Cause of surfing takeoff failure(4)-Why can’t you take off big waves? I will talk about how to challenge it / Methods / Tips

What’s up?

The size of the waves yesterday was shoulder high. It’s a big wave for beginners. You were scared, right?

Whether the waves are big or small depends on the skill of the surfer.
For beginners, shoulder high waves are big waves. For intermediate surfers, some people find double overhead a big wave.
Depending on the surfer, challenging the big waves is one of the pleasures of surfing.

This time, I will talk about how to take off in big waves.

I compared the take-off positions according to the height of the waves. Is there anything you notice?

Is the correct answer. Regardless of the height of the wave, the correct takeoff position is the vertical part of the top of the wave.

That is impossible. You can always take off only at the top of the wave. Be prepared for the takeoff.

This is the takeoff of John John Florence. It’s a huge wave. Even in such a wave, the position to take off is the top part of the wave.

Please also refer to the following surfline Instagram.

I compared paddling distances by wave height. The blue arrow is the paddling distance. Don’t you notice anything?

That is the correct answer. The bigger the waves, the more paddle power you need. You can’t take off just by having a fast paddle. It is essential to reach the takeoff position from the position where you started the paddle.

Paddling has two purposes. Be sure to read the following articles as well.

It’s scary to be defeated by big waves. Fear makes it impossible to take off.
I will teach you a good way. There are two types of takeoff failures. One is the failure of you to be swallowed by the waves. The other is the failure you are left behind in the waves.

Which failure do you want for big waves?

Now, I will teach you how to practice taking off big waves.
You should start the paddle offshore from the paddle starting position you predicted.

That’s fine.
If you can’t reach the take-off position, then start the paddle a little closer to the shore than you were in.

Also, start the paddle a little from the shore side. After trying a few times, you will reach the correct takeoff position and succeed in the takeoff.

Because if you look at the bottom, you’ll be scared. Before takeoff, you need to check if there are other surfers on the bottom. After doing that check, you can reduce your fear by looking horizontally. You may want to read the following articles.

As a human instinct, being unable to breathe is scary. There is a way to deal with this.

It’s a breath-holding exercise. You can practice holding your breath in your daily life. If you practice every day, you will be able to hold your breath for a long time. It reduces your fear when challenging big waves.
I recommend reading the following articles.

Nobody wants to get hurt. Depending on the region and season, wearing a wetsuit protects you better than a swimsuit or rush guard.

If swallowed by the waves, cover your head and face with your arms to protect them.

You can also use a surfing helmet. I recommend the GATH helmet. It’s so compact and light that you can surf comfortably. (Maybe it looks a little ugly?) The GATH helmet is also used by Australian Olympic athlete Owen Wright. If you’re curious, read the article below.