Still Love My Stretch F4 Quad

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Technical Update

Still Love My Stretch F4 Quad

DISCLAIMER: Just before I blurb on with surfboards or technique, I am not one of those hot surfers. I am still trying to figure out how to get there and the progress is at the snail's pace.

So what prompted me to write this note is that I put away the Stretch F4 Quad board for a while mainly because the tail-pad started to peel off and I did not get a chance to fix it until this weekend. In the meantime, I was using the JC Ugly Stick 6'4 for several weeks and not having much fun. Until the repair I have been riding the F4 exclusively for short-board sessions, for at least a year at all sorts of conditions.

When first I got this F4 board, I did not know what to say about it, I was much more used to the JC board, but one important thing I've learned is the importance of sticking with one board for a long time. I have realized after being back on the F4 board that this morning I felt like the "magic" has come back. It is probably true that if I stayed on the JC for a long time, I would probably like that too.

Having said that though I have really noticed the following things that I can do better with the F4 board.

• Taking off on an angle at the top of the wave is more controlled. You know when the edge of the wave starts to fold, and I am trying hard to get into the wave at an angle so I take off and at the same time, I won't get crushed. This is where I feel my surfing is the weakest and every little bit of help is needed still. And since that means I am giving up the wave to the next surfer a lot, I get less time on the wave. Most other buddies I know bring out longboards, take off much further out and sooner, while I sit a bit inside and wait for the sweet spot (yes, I should be paddling for it.)
• I feel like stalling less often after a take off. This is where I usually (OK, I admit, almost all the time) lose a momentum and can't surf well. I can pump a bit and gain a bit more of speed, and when that works, I can head the board to where the power is on the wave. This is where I feel much more confident and once I am really on the wave like this; getting power from the wave, I can begin to be a bit more creative... perhaps a bit more aggressive in all movements. I am getting there slowly, but there is still a lot of room to work, and more consistent taking-off is most important agenda for me right now. But now it does happen once or twice in a good session, finally I am getting some pay-off.
• Turns especially going from the bottom going up then cutting back works great... nothing is more satisfying to me than than a clean and long "S" cutbacks! And from the shore it looks like I am drawing an 8. Yeah! That's fun!

When I got the board, I thought 4-fins are a bit of a gimmick (and still may be) but in my situation, I feel like sticking with this board patiently has helped me a lot!

Surfing is very interesting and continues to be because I can never get good at it to the extent I am rarely satisfied with the rides... when I think I have done a good ride there always is someone who does it better than me and more consistently!

Enjoy!

How To Get To Be a (Technically) Better Surfer

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How To Get To Be a (Technically) Better Surfer

We all make a few New Years resolution. On this post, I would like to share what were useful for my surfing skills improvements. You can write to me at Master(at)StokeMaster.COM for suggestions and I will share with our loyal WavLOG fans.

Surf with Better Surfers Once in a While

For the morale support getting out with people with similar level is important and that's my standard mode of operations in most sessions, but every once in a while a chance arises that someone better than you might ask you to come along. I'd ask to make sure that the condition and place is OK for you (and they can usually tell.) What this does is to add a bit of exposure for you to surf in a bit more difficult situations, for example, more powerful breaks or uncharted (in your map) locations. After successfully coming back (you do almost all the time) from these sessions, it boosts a level of confidence in your surfing abilities. I've "leaned" to go to OBs, Montara, and "outside peaks" in SC this way. And ask lots of questions how to surf in these areas.

Go To Surf Camp for a Week

There are instructor-lead adult surf camps all over the places. I would recommend actual tent-camping (not hotel kind) surf camps that would go to somewhat remote locations like Baja, let your cell phones die and be a 100% surfer for a week. I would not do one with your friends since getting instructions every day and meeting other better surfers is one of the most important thing.

Stick with One Board

Sure it is tempting to buy that quad, this fish and keep blaming on tools for our inability to surf well. We are taught from early on that we solve our life problems by consuming. I understand that we need to support our economy this way but for the art and surfing (and the art of surfing) exploring all possibilities within the limitation or confine of a medium is of key importance, I've realized.

So stick with one surf board for a while and really get familiar with it, explore everything about surfing that darn board. I am talking about doing this for one or two seasons. So pick one board this year and surf until you feel you have graduated from it.

Next time you see our friend Elizabeth or Jocelyn, ask for their stories on this.

Enter in A Contest or Two

One of my very close friend strongly disagree with me on this on the ground that any competing activity is bad, but depending on your personality, having a drop-dead goal date is a very strong motivator for getting things done. I fall into that category of people. Surf contests have a fixed date to go for, and of course we need to perform on the waves. I do often have to rely on something like this to set a goal. If you are more determined person, no, you can set a goal without such a thing, I agree.

So I enter the contest early and practice for it. Locally in this area there are "all levels" contest two or three times in Pacifica later in the summer and fall. They are really for the enjoyment of surfing by the community and your fees will support local beach cleanup programs too. I will guarantee you that you won't be on Surfer Magazine's cover for appearing or even coming to the first place on any of these contests. But I know I will be competing with my own limitations year to year.

Surf Regularly

This may be difficult for you but I'd set aside a block of time, declare that as "your time" with your family and friends and so long as it is safe to go, then go. If the condition is not safe I'd still do supplemental exercise like balance board, yoga, or even flick up practice on the floor. But as for the condition, I won't knit pick, don't be greedy and think only about riding, if anything build the paddling strength. I've realized that a good part of successful take-off is in paddling strength.

See you out there!

Session 8066-68: More on Speed

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Days 66, 67

Friday was a small day again but I did get out at LM and caught some small waves. I actually do want small waves because that also help me really understand gaining the speed. I was often told from experts that bigger waves are actually easier to surf. I think I agree to an extent that if the waves are bigger but come in nice shapes, they are definitely fun and easier to catch. Small waves, on the other hands require a lot of paddling, quick flick up with not much room for errors and immediate top turn in many cases to make the wave and stay on top of it.

Saturday the shapes has gotten a bit better and I continued to work on the top turn. I must say though I do cheat a bit in this regards by actually steering while I am paddling into the waves. This gets remarkably easier if I can read where the shoulder would pop and I would be at the right place and the right time. Negotiating the top turn upon flicking up is also very very tricky for me right now since I need to execute the rail-in motion very quickly especially when there is not much speed yet developed, thus I have to get on the wave when I am least stable on the board. Looks like it will take a bit of time yet for me to get this mastered. 

Sunday the hefty NW winds returned and basically I could no find a surf locally from HMB to northern SC spots. We skipped surfing and went onto the Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Festival events instead.

Session 7169 El Porto Visit

The WavLOG
DAY 169

This morning, I hooked up with Luke who has been a StokeMaster member for several years, and who has recently moved from the Bay Area to LA.

As much as I liked the long smooth wave of San Onofre, a bit faster closing out waves with occasional makable shoulders is where I really shine in surfing, especially with short boards, so when I saw the crappy condition today in front of me and not many people are catching, I was kind of happy that there will be a chance to try catching as many of these waves as possible.

How did I get to be like that... In a nutshell the darn almost consistently crappy "home breaks" in Half Moon Bay area. Of all the sessions that I put myself through, there simply are not that many days that could be called really fun. It usually involves either very small shapeless waves or paddling after paddling through white water then only to be pounded in massive close outs from the outside lineup and being adrift in strong side-currents forcing me to constantly adjust the spot.

But those situations have taught me some important lessons and if you have been a devoted reader of WavLOG, you've read this all along, but if you have just joined here is the summary.

• Wave selection is extremely important. Usually the biggest ones in a set will close out so I don't go for them. About the third wave tend to be the best as the first and second will fill in and up the water level so it would be mellower and have some shapes.
  
• Another important wave selection department is the positioning. Even if it is massively closing out, if you look long and hard enough (observe a lot before you get in) there will be a few spots away from the main impact zone that start to form a ridable and catchable shoulder.
• Reforms are your friends. If people are not catching 100% of the set waves from the outside, and instead boards are flying all over the places, then it is time to consider sitting inside and reforms to be produced. Who cares? We are here to catch and ride waves, right?
• If you find a shoulder, then you are half way there. Very strong "side" paddling and angular trajectory taking off seems to be another key. This won't happen though until you get really confident and strong in paddling. It took me at least 3 years and I just seems to have cracked this part of the puzzle. I am going to work on it more so join me.
  
• Reposition, reposition, reposition... Keep your eyes on the incoming waves, and also the surrounding. On beach breaks you can be moving a lot to find the next best spot that is coming your way. Moving both along the beach as well as going inside and outside.
• Don't be discouraged. It is something a lot of us are going through. Keep at it!
  

Tomorrow I might try the "Surf City USA" Since I've never surfed there up to now.

Let me know how you are progressing on the StokeFORUM!

Session 7034: Shedding Beginner Equipment

I have gotten confident that I am not going to wear the helmet, except when there are some element of danger like the crowd, rock reef, bigger waves, and riding a long board. And this morning, I did also not wear the gloves either though the water was in low 50's. Turned out that it was a bit painful at the start but soon my hands got used to it, body started to pump more blood and stayed warm for the rest of the session. I also surfed without helmet, gloves and wetsuits for a week on my trip and it did not cause a problem either.

While I cannot brag about these sort of things, and whenever I do, I usually get into some sort of a problem, I think that I have some basis to say that it is OK to do so.

One area of the confidence I have started to get is how to "wipe out" and in most wipe outs, I am either aware of where the board is, or still handling the board, such as hanging on to it. I am also now capable of avoiding things like going over the falls, and when and if that happens, I know better what to do, like pushing the board away from me if holding on to it cannot be an option. Also surfing short boards tend to be much safer.

~ ~ ~

Change of a subject back to my technical goal of the moment, getting to the break. This morning, I have already started to see some results. One of the thing was that I was actually getting "hot" under my chest while I was paddling out. This means that I am generating considerably more heat just from paddling. I have previously felt the general warmth increase during a hard session, but today was the first time when I felt something is "hot" in a specific part of the body.

~ ~ ~

Changing of the subject again. But I had unusually vivid memory of a surf dream when I woke up this morning. The dream went like this,

I had to check into the hotel, I followed this man with a long board going to surf, who disappeared behind a bush, but if I followed this guy, go past the bush and go down the steep cliff hill, I ended up on a busy concrete street... bunch of cars, street trains, office buildings. But this is far away from a hotel, and I had to take a train ride to get back to the hotel. I returned to the hotel, and the same man is walking across the hotel garden with his board and disappears into the bush. As soon as I follow this guy, I'd end up in the same street.

Many of my surf dreams do not involve surfing at all. It usually are like this when I try to find the water and wave, I cannot find them.

However, when I am taking a nap after a surf session sometimes, I get to ride some big nice clean waves, and feeling are almost as real.

LOC:MT