Stance

Before you start to stand on the board you will need to figure out what stance your prefer. The best way to stand on a board is sideward you will need to play around with what stance feel more comfortable. If your “Regular” stance you will have your right foot at the back closer to the tail, and the left at the front closer to the center of the board and if you’re “Goofy” it will be the opposite. Both these stance are the same it’s just down to your preference.

Positioning and Balance

The first thing to think about when laying on your board is positioning, making sure they your balanced on the board or in the “sweet spot” is critical to a well-performed pop up

Tips for positioning

• More weight on the front will increase planning speed and momentum when catching waves but also increase the chance of nose diving

More weight on the back will give you more control and stability to maneuver a turn and also slow the board down. But too much weight on the tail may make it more difficult to catch waves and keep the board planning

Balanced in the middle “sweet spot” this is the best of both words being able to paddle efficiently and maintain speed without sacrificing speed or manoeuvrability

The key points of the pop up are?

• Lie on your chest head facing the nose and feet just on the tail with your body straight

• Place your hands flat on the board at the bottom of your ribcage (as if you were doing a press-up), board width apart Hands by your side, thumbs in line with lower ribs

• Arch back; Push your chest off the board with your pelvis and upper thighs still in contact with the board.

• Short board pop ups – don’t spring from the toes! You need to use your upper body strength to launch forwards. It’s a lot harder, but a necessity if you’re a short boarder or wants to increase your core upper body strength

• • Without relying on your knees, bring your front foot forward under your body to approximately where your hands are. Your lower torso will twist. Both feet leave the board at the same time and both feet land back down at the same time.

  • Once you begin to land in the middle the surfboard, it will remain flat so you can release your hands from the rails and rise. Your back foot will naturally follow—your feet should be parallel to your board’s stringer.

• • • Get front foot between hands), back foot should land about a shoulder width from front foot

    • Twist your body from the hips moving up to a low bent knees position with your arms out helping balance and eyes looking forward. As you come up into the stance, continue looking where you’re going at your surfboard as you may need to start shifting your weight right away.

• • • • Lean on your back foot for control or to initiate a turn.

      • Lean on your front foot to go faster!