hey guys im riding a 7'6 and im 6'2, i always find myself at the bottom of the wave and slowing down rapidly once i take off, what should i do to ensure im in the right spot to maintain power throughout the wave? cheers!

Surf more (practice)

You could be just going straight at take off try paddling in on an angle, this way you have the momentum of the wave right behind you,give it a go and let me/us know how or if this fixed the problem and welcome.

Hard to say what's going on ,sounds like your in the trough or flat section of the wave , you need to keep on the face, welcome to the longroom

You need to push you turn as you get to the bottom of the wave this will force more water along the bottom of your board and propel you up the face...stay low until you reach the bottom and then extend out before going back into a crouch as you go back up the face

Where are you surfing Beachie or point

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daniel123 said...
[br]hey guys im riding a 7'6 and im 6'2, i always find myself at the bottom of the wave and slowing down rapidly once i take off, what should i do to ensure im in the right spot to maintain power throughout the wave? cheers!

Had this problem A LOT...my solution was to look left or right depending on the direction I want to surf (Not down and / or forwards). I look in the direction of the way I want to surf (go) and always focus halfway or just higher on the face of the wave.
This has helped me "naturally" start the turn, by my body following my "eyeline".
I still end up low on the wave ready but not in the "trough". Tip came from one of the local surf coaches whom i have lots of respect for.
cheers
Gmac

thanks for the reply guys! generally i end up at the bottom but turn at the same time, i want to be positioned in the middle of the wave rather then working from the bottom up. i thought maybe my take off was too late? and should i be trying to pump for speed straight after i take off. by the way i surf beach breaks. Thanks again!

As Tux said it's all about compressing n extending - watch the vids of good surfers - study where they extend. One big problem most people have is that they lean back on the drop hoping they will not nose dive. But this will cause you grief as you will be extended as you hit the bottom n gives you no chance to extend out of the turn - you will end up at the bottom with no speed or ability to generate it. . Keep your weight centred n over yr front foot. The rest of your board will follow. Just like skating or snowboarding. It's amazing how late you can make drops following this principle - it's the opposite of what you think.

You need to also learn to read the waves - sometimes you need to angle across before laying yr turn and other times you want to go straight down n bring a big one out. No point trying to lay a big one when it's slightly flattish - you will just catch a rail.

Track down Nick Carroll's book "the complete guide to surfing your best - volume 2" and read it 20 times n practice!