[buena_onda]

Hey all,
I just recently started to dabble in sub-6' boards (a Chris Birch 5'8 single bump pin). I love the looseness and the speed, but I've noticed a few things about my take-off style on the 5'8 versus my previous 6'4 semi-fish thruster.

The first thing is that I have a tendency to sort of drag my front knee as i pop up which seems like it might be slowing down my body's transition to standing. On my old board i used to bring my back foot in slightly and use my foot against the knuckle on the tail pad to provide a "support" to push on as i popped up. On my 5'8 I don't have a tail pad and since the board is shorter, it takes a more exaggerated movement to bring my back foot onto the tail to brace the pop up. So I've been leaving my legs straight and popping off my upper legs (around my quads) as I push up, using the platform of the board to provide that solid base to get my feet up and under me. But i've been wondering if doing that had created my new bad-habit of dragging my front knee. So my question to the keel fish/speed-dailer/toilet seat cover/whatever riding population out there is what is what technique do you have for getting that "pop"? Do you bring a foot in to support you or just snap up as you straighten your arms and shift your weight down to your legs?

My other, slightly more straight forward question is in regard to the take off itself. Often I seem to sort of hang at the lip after i pop up which sometimes causes me to come down on to the wave face late. I think this is just because I'm jumping the gun a bit on the take off and popping up at bit too soon. Do you have to take off a bit later with a shorter, wider board?

Thanks!

[SeaCliff]

Thanks for posting up the questions, b-onda - perhaps one of the best first posts ever. Looking forward to reading the responses from others first partly because I don't have enough time to respond adequately, and also because I have my own share of related bad habits I've been working on! I'll def chime in on this later, tho....

[Looseness]

Hey all,
I just recently started to dabble in sub-6' boards (a Chris Birch 5'8 single bump pin). I love the looseness and the speed, but I've noticed a few things about my take-off style on the 5'8 versus my previous 6'4 semi-fish thruster.

The first thing is that I have a tendency to sort of drag my front knee as i pop up which seems like it might be slowing down my body's transition to standing. On my old board i used to bring my back foot in slightly and use my foot against the knuckle on the tail pad to provide a "support" to push on as i popped up. On my 5'8 I don't have a tail pad and since the board is shorter, it takes a more exaggerated movement to bring my back foot onto the tail to brace the pop up. So I've been leaving my legs straight and popping off my upper legs (around my quads) as I push up, using the platform of the board to provide that solid base to get my feet up and under me. But i've been wondering if doing that had created my new bad-habit of dragging my front knee. So my question to the keel fish/speed-dailer/toilet seat cover/whatever riding population out there is what is what technique do you have for getting that "pop"? Do you bring a foot in to support you or just snap up as you straighten your arms and shift your weight down to your legs?

My other, slightly more straight forward question is in regard to the take off itself. Often I seem to sort of hang at the lip after i pop up which sometimes causes me to come down on to the wave face late. I think this is just because I'm jumping the gun a bit on the take off and popping up at bit too soon. Do you have to take off a bit later with a shorter, wider board?

Thanks!

Fix your pop-up. Period. No dragging ANYTHING, no two stage pop-up. It should be ONE motion, you are paddling for the wave, then BAM you are on your feet. Anything else wastes time and causes you to blow takeoffs and waves, ESPECIALLY on a shorter board. Do crunches to train, bicycle style are my favorite.  Having a strong core makes it easier to pull your legs/feet up under you in ONE motion. Pushups for lifting your body as you INSTANTLY plant your feet on the board.

Yes you are going to take off later on a shorter board so the above is super important. The cool thing is you CAN take off later on a shorter board if you do it well.
Good Luck.    

[Looseness]

Oh yeah, practice CLEAN, no hitch pop-ups on dry land. A LOT. In the living room, office, beach, whatever.

[buena_onda]

Thanks Looseness- So I take that to mean you don't move your legs to any sort of position at all? Just trailing straight out from your body and -BLAM- into standing?

[little_nasty]

xactly

[snaggletooth]

if you are hanging in the lip, you need to add a couple extra strokes to get you moving down the face. (i work on this myself a lot).

[buena_onda]

So, ideally, as you pop up, what part of the lower half of your body should be the last point of contact with the board before you hit a crouching position?
For me its usually somewhere on my quads just above my knees, but as I said, I think I tend to support slightly more of my body weight on the right side. I'm goofy, so that ends up being my front foot and I'm not sure, but I think having slightly more weight on that side might be contributing to the knee drag.

[jammy]

So, ideally, as you pop up, what part of the lower half of your body should be the last point of contact with the board before you hit a crouching position?
For me its usually somewhere on my quads just above my knees, but as I said, I think I tend to support slightly more of my body weight on the right side. I'm goofy, so that ends up being my front foot and I'm not sure, but I think having slightly more weight on that side might be contributing to the knee drag.

none?
it just sounds like looseness has the right suggestion, practice your pop-up. maybe your arm strength needs a little work, b/c the proper push with your arms on the deck of the board leaves you the space to bring your legs under you, no dragging of anything. you should also have your chest UP when paddling, ready-set-go...

in your first post you mentioned using your foot on your tailpad of your previous board. that sounds like a pretty bad habit, b/c it makes me think you are used to placing your back foot as a first step and then bringing the front foot forward.

i don't think my feet hit the board at the exact same time, but it is pretty darn close.

once you get used to little boards you never want to go back!

[ankleslapper]

ditto what everyone says here.  Though far from an expert, one thing that's helped me from day one is a good quick pop-up.  From hands touching off deck to both feet snapped into position - one quick motion.  I'm usually on a longboard in conditions where a fast take-off isn't remotely critical...so that pop-up seems delayed, lackadaisical even...but still...once you go for it...it's still one quick snap.  I've always thought it was more about speed/agility than strength - snapping up the legs from your lower abs rather than muscling into it. 

Practicing on land is good -- ask someone to try to shove you off balance the second you get to your feet -- good measure of if you're quick, low, gathered and ready to go.  Buena: that BLAM reference is good - I think the sound I used to imagine on my pop-up was FOOM -- one second and then riding.

[ankleslapper]

So, ideally, as you pop up, what part of the lower half of your body should be the last point of contact with the board before you hit a crouching position?
For me its usually somewhere on my quads just above my knees,

one tiny note on this: call me crazy, but I think if you flex your feet right before you pop-up, it's the tips/balls of your toes that are the last point of contact before you're on your feet.  I just shut my office door and did one on the floor.  ha ha.  Good fun.  Back to work! 

[snaggletooth]

heehee - i have images of ankleslapper doing pop-ups in her office. people already think i'm too weird.... i can't pull that off and i don't have a door to close.

on a shortboard, though, nowhere for your toes to touch. a good place to practice is to do pop ups on a weight bench - that way your legs hang off like on a short board. i think it's somewhere in the hip to mid-quad area that touches last as you arch your torso up, but can't try it right now from my cubicle.

my pop-ups suck, by the way. my back foot doesn't always land right over the fins and then i have to scooch it backwards. ugghhhh

[Looseness]

ditto what everyone says here.  Though far from an expert, one thing that's helped me from day one is a good quick pop-up.  From hands touching off deck to both feet snapped into position - one quick motion.  I'm usually on a longboard in conditions where a fast take-off isn't remotely critical...so that pop-up seems delayed, lackadaisical even...but still...once you go for it...it's still one quick snap.  I've always thought it was more about speed/agility than strength - snapping up the legs from your lower abs rather than muscling into it. 

Practicing on land is good -- ask someone to try to shove you off balance the second you get to your feet -- good measure of if you're quick, low, gathered and ready to go.  Buena: that BLAM reference is good - I think the sound I used to imagine on my pop-up was FOOM -- one second and then riding.

Another good point, being LOW when you pop up and start the drop. I see a lot of beginners immediately become erect, stand tall upon popup and fall right off. The straight up thing may work for experienced, old school longboarders, but not a good thing for shortboarding beginners. Yeah, FOOM is a better sound for a nice clean fast pop-up!

[Looseness]

Thanks Looseness- So I take that to mean you don't move your legs to any sort of position at all? Just trailing straight out from your body and -BLAM- into standing?

If you can find a takeoff in a surf video where you see the whole thing, the paddling and pop-up, watch it. Slow motion it if you can. I think the incline of the drop really makes it easier. Lotta good advice from everyone here.

Aloha 

[ankleslapper]

heehee - i have images of ankleslapper doing pop-ups in her office. people already think i'm too weird.... i can't pull that off and i don't have a door to close.

on a shortboard, though, nowhere for your toes to touch. a good place to practice is to do pop ups on a weight bench - that way your legs hang off like on a short board. i think it's somewhere in the hip to mid-quad area that touches last as you arch your torso up, but can't try it right now from my cubicle.

yes, i am a huge nerd.  it gave me a good laugh but was also a darn good reason to get up out of my chair and away from the computer screen.  snaggle's totally right.  i was relating it to a longboard which i see is not relevant to the question of a shorter board.  her weight bench suggestion is prob better as it relates to a shortboard.  either way, popping up on something not-moving is a good way to assess what's going on.