Finishing a wave...

[SeaCliff]

Had a rare opportunity to surf leashless this evening, and while it reminded me of just how much fun it is and how differently you approach a wave when you know you it's a long swim of you screw up, it also vividly brought to mind that as much as the leash is a protection and a necessary evil of sorts, it instills a certain laziness which I think for me has translated into relatively abysmal ability to finish a wave properly.

Crazy thing is that I often admire the way people finish off their waves, yet I've never spent much time working on it myself. I think it's time I changed that....and perhaps seek out more chances to surf leashless, while I'm at it...

 

[ez_ed]

Easily the weakest area of my backside surfing. Frontside I can do flyaways but often try for weak hits off the foam on dying waves instead.
My buddy does crazy backside kickouts on a longboard with style. I've always admired that aspect of surfing.
Curious to see what people post about this thread.

[sublimelbc]

Unless it's too big, as in a pain in the ass paddle back out, I don't finish waves.  I'll try to milk them for everything they've got to the shore.  No use in wasting what little actual riding time we have.  I hate see'ing people kick off a nice chest high line. Grrrr.  So unless it's a floater/hit on the closeout, no finishes here.

[UNCLE!!]

Everyone seems to be so concentrated on catching and riding a wave. Hardly anyone gives a crap how they end a wave. I 've seen some folks get what amounts to a decent ride. they make their sections and make the ride look like the meant to do it that way.. Then the fall backwards and kick their board out in front of them like a lame ass. It looks like they gave up and died at the end.
    Now as a practitioner of leashless surfing, I cannot condone the unwashed masses here at our over crowded break to try this while surfing this beach. You gotta go do it where you won't kill me or my friends or their kids. You will end up swimming if you're not the best surfer in the world. I swim quite alot, especially when I'm tired. I know that for the most part, I'll be alright and can grab my board or direct it somewhere outta the way. Most of the time.... But going leashless will make you a swimmer. Swimmig isn't bad for you, but you are trying to surf, not swim. SO Grab rails and hang on like you're wrestling an alligator. Eat your Wheaties.
    One of the best ways to manage is to kick out! Stomp on the tail and direct your board up and over the back of the wave!! TRY IT!! IT works!! Sometimes you know you'll just never be able to get the board and your self up and over. So pull into the flats and put all your weight on the tail. Crouch down real low, grab your rails and stall out on the tail. Alot of times you and the board will end up on the back side of the wave. Or just PULL IN!! Even if it's the foamy mush, Grab Rail and pull in like it's Chopes! You and your board will emerge on the back side of the wave.

Try it... Each wave calls for a different thing. Be careful not to bust your fin off in the shallows if you try to carve a kick out. Trust me!

[UNCLE!!]

Unless it's too big, as in a pain in the ass paddle back out, I don't finish waves.  I'll try to milk them for everything they've got to the shore.  No use in wasting what little actual riding time we have.  I hate see'ing people kick off a nice chest high line. Grrrr.  So unless it's a floater/hit on the closeout, no finishes here.

Word. Nothing worse than seeing that from the beach. MIlk it to the sand!! Waves are a natural recourse!!

[da Kook]

Everyone seems to be so concentrated on catching and riding a wave. Hardly anyone gives a crap how they end a wave. I 've seen some folks get what amounts to a decent ride. they make their sections and make the ride look like the meant to do it that way.. Then the fall backwards and kick their board out in front of them like a lame ass. It looks like they gave up and died at the end.
    Now as a practitioner of leashless surfing, I cannot condone the unwashed masses here at our over crowded break to try this while surfing this beach. You gotta go do it where you won't kill me or my friends or their kids. You will end up swimming if you're not the best surfer in the world. I swim quite alot, especially when I'm tired. I know that for the most part, I'll be alright and can grab my board or direct it somewhere outta the way. Most of the time.... But going leashless will make you a swimmer. Swimmig isn't bad for you, but you are trying to surf, not swim. SO Grab rails and hang on like you're wrestling an alligator. Eat your Wheaties.
    One of the best ways to manage is to kick out! Stomp on the tail and direct your board up and over the back of the wave!! TRY IT!! IT works!! Sometimes you know you'll just never be able to get the board and your self up and over. So pull into the flats and put all your weight on the tail. Crouch down real low, grab your rails and stall out on the tail. Alot of times you and the board will end up on the back side of the wave. Or just PULL IN!! Even if it's the foamy mush, Grab Rail and pull in like it's Chopes! You and your board will emerge on the back side of the wave.

Try it... Each wave calls for a different thing. Be careful not to bust your fin off in the shallows if you try to carve a kick out. Trust me!

Heed the Master, peons!

[Crackie Onassis]

Regardless of how you finish your waves, at no point should one ever -EVER- kick their board forward (also known as shooting your board) and rely upon the leash to do its thing.

My backside shortboarding is much better than my backside longboarding. I'm still lost going backside on a log, so half my ride is spent setting the rail. Then I can worry about the exit.

For me, backside surfing on a shortboard is all about grinding out that first bottom turn and heading back to the top for the re-entry. Usually I blow the line and the wave gets ahead of me, but on the rare occasion where I hit it, I'm looking to set up another one, until the wave closes out or just ends. At that point I'll either pull into the closeout or hit the closeout lip. It's never pretty, but always interesting.

Front or backside, hitting the closeout lip with everything you have is a good way to work on your top turns. You may bat 1 for 15, but it always feels good if you land one cleanly. Definitely beats ditching your board and not even trying. . .

[Mark E]

I def. feel more connected to my board when I don't wear a leash. I am trying to get my kickout down. I want to be able to get the nose up in the air and over the back of the wave.

[Looseness]

Unless it's too big, as in a pain in the ass paddle back out, I don't finish waves.  I'll try to milk them for everything they've got to the shore.  No use in wasting what little actual riding time we have.  I hate see'ing people kick off a nice chest high line. Grrrr.  So unless it's a floater/hit on the closeout, no finishes here.

I think you're actually finishing a wave by doing what you describe because you are riding it till' it's done.

[seb70]

I really only started surfing leashless recently, and only if there's few people out and a t a spot that permits it...great work out for sure as i loose the board half the time, i think it is much easier to do with a log...definitely  guilty of jumping the back of my board, but that's more a reflex now from having taken it in a face a few times, but I never shoot it at people...now i can't count how many times i picked up boards rolling around from guys going leasless. Kicking out of a wave is rare for me, i milk it, but i should defnitely practice it more.

[Wave Dancer]

I don't lend my board to practitioners anymore. LOL

[Mark E]

I really only started surfing leashless recently, and only if there's few people out and a t a spot that permits it...great work out for sure as i loose the board half the time, i think it is much easier to do with a log...definitely  guilty of jumping the back of my board, but that's more a reflex now from having taken it in a face a few times, but I never shoot it at people...now i can't count how many times i picked up boards rolling around from guys going leasless. Kicking out of a wave is rare for me, i milk it, but i should defnitely practice it more.

I feel like if you see a loose board you should move away from it and let the owner get it. I you have your own board with you your hands are full, you are likely to end up dinging both boards.

[Wave Dancer]

Practitioners of leashless surfing.Reason 113 for wearing a HELMET LOL

[Looseness]

Amen to UNCLE!!! and Crackies's comments.
I ride my log leashless 95% of the time. I have enough control to kick out, straighten off, or at least grab it and hang on with everything I've got with about 90% success rate, but like UNCLE!! I start losing it when I get tired, so If I lose it twice I usually go in and take a break.

Surfing without a leash makes me focus on the whole ride whether on a shortboard or long. I enjoyed the few days of seaweed last week because I was no leash surfing my Waterskate {a 6'6" eggy thruster} which for me is a shortboard.

I think that like any part of the ride, the finish requires setting up and paying attention so I'm confused when people {as described by UNCLE!!!} ride a wave fairly competently and then fall off and shoot their board to finish....on a 3 foot wave. Part of it I think is the inability to BEND AT THE KNEES enough. It's my opinion that many people can't properly collapse their whole body and don't use their lower bodies enough when turning a surfboard. They can get away with cruising along doing turns on the face but when it comes to reacting to a closeout end section they are still standing too tall, fall off the back and just shoot that thing. Whatever happened to the good old straighten off to prone out?? I think since some folks on logs and are attempting to emulate the erect style of good longboarders, but don't notice that these guys and gals do crouch when the wave calls for it {barrels, kickouts, cutbacks, etc.} I do a lot of rail grabs backside to get my log out over the back when I don't straighten off. Shortboarding, I always TRY to finish clean, whether it's a bounce or carve off the end, a kickout, or straightening off, riding it to the beach and proning out. I really don't like leaving it to my leash to save me. Feel a little like I've messed up a good ride if I blow the finish.
  

[Wave Dancer]

Amen I'm going leashles from here on out.I want to be a practitioner