Master Your POP UP Technique With This Strategy

The pop up in surfing is arguably one of the most important skills to learn in the sport. Without a successful pop up, an optimal take off, the rest of your wave will suffer meaning slow or nonexistent surf progression.

Let’s have a look at some of the common pop up mistakes that people make and how to fix them!

Which Foot Should Land First?

You want to focus on landing your first leg first as to not experience a restriction from your hips. A common problem new surfers experience is that they’ll place their back foot down first. This locks up their hip and can even slow them down on the wave. In the video at around the 1 minute 4 second mark you can see how this happens.

By getting your front leg placed first, your back leg will naturally move into a better position. Of course you are going to need to practice this in order to improve. But just like with anything, once you know the proper way to do something you can focus on doing things the right way. This will improve your take off and improve your overall surf sessions.

Why Do I Always Fall Off The Side Of My Surfboard On A Takeoff?

The biggest reason for falling during takeoff is a lack of confidence in your ability. When you are getting ready to drop in on a wave, fear sometimes kicks in and causes us to imagine getting thrown over the wave. When this happens, we overthink what is happening and end up falling anyway.

You want to pop up above the surfboard. The direction of the board will determine which direction on the wave you are heading. You want your body to pop directly above the board. After your feet land successfully on the board, that is when you can start turning.

Why Does The Front of My Surfboard Go Under Water?

The reason for this is that you are too far forward on your surfboard. If you are too far up towards the front of the board, the board will dip down into the water and cause water to flow over the front of the board and the wave will push you from the back. When the wave pushes you from the back, the back part of the surfboard will go up and over the front. This causes you to flip over the front of the board.

What Should My Hips Do During A Pop Up On My Surfboard?

Some people have no problem with the idea of popping up on a surfboard, but there is still something holding them back. They pop up in the normal sense, which means they are able to stand up on the board. The problem happens with people having a low head position and a high hip position. If you think about standing on land and spreading your legs in a surf position, you can imagine this.

Your legs are spread and your head is down doing a basic hamstring stretch. Your head is down below your butt and you feel the stretch. This is not a great position on a surfboard though. Whichever direction your head is facing is the direction that the surfer ends up going. So if your head is facing forward and down towards the flat part of the wave, you’ll end up going in that direction and slowing down a lot on the wave.

The better option is to have your butt lower than your head so that you are in a more athletic stance. This means your legs are bent a bit, your butt is down and your head is high. This is a great position to be able to maneuver the board and start moving in the direction you would like to go.