Speed Merchants: How Do You Generate The Most Speed?

[Scott]

Just watched a Surfline instructional short by Mick Fanning on how to surf fast: http://www.surfline.com/video/video_pla ... m?id=14307

Which got me to remembering a few years back. I was surfing the Point at Sunset: fun, not too crowded, maybe 4-6' faces. Kinda mushy, not many barrels. This guy takes off deep on a set wave, in fact, too deep to make the series of sections that are facing him--it's obvious. I'm 75 yards down the point and plan to pick up the same wave after he falls behind. Well, this guy just starts exploding across the face--up and down in quick succession, getting so much speed out of every turn. He even gets to bash the top a bit because he is actually starting to outrun some of the sections! I have to pull back from paddling and simply watch in awe as he blows by me through the final sections, just flying like I've hardly ever seen on that sort of wave. I feel I can get along on a wave pretty well--it's one of my stronger points--but I know I could never fly like he just did. I assume he has a good board, but there is something more at work here than just a slick stick.

He paddles back out past me and I start paddling alongside, asking him where he learned to surf so fast. He said that he used to surf with Martin Potter in the SoCal area and Martin took him "under his wing", gave him some techniques to increase his speed. Then he paddles on. I don't know why I didn't dog him all over the lineup until he told me just what were those "techniques", but I never forgot the other worldly way he attacked that "impossible" wave. Maybe he was just using Fanning's techniquet...

Any of you guys who know you have an extra speed gear have any tips for guys like me who want to go even faster?

[MALLEE BULL]

WE CALLED IT MILKING THE WAVE IN THE YOUNGER YEARS

[maxb]

learn to pump your board,or as we used to call it (rollercoaster) you really can make tons of speed from nothing,small tight pumps. i used to watch a kb'er at hb pier back in the 70's just fly on waves. his name is fred peterson. he was the fastest surfer in the water . alot of the standups couldn't believe he could generate that much speed. he might be able to help you out

[Headwax.]

A single fin, single wing hot buttered pin tail gun about 7'4" from the seventies comes to mind....

As Eric Burdon might say, when I was young it was weight, unweight. The weighting drives the board, the unweighting floats you and reduces friction so you can cruise down the line. Down the line is fast .... but very unfashionable though.

[Smokin Rock]

being in fashion is very unfashionable

[DYdamo]

Scott,
Just start your turns a bit earlier........Don't drag them out,but in saying that I for one, Absolutely love Drawing my turns out for as long as possible...
headwax's weight ,unweight theory is very true,but the trick is not to kneel upright and flap your arms like a bird...............

[Headwax.]

Heh, you been checking up on my 'style' Dydamo?

I once heard that for speed, in midget waves, paddle sideways. The sideways paddle gives you more initial speed.

The other thing with unweighting is it helps you to go rail to rail without necessarily gouging the face.

[W.G. Facenda]

Ride a US fish .

[K-man]

Small waves?Real simple.Stay up high,close as posiible to the top,where the speed is.No wiggling,minimum pumping.Zoooooommmm!


cheers

[KneeBumps]

I don't think most people appreciate how hard it is to generate speed quickly on your knees, using the techniques described above. I can fly on my standup boards, still learning how to kick on the afterburners after 30+ years kneeboarding.

[SFKneelo]

Staying close to the fall line gets the most speed.

On a ski slope, the fall line seems obvious, as in go straight down.

But, the mountain has contours that bend the line. Constraints also come into play, such as a wicked turn with a flag at the apex for a downhill skiier.

Same with the wave... except the fall line moves with the mountain.

The more drive in the fall line, the faster.

Like said, turns and unweighting help in that turns draws out the drive if done true to the fall line, and unweighting is arguablly done to get you back to driving in the fall line when the current drive is burning out.

An example of why it's drive-in-the-fall-line that creates spped is when you get too high on a wave, and gravity starts forcing you into a balancing act instead of driving. In this case, the fastest line may be below the highest surfable part of the wave...

[TC]

I agree fully with kneebumps. I have been able for years to generate speed down the line on my standup board by using quick little turns on the face of the wave. On my kneeboard I get great carving turns but when I try to generate speed it is much more difficult. Great forum, I need some help and I am interested in learning more about everyone’s technique. Cheers TC

[SamC]

a low center of gravity helps for me. but if i'm really trying to get past a section, I just pump a hard as I can, staying more toward the top of the wave. I push my chest down low when going down and then bring the nose of my board up and bring up my chest when comming up. But really the key in my opinion is having to feel the waves rhythm.

[Masons]

I know weighting/unweighting was mentioned but I think its needs to be a bit more specific.

Spending this whole season surfing ALOT of Rincon (a sh** ton) I made a lot of sections and was able to improve my pumping a lot.

My technique has been to weight and unweight each knee to get the board to make tiny turns down/up the face working with the rhythm of pumping. Its barely noticeable at times but just the smallest changes from edge to edge make the speed come on quick!!

This is done keeping your weight forward and your outside shoulder leading down the line. NO FLAPPING

[KneeBumps]

Masons,
Logical concept and nice description. Can't wait to try it. Sounds somewhat analogous to what I do with my feet standup. Just need to work on my 'happy knees" (remember Steve Martin's standup act?)
Thanks,
Doug