Dropping into a Frontside Tube
This is the second in the series on Technique and Etiquette, and originates from a question originally posed by Kurt in the forums on NYNJSurf.com
Kurt: I’m beginning to get my Chris Birch quad figured out. It’s faster and shorter (at 6′2″) than anything else I’ve ridden in a long time. I’m stoked.
Anyway, yesterday and today’s waves were giving me an oppurtunity to drop into a section that was pretty walled up with a shoulder a little ways down. As I was dropping in the lip was pitching over.
I tried multiple times to drop into a frontside tube. I was feeling like I was making headway. Here’s some of the things that occurred to me.
1. Lean forward
2. Crouch
3. Lean in towards the wave, to get your chest close to the face, and even maybe do a little bit of a back bend to match the shape of the wave. I found this helped me keep my feet so that the pressure was on the inside rail of my board - holding me in the pocket - while getting my center of gravity as close to the face of the wave as possible, and kept the wave lip from hitting me in the head.
And of course not mentioned here is the implied “Pop up fast.”
Anyway, I wasn’t making it out of any of these barrels - and some of my attmepts probably looked awful. But I wanted to ask you kids who get barrelled on a reguhlar basis - am I doing anything that sounds crazy? What is your approach? Can you put it into words, or is it more “Get in barrel, surf.”
Also, the biggest question - how does one pump in the barrel to gain speed to make it out of our frieght-training east coast barrels? Especially when said tube is pretty small and you have to be all tucked in to get in there anyway? I find I can only pump when I have the full length of my body to expand/contract.
Thoughts?
Matt C: move your back and front foot forward, keep your shoulders open and facing out of the tube, weight on front foot, don’t close your eyes or look at anything but the exit. take off on a ton of close outs to practice getting under the lip.
old_rock_guy: All valid points, but for my money the set-up out of your bottom turn is 90% of the key to success. Picking the spot down the line where you need to initiate the turn downward, or stall in short sections, is the money maker for me. When I change my mind at the last second and try to tuck into a driving barrel (rather than a short stall pit) I find I have a much lower chance of making it then my usual sight it, set it, and duck routine. And once I am inside and in fourth gear I can easily adjust to the minor changes in the waves speed and more often than not it’s a stall of some sort to bleed off speed rather then trying to pump in the bubble.
kurt: old_rock - yes i agree that when you are already up and can see the section that is going to pitch, you can sort of set it, crouch and get in there.
the situation I was faced with today was having to drop directly into a barrel, essentially setting up under the lip AS you’re dropping in. So there is no bottom turn essentially.
old_rock_guy: I see now Krut, I missed the finer points in your post (a little tired from a major big fun session this AM). So the real question is did you have time to extend your body or were the take-offs so quick it was a crouch all the way (ala Slater in September Sessions, when he went off solo and then on one wave just let a big right barrel roll over him just as he took-off and then it spit him out, classic!). The heart of the matter would be, how do you get up and into fourth gear. If you can get a pump and ankle roll up into the face to set a high line, that’s probably your key. I think if I was on a new wave (or board) that I did not know and was getting tagged from behind, I would do a full blast into 5th gear on a wave or two to just find the speed line and then start working into finding that zone out of your top turn. Then you can start to play with your speed and the lip. I as a habit tend to always go fast, being a fish head my whole life, and find it’s much easier to slow down then to accelerate. I guess my overall advise is to just see how freakin fast you can make that new board go and the you’ll know your gearing (sorry for the motorhead terms, but that’s my simplistic view of it). That is usually how I warm up for my sessions, I just wail down the line, puming full extensions as fast as I can on my first few waves and then it all comes a little easier. Speed and knowing where it lives is the core of surfing. Hope that helps.
dynamite: i’ve solved that problem myself just by getting a bigger board. for example, this am took at the 6′4″ and couldn’t make it out at all. like you i can’t seem to find the rhythm to pump out or adjust myself enough. then took out the 6′6″ and it was the answer. bottom turn in, stall, and drag my hand to slow down, then a little more pressure on my front foot, which made for an easier and more fun session.
old_rock_guy: I think that ridding thrusters exclusively has caused some surfers to not know how to pump down the line, as opposed to just projecting a turn. The twin fin allows you that freedom to start with a few quick ankle rolls and extend those into long speed lines. It’s all I can do to explain it because at this point it’s zen, but it used to be called roller-coastering, just pumping vertically and finding the release points in the vertical. Thrusters just want to track and really don’t let you feel that rail to rail speed. That’s the trade for the stability and tourque ability.
onefin: drag back hand in face, sometimes burying your full arm in the face is a good way to really stall yourself. A word of advice, this is where you better have a strong core, if you are going for an arm stall and you upper body abs area are not in shape you run the risk of serious muscle and joint damage this move is not for the weak.
Todd Chesser made a great observation years ago about the placement of your front hand while frontside tuberiding. He comments that your front hand is a steering wheel, where you point it your body will follow. This works, it has to do with controling your center of gravity and shifting around your body wieght.
When initially pulling in to the barrel the farther back you are on the board with the weight on your back foot you can slow to a stall into the barrel. Than by shifting you weight forward you can accelerate out of the tube. If your on a longboard, start at the tail and walk your way to the tip.
Lastly, dont close your eyes you scaredy cat. I don’t know how many times I have seen the unsuspecting surfer pull in, panic, and shut thier eyes. Muscle up son, enjoy the view this is what surfing is all about and best of all if the crap goes bad this is the safest place to be.
Good luck and practice makes perfect.
