
As you drop down the face, allow your body to compress, by bending your knees and lowering your center of gravity....
as you reach the bottom, "explode" up and forward, out over the rail... in the direction you want to go.

Your body moves ahead of your board as you extend out of your compression, and you are almost pulling your board through the turn.
The board turns and comes back under your body, centering your weight back over the board.

To get the "feel" of a proper turn, practice at the end of ride.
Just lay down and turn as hard as possible, when you kick out of the wave.
If you fall over... it doesn't matter, cuz the ride was over anyway.
You will find out just how hard you can turn.... then just start to work it into the middle of your ride.

This vid give a look at how it works in a slow motion kick-out..... I was testing a new board, to see how hard I could turn it.
You see how far out I commit my body over the rail.... and how the turn brings the board right back under my body.

Thanks so much Creek! Yes I need to get it into my head to push the limits and try to turn as hard as I can and not worry about a top turn and staying on the wave.

Thanks Tardy, Luke, Supporator, Exiled, Tim for stepping in and giving help.

I got out this morning tried to incorporate some of the shared knowledge. I will post clips tonight. We will see if you can teach an old dog something new!

Cheers

Bob

Great thread guys, the compression factor, footwork and commitment to the turn are all great tips that will be in the back of my mind next session!

FRP,
There's a lot of good advice above. If you wanted to simplify it and be able to concentrate on one thing because lets face it when we're out on the water and the waves are up most things go out the window . I would concentrate on knee bend ie lots more of it. Generally no matter how much I think I'm bending my knees (compressing) it's never enough!

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Mark Horn said..
FRP,
There's a lot of good advice above. If you wanted to simplify it and be able to concentrate on one thing because lets face it when we're out on the water and the waves are up most things go out the window . I would concentrate on knee bend ie lots more of it. Generally no matter how much I think I'm bending my knees (compressing) it's never enough!

Thanks Mark

After reviewing my efforts from today I would have to agree. Start with the compression. I am
clearly not compressing.

Bob

These are a few clips from this morning. The bottom turn is a wee bit improved. Huge room for improvement. The first slow motion turn shows promise. I need more compression. I definitely have my paddle planted a bit better on the first turn. I will work on this for a couple more days and then post another few clips. Thanks again for all your input.

Cheers

Bob

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FRP said..
These are a few clips from this morning. The bottom turn is a wee bit improved. Huge room for improvement. The first slow motion turn shows promise. I need more compression. I definitely have my paddle planted a bit better on the first turn. I will work on this for a couple more days and then post another few clips. Thanks again for all your input.

Cheers

Bob

A big improvement well done !your definitely getting it,just more of it

You are a quick learner FRP. Nice gouges there. You seem to have no probs leaning in with all your weight.

Now try to use the energy you are redirecting and head down the line.
Instead of enjoying the view of your spray, look and rotate your shoulders towards the wave. Slightly shift your weight forward and transition to the other rail and you will turn nicely off the top. Thanks for the vid.

Hi Bob
That first turn was deep and committed, nice improvement!

Your body follows your eyes
Look where you want to go ..... and THROW your body towards that point.

Progressive surfing is very active
your whole body must work towards that goal

If part of the body is passive, performance suffers.......
fire up your whole body and get it engaged.
Think tennis player, waiting for a serve....
Bouncing on the toes, knees bent, body twitching, muscles ready to react in any direction.

The biggest difference between a really good surfer and a slider is attitude.
Surfing is more mental than physical.
Your mind either limits your body.... or sets it free.

Most bodies are capable of MUCH more than you think.....
it's just that not many people "see" themselves actually doing what they want.... they think it's out of their reach.
It is NOT!

Every surfer can do so much more, simply by "seeing" themselves actually doing it.

Thanks Creek

Yes the visualization of surfing is something that I practice. Imagination is one of our greatest gifts and one that is often overlooked. Your encouragement, positive attitude and sharing of knowledge is very much welcomed.

The surf was a bit bigger today. A couple of reasonable bottom turns but could be so much better. Controlling my emotions when it is overhead is an interesting exercise. The energy in the wave becomes so visceral that I feel it in my core.

Cheers

Bob

Great thread, and really good to see someones progress

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SunnyBouy said..
Great thread, and really good to see someones progress

Thanks Sunny

I am stoked that it is possible to make incremental improvements. Yesterday I was out in a bit bigger waves and had a vivid near miss. I was in deep water collecting my board and a young guy rips down a bigger wave on a good right. He implodes and his board launches through the air, leash broke, flying right towards me landing about 10 feet away. I hoped that I had it on camera but perhaps luckily didn't. It was one of those slow motion car wreck sort of experiences. Anyway here is a short clip from yesterday. It is a wee bit harder to commit with overhead waves. I really felt like I was laying it down but the camera doesn't lie! I did manage Creek to "Throw my Body" at the end. My wife just laughs when I tell her I am going to work.......on my bottom turn.

Cheers

Bob

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AhFRP said..

SunnyBouy said..
Great thread, and really good to see someones progress

Thanks Sunny

I am stoked that it is possible to make incremental improvements. Yesterday I was out in a bit bigger waves and had a vivid near miss. I was in deep water collecting my board and a young guy rips down a bigger wave on a good right. He implodes and his board launches through the air, leash broke, flying right towards me landing about 10 feet away. I hoped that I had it on camera but perhaps luckily didn't. It was one of those slow motion car wreck sort of experiences. Anyway here is a short clip from yesterday. It is a wee bit harder to commit with overhead waves. I really felt like I was laying it down but the camera doesn't lie! I did manage Creek to "Throw my Body" at the end. My wife just laughs when I tell her I am going to work.......on my bottom turn.

Cheers

Bob

Ah ,yes the wife! I have had many post surf coffee critiques! Sorry love not ready for bowls yet.