So Cal Surf Blog

Surf is Flat! What to do?

Well, when its flat its really hard to practice wave riding. What I like to do is ride a skateboard. 
There are tons of skateboards out there that mimic the riding of waves. Get one with with grip wheels that can
hug the road. Go down a nice smooth surface and just practice going from side to side.  

Look into Gravity Board, Careboards or Sector 9 skateboards.  They make all kind of boards but for surfing you want one that has softer wheels to hug the road. 

You can go to this video they have on down hill boarding.

How to do a floater

Floaters are one of the funnest things to do on a wave. Its a very functional maneuver and you can make some pretty long sections. 

Steps:

1) Get Speed and lots of it. You want to be able to climb on top of the lip and ride parallel to the wave face.

2) When you see the wave crumbling this is a good time to be up on top of the waterfall. 

3) Dont make to many adjusments and just let the wave do most of the work. Make sure you are on top of the lip and just hang there.

4) Come down with the lip and make sure you are centered on top of the board leaning forward with your front leg just pointing the board and the back leg strong and stable.

5) When you come down make sure you dont perl. Keep nose up and try a soft landing. 

I know its easier said then done but here is our youtube page of  how you can do this on a small wave.

http://www.youtube.com/user/socalsurfpro

Surf  Etiquette

Back in the old day when surfing was a little more underground, surfers would constantly be getting into hassles with one one another over waves.  Well things have come along way and there is  more people in the water and less localization however the rule of thumb is still the same and that is respect.

Rules of Respect

* Respect the landscape, wildlife,  the beach, local surfers and people in general.

* Surfer closest to the curl who has gotten up faster and is more committed has the right of the wave.

* Please look both ways before dropping in on anybody! Make sure to yield to anyone who is more committed and deeper.

* Be polite and smile. Have fun out there and remember surfing is a fun sport!

* Pick up your trash before you leave and no cigarette butts! Lets keep the beaches clean!

What type of surfboard should I ride?

We think that everybody has their own preferences when it comes to picking your equipment. We recommend the following guidelines if you are starting out. When you get better and more advanced you can actually pull away and diversify from these rules.

 Flat to 2 Feet.

When its small or even Flat you can have fun on  Long board, Fun Board or a Fish. Just make sure you have a lot more volume in the board since the waves aren’t going have much push. 

Chest High Surf:

Well this is kinda fun size for Southern Cali and you should be able to diversity a bit with these conditions:

Wind Swell: Since wind-swells are fairly week and not much push power,  you are going to need a bit more volume in the board. You can get away with a fish or even a short board with lots more rail. I personally hate wind swells since they don’t have much push and I end up doing a lot more work just to generate speed.

Just make sure you have a bit more width in the board to compensate for the lack of wave push!

Ground Swell:

Ground swells are something surfers really like since the waves offer lots of speed and power. Ocean swells are coming from long distances and gain power as they hit the shallow waters. This is a day for surfers to rejoice and get maybe even call in sick to work. For these type of days you can definitely get out the traditional thruster short board. Thrusters ( 3 Fins)  offer lots of drive and speed to make those fast sections. For beginners you want to have approx go 2 inches above your height. So if your 6 foot tall you can ride a 6′2″ short-board. Again, when your ability gets better you can go shorter and thinner.

Overhead Ground Swell: 

Unless you are not a beginner you probably want to stay away from days like this. This is where the currents are strong and the waves are hollow. So if you are more advanced you can brush off that pin tail you have in the garage. General advise is to ride something a bit longer it bigger surf. The bigger the waves the bigger the board. So if the surf is pumping overhead you can ride a short-board if you are really good and if not I would be riding something approximately 4 inches taller then you are. So if you are 6 foot tall I would recommend riding a 6′4″.

In the last 5 years surfboard design has changed and so has the equipment we can choose from. Make sure you understand that surf conditions play an important roll in choosing your surfboard. Remember, every condition will require a diff type of surfboard so choose carefully.

Have fun!
Stru

Mother Ocean needs our Help!

We know that every living organism including our food we eat comes from the mother ocean! We need to make sure we keep it clean and have a source to go to when we need it! Let’s give back and join the surf rider foundation and make a difference today! http://www.surfrider.org/

Standing up on a surfboard can be very tricky especially when you have a lot of water to deal with. But before you hit the surf you can do a little practice at home.  

1) On the floor, lye down on your stomach and quickly with one push up, jump up to your feet with your arms slightly out

2) As soon as you stand up, you will notice one of your legs go forward and the other one back. You want to be able to be limber and squatty so that you have a good sense of balance.

Tip) Repeat these two steps by lying down then quickly standing up! Don’t crawl up but just stand up without touching you knees on the surfboard. The key is to get up quick so that you can gain balance on the surfboard.

This is a very simple exercise but can be very helpful when you begin to actually stand up on a surfboard.

Surf Coaching 101

Ok,  so you are ready to get out there but need some advise? Well this is why we have developed this Blog! Just ask us!

Simply just comment on what you have questions on and one of our PROS will help you!

Thanks
Stru

So you want a career in surfing?

I don’t want to discourage you but the facts are this: Only 1% of all surfers in the world actually make a living from it. According do Surfline.com there are approx 2.5 million surfers just in the US. To really make money in the sport of surfing you need to make at least in the top 10% in the WQS (World Qualifying Series) and in the top 16 surfers in the WCT (World Cup Tour) which has 44 surfers. This number is approximately around 100 surfers. Top paid surfers approx 16 surfers come from the World Tour and the 10% of the WQS totaling about 50 surfers make enough income to at least support their surfing lifestyle. 

The real money (Millions) is in the cream of the crop and at the top of the list. We are talking about approx 10 top surfers in the WCT and about 10 top surfers of the WQS so about (20 surfers) who bring it enough to to be considered rock star status. So if you are a young grom looking to get into the sport there is a lot of money involved and you can score a really good contract but keep in mind the odds are against you. You will have to be in the top 10% of all competing surfers to make it! If you have the talent, will and determination then you should go for it!! Here are the steps:

 Join an armature association such as the WSA or NSSA. Just like anything you have to climb the ladder of success and bring attention to your talents. You can go to their sites to check when and where the contests are.

www.nssa.org

www.surfwsa.org

 Once you gain experienced surfing events and obtaining trophy’s you will be better trained to surf against the best in the pro/ am events. One of which we recommend is Volcom VQS, which is a FREE pro/ am surf event. Its held once a month and you can be surfing against some really good top surfers.

http://www.volcom.com/crusty/Series.asp?seasonID=22&n=2007%2F2008+US+Season

After you gained some experience in the PRO/AM contest you would go on to the big leagues. The BIG leagues are the ASP/USA tour and is called the WQS. Please visit their site for more info. If you crack the top here you will definitely get your self seen by some major sponsors to score a good size contract deal. Make sure you can represent your self and have a good portfolio of results and pictures.

The end of the road is the WCT. This is where you can say “yes I’m a pro surfer”. At this level you can bring in a solid 6 figure income and travel the world to surf. To get to this level you would have to be in the top 10 of the WQS for the year. This will require tons and tons of traveling and living out of your suitcase for the entire year. The sport of surfing can bring you lots of experiences and can also humble you very quickly. If you are committed to this you can be greatly rewarded! You can also check out www.aspworldtour.com for more info.

 Thanks

Stru

Seems like everybody is in the water these days even your dog is snaking you on waves!

Huntington Beach has a surf dog contest now so check it out!

http://www.tinyurl.com/dajjhh

What is the best training for surfing?

I personally believe the best training for a sport is the sports it self. There is nothing really that compares or feels the same as surfing. The bottom line is that the more you surf the better you get at it. But If you cant get to the ocean here are my recommendations for preparation for surfing.

Yoga

Yoga is less stress on the joints and actually works on some of the similar muscle structures that is useful for surfing.  Core strength is very important to surfing because you are constantly pulling and turning your mid section. Your power and speed comes from the stomach muscles and yoga is especially good to target those muscle groups.  I would recommend to get yoga for surfers the video. You can cell some clips on you tube or go to get the CD or books.

Machine: Vasa TrainerIf you have to use a machine we recommend to get the vasa trainer. The closest thing that simulate paddling is the vasa machine.

Indo Board:

Indo boards are fun and can be quite a good surf trainer. You can pick one for really cheep and it will help your balance skills!

Here is a video: