Surf Coaching

rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
11,534
5,832
113
54
Been riding a Kendall Snake reissue with 169 and 58mm Street Razors, basically exactly what I used to ride around 1990. I like loose trucks too but mostly skate at parks (after pretty much a 2 decade hiatus) and after eating it decided to get some pads and tighten my trucks! Soo fun! That Carver broke a while back, that thing was a blast!!! If no water time, no coach (or just dont want one) skating has got to be one of the best ways to stay tuned. That and Surfer design forum!
50 full pads and bowls have stopped skating park lately even padded still managed to hurt my self.
Bowl set: Black Label " death and glory deck", Indyz 169z with bones medium bushings, and Alta 55mm "Lay Backs" and rocking rons bearings
Street: Powell Cab "bat dragon", Indyz 159z bones medium bushing, Bones 69mm ATF bones swish.
Regardless street or bowl I hand tight axel nut tight as possible then do 1/4 turn with sk8 tool.
 
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Reactions: chilly1
Oct 1, 2015
40
27
18
I can land about 1 in 30 now.

They are so memorable and addicting. Kinda like hitting that sandwedge into the hole. You can replay it vividly.

My advice:
- You HAVE to go into the flats (or at least launch it into the flats, the wave will catch up). It's scary but not as bad as you think.
- Straight airs are the easiest.
- You have to move your feet up on the board, like the pros do. Like you would for skating, get over the bolts.
- How I move my feet up is how you move on longboard if you don't know cross stepping. Bunny hop up as you're hitting the lip.
- Get your 8 pound head, and your momentum, over the rail and towards the flats.
- Show your board who's boss and stomp that landing. Don't bitch out after doing everything right and crumble on the landing.
Inspiring forsure! appreciate these tips. 32 and would love to land 1 by 40! I need to get over the mental negativity of the flats, No skating backround and starting surfing until 20.
 

waxfoot

Michael Peterson status
Apr 21, 2018
2,081
4,002
113
If you have self-awareness and humility, then video coaching yourself can be a great tool I'd imagine. That's not diminish what paying for an actual coach can do, but seeing yourself must be so confronting that if you can suffer through it, you might be able to pick up your flaws.

I know I need to bend more, especially in my bottom turns, as well as distribute my weight more evenly across back and front foot. For the first time since I started surfing at 13 (now 40), I saw a quick 3 second clip of myself surfing last week and that confirmed both those issues for me.

While it was a tiny fragment of the whole wave, it did highlight immediately to my that I really need to coil up and release more.
wilburKookMeyer.GIF
 

ckupczynski1

OTF status
Oct 14, 2009
277
110
43
Seems to be getting popular. Just finished podcast with Clayton nienaber and it was insightful. His program is expensive so outta my range. Any of u du’s try any surf coaching? I did the Martin Dunn program like a decade ago but it wasn’t as insightful as the amanzi surf one seems to be.
You can check out Bill Sharp out of HB. hbsurfschool.com. guess he coaches Jordy and other athletes when they are doing the US open. Pretty reasonable prices too.
 

paunch23

Billy Hamilton status
Jun 27, 2011
1,721
1,017
113
Rep. of Panama, La Barqueta, David, Chiriquí
You ever notice how people surf beyond their skill set if you are on the shoulder and start paddling for the same wave, but if you just sat there and didn't paddle for it, they'd fall or blow the wave. Coaches need to utilize that phenomenon.
Hajajahah. Kinda related to this. Theres this fckr at my local that always seems to paddle when he sees i’m interested in a wave. Maybe is just me, but it is quite fknn annoying. Out in the normal world he’s pretty nice though.
 
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racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
12,920
14,981
113
Honolulu, Hawaii
my local catches a wide range of swell angles so waves break all over the place. And the randoms will follow you around if you get good ones. It's like a little inside joke with all the locals. When you get some followers, paddle them all over the place.
 

ChaseTMP

Billy Hamilton status
Apr 6, 2014
1,704
3,110
113
S. Redondo
I'll be 50 next year (late September) and seriously thinking about heading to BSR (unless the full size Palm Springs Surf Club is open) to hopefully document a decent air at my mid-century mark.

For some reason I find straight airs the hardest and alley-oops a little easier the very few times I try them in a month. To qualify my alley-oops, they're more of a slightly elevated (less than a foot out) 360. I find I can keep my feet placement relatively the same with alley-oops as opposed to air-reverses and straight airs where my front foot ends up by the nose. For the 5-10% make ratio on the air-reverses/straight airs, I've kind of given up because the make/reward ratio is so low for how battered my boards get.

Noel Salas, I think is a consistently very good/excellent surfer and I've seen him do some decent airs out at Lowers. I was surprised how hard a time he had with the air section at BSR. Coincidentally, part of his air-section video uses one of my songs (I offered my band's catalog, The Meeting Places, for him to use for free). His air part is 3:47 - 4:17


For a private session $2500 an hour is pretty spendy. I think I'd want/need two hours in the pool to try to nail some airs. It's going to be a hard sell to my buddies to pony-up $1000 for two hours (assuming five of us) when we probably spent $2200 each (all in) for eight days/seven nights at Mark and Dave's in Niacargua for my 40th.
 

sdsrfr

Phil Edwards status
Jul 13, 2020
5,857
11,266
113
San Diego
my local catches a wide range of swell angles so waves break all over the place. And the randoms will follow you around if you get good ones. It's like a little inside joke with all the locals. When you get some followers, paddle them all over the place.
My favorite is when there is some drift to carry everyone off the peak together. Correct the positioning when the set comes.

works best at places where the wave bends coming in and the shoulder looks good but always backs off.
 
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racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
12,920
14,981
113
Honolulu, Hawaii
For a private session $2500 an hour is pretty spendy. I think I'd want/need two hours in the pool to try to nail some airs. It's going to be a hard sell to my buddies to pony-up $1000 for two hours (assuming five of us) when we probably spent $2200 each (all in) for eight days/seven nights at Mark and Dave's in Niacargua for my 40th.
I'm trying to convince my friends too. I've done the same math as you and I'll need two hours minimum lol.
I'd be willing to jump in and split costs with you guys next September, if you're short.
 
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ChaseTMP

Billy Hamilton status
Apr 6, 2014
1,704
3,110
113
S. Redondo
I'm trying to convince my friends too. I've done the same math as you and I'll need two hours minimum lol.
I'd be willing to jump in and split costs with you guys next September, if you're short.
Sounds good! I'll shoot you over my contact info in case this place vanishes (hopefully doesn't).
 
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oeste858

Phil Edwards status
Sep 11, 2017
6,931
17,273
113
San Diego, CA
Curious if anyone has checked out Gerlach’s “waveki” teaching thing since it launched recently. Seems to be a subscription to videos working on technique. I’d probably try this before a coaching session IRL
 

racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
12,920
14,981
113
Honolulu, Hawaii
I looked at his site just to see his business model.

Monthly subscription and you get one chapter (focusing on one move e.g. bottom turn, backside snape, etc) every 21 days. There are 18+ chapters. You get access to live Q&A. Subscription is $30 per month or $259 per year.