Riding Real Surfing Waves on Soft Tops
The beginner surfer learns to ride foam waves on the high volume soft top surfboard and then learns Riding Real Surfing Waves on the Soft Top board. The soft top is a very capable board and could be the go-to board for a long time.
On foam waves, the surfer learns to time and catch. The surfer paddles hard when the wave arrives at the board to get in front and the tail out of the foam. In real waves, they only open for a few seconds so timing becomes the new lesson.
Starting with the Foam Waves
Beginners on sand bar beaches can paddle out to the line up or often there is a reforming wave after the main wave breaks. These will be smaller and great for beginners. The surfer can paddle parallel to where the inside wave is breaking to get a little momentum. He paddles in an arc rather than doing a 180 degree turn around although both are fine.
When the wave arcs, it travels under the board so when the tail of the board rises, the surfer paddles hard and goes down the face. The surfer can go straight down or at an angle to reduce pearling. He can angle before catching the wave or catch the wave and then push the nose of the board toward the pocket.
Three Good Maneuvers for Soft Tops
The soft top can perform three basic maneuvers competently. It can do a bottom turn to get into the pocket. It can accelerate by pushing the nose up and down the face with the front foot. It can do a cut-back by reversing the direction to get back to the power.
The bottom turn and cut-back are executed by turning the eyes and then upper torso in the direction of the turn. This torques down the body to the feet. The toes or heels on the side of the turn pressure the rail to carve. Soft tops have thick rails so the push has to be subtle. Thinner hard boards can be driven deeper into the wave.
The surfer can also just drive the board to the end of the power like long boarders do. A soft top can catch big waves so the surfer may never ride bigger waves than the board’s capabilities. If a surfer is not in the water often, the soft top’s buoyancy allows for easier padding, wave catching and riding. The whole point of surfing is fun..
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