Surfing Explained: Ep1 Understanding Speed and Grip
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- In the debut episode of Surf Simply's new animated 5 part surf science series, 'Surfing Explained', we explore the science and physics behind how a surfboard generates speed by using water flow and gravity, and how you the rider can maximize your technique to improve your speed for maneuvers.
This episode was written by Surf Simply Coaching Director Harry Knight, and animated and edited by Surf Simply Coach Will Forster.
Season 1 will cover 4 episodes over the next 4 weeks:
Ep1: Understanding Speed and Grip
Ep2: Generating Speed and Grip
Ep3: What is Surfboard Volume
Ep4: Using an Online Volume to Weight Calculator
Episode 1 Transcript:
How does your surfboard actually work?
Most surfers simply accept the fact that we paddle into a wave, stand up and ride it, without every really questioning what’s making this happen, or what’s going on beneath our feet. Perhaps when we’re shopping for a new surfboard we might think about the effects of variables such as length, width, volume bottom contours or tail-shape, but for the most part, the majority of us are blissfully ignorant.
Even a lot of surfboard shapers - although they’d never admit it - aren’t that wise as to the physics at play when the surfboards they’ve shaped are being ridden; they know what works and that’s what they continue making. A big reason for this is the lack of proper research that has been done on surfboards. A lot of what we “know” about surfboards has been worked out through trial and error, and while a few people have hypothesized the science behind why a board performs the way it does, there is little hard evidence to support these claims.
We’re going to try to address some of the core mechanics here and now, and then build on them in future articles the will refer back to the points and principles covered here.
Let’s start with; speed. It’s what we’re really after when we’re riding a wave, not just because it gives us a thrill, but all because it’s the raw material for producing good maneuvers. Where does that speed come from and how do we generate more? If you answered Gravity, then you’re partly correct; when you paddle into a wave and drop down the face of it, it is gravity that’s pulling you down and causing you to accelerate, and even when you angle across the wave, gravity is still helping to generate some of your speed. However, if gravity was the sole factor in generating speed, you should go fastest when going straight into the beach, but that’s not the case. Your board actually travels far faster when traveling in trim across the face of a wave, and this is all to do wit how the Vow of water on the wave face interacts with your surfboard.
The very first thing that we need to get clear here, is that when we look at an unbroken wave, it is mostly wave energy that’s moving, not the water. If you placed a rubber duck on the surface of the ocean and watched a wave pass, the rubber duck would just rise and fall as the wave passed underneath; it wouldn’t be picked up and carried by the wav A good way to think of it is to imagine a blue tarpaulin, and then roll a bowling ball underneath it - you would see the “wave” of the bowling ball moving under the tarp but the actual tarp itself remains in the same place. However, if we were to follow the bowling ball with a camera, we would see the canvas rushing past, and the same is true if you travel with a wave in the ocean. This creates what we call an “Effective Flow” of water running up the face from the perspective of the surfer.
When we take off on a wave and set our rail to start riding across the face, our surfboard interrupts that apparent flow of water. Two things then happen: Our surfboard grips the face of the wave, and the surfboard generates Lift and forward Thrust. Depending o exactly how the board interacts with the water Vow, the amount of lift, thrust and grip can be varied to suit the maneuvers we’re trying to do on the wave.
In the next episode, we’ll be talking about the physics involved in this process. Until then, thanks for watching.
Your content is really unique and very well executed! Im an engineering student and I want to be a shaper, this really hits the spot.
Glad you like it Prateek, we like to approach surfboard design as if we’re engineering students too so I’m sure your training will go along way towards being a shaper! Good luck!
Same here :)
I´m so glad you are back with the video classes! Ru Hill helped me a LOT to begin surfing a few years ago, with the WhiteBoard Wednesday series!! Gratitude!!
What a great series. I always wondered how the physics behind surfing really worked.
This series is great, I hadn't found a good explanation of exactly what causes speed generation before, thank you.
Glad to hear it Wautr, thanks
Your videos are priceless and incredibly helpful. Thank you for sharing this knowledge with everyone.
Thanks Kevin, you’re too kind!
Excited to get a better explanation of tail design and it's functionality
Jim Springer Hi Jim, we have this planned for episode 7!
Good stuff Will. More quailty from Surf Simply. Looking forward to the series.
Thank you Ronan! We have 5 episodes ready to release that we’re excited to share with you.
Champion of the Universe! Thanks for making!
Haha thank you! Is this Jim by any chance? I still dream of the fish you took to Indo, thanks for sharing it with me :) Will
@@SurfSimply You got it! It's ready to get dusted off soon.
Glad to hear it! Now rotate those shoulders!
Clear and concise, love it.
Thank you!
mad props for making this sir!!!
Thanks Darren!
Great vids. Can't wait for more 🏄♂️🏄♀️
Thanks Ka Nahn!
Not me .I use the scientific method , 100 numbers per board and think out every design I make .Bernoulli ,Newton ,Venturi , entry lift , drag ,Rail apex and fin measurements from a chart are all considered and applied when necessary . I try to visualize and extract as much data out of the customer as possible .You are correct most shapers know very little and put in even less effort .
This is so amazing !!!!
Jessie Carnes thanks Jessie!
Wish I could give this 100 likes, cuz it is in deed amazing, all my engineering friends that surfs are going to love it
Well done guys. You’re answering questions I’ve pondered
Thank you Dan, if you have any more questions we’re happy to answer them And you never know, your questions might provide us with a future video idea!
I have been surfing 40 years. I just kinda winged it back in the day with no real knowlege of how stuff actually works. I'm a ok surfer for an old guy, this is great some aha moments in here for me.
Excellent and very clear ! Thanks for these explanations
Really excellent Will and Harry. Might be my imagination, but the animated surfers sure resemble Jessie and Will. Content is terrific. All the best, Michael and Lauren
You’re not wrong Michael, I often use my fellow coaches as models to draw from. In Episode 2 you might notice Tommy in there!
These are so awesome Will.
very good ! i liked the tips
Great new series! I loved the whiteboard wednesday's with Ru. Those tutorials were a big inspiration for me. And now I am very happy with this new series. Very informative and helpful. Goes a bit fast for me, so I need to watch a few times to fully understand. But great job! Thanks
Glad you’re enjoying them. You’ll also be happy to know the series with Ru is coming back. We’re just editing the series now and I think the first will be released next Thursday!
@@SurfSimply Awesome! Looking out for it. Cheers, Paul
Amazing content. My OCD did get a slight shock when the surfer went from right to left and the sound of the car went from left to right but you're forgiven! :D
Really, really, great job!
Tommy Potterton thanks Tommy! In Episode 2 you might recognise yourself in one of the illustrations!
Amazing! Beautiful animation and such an informative content! Look forward further video!
Thank you Beny. We will see you on Friday for Episode 2!
This is awesome Will! Love it
Harrison Abry thanks Harrison!
Great content. This morivates me to study fluid mechanics 🤙🤙.
Nice job, Will! Love the series!
Thank you Mark!
This is sooo good! 👍
I'm so excited!!!!!!
Daniel Azran thank you Daniel! We are excited about them too!
Please cover the Coandă effect, as most surfers have the effect of a hard edge and a soft edge backward. You could use longboard nose riding as an example of how a curved rail holds the tail in. I also hope you are going to cover the relationships of board volume against the planing area and rail volume. (what matters when your trying to catch a wave, and what does not matter once you are riding a wave)
krusher74 Hi Krusher, love the name. Episode 2 covers rail engagement, and Episode 3 is on the function of volume. We have plans for a deeper dive into more specific areas in future seasons. So keep your suggestions coming in! Thanks for taking the time to open up a conversation.
What IS gravity though, it doesn’t exist, rather the surfer is the stationary observer and the wave is rushing up ⬆️ in relation to the surfer
Fantastic!!!
Thank you Stephen, we’re glad you liked it!
Loving these Will
1:35 kai lenny lands a huge air in nazare from the skyyy sick doodling awesome videos
Thanks Ariel, it could be Kai, or me when I’m dreaming. Glad you’re enjoying the series!
Awesome animation dude! And awesome content :)
Thank you Lucy, we’re really excited about the content we have planned for the next few weeks so stay tuned!
I’d love to know how these video applies to “carve” turns vs “trim” turns. Especially considering contribution of rail vs fins? What would happen if I take the fins out? Or use ones with more rake? Rail? Tail block?
Hi Dan! The next episode covers more on the rails influence on grip over fins, and then Episode 5 is on the difference between the physics of the center fin and physics of the foiled side fins. Thanks for engaging with us, the science of grip is something we talk about a lot in our coaching theory sessions.
Awesome. Will be watching. Thanks guys.
Fabulous stuff Will! Any chance you can address steep take-offs in one of your future efforts? You can feel free to use any of my video for the how not to example haha...
Thanks Fritz, we definitely could. We are also producing tutorial videos with real video examples that late takeoffs might feature in later episodes. Il propose it to the team.
What accent is this in?
Hello!! Can i use your animation's to a project that I'm working on called: surf in home. We are teaching very cool stuff about surf in Spanish!! You going to be mentioned in the video🥳
repeat ruber "duck" please :D
You would be surprised how many people have said that to me over the past 24 hours, haha! I’m glad something stuck out, maybe it can be my signature sign off.
Are you a shaper?
Hi Tundahking, I have made a handful of boards, but I’m a surf coach rather than a shaper.
The duck WOULD get taken by a wave.
Why do you think that dead body I dumped in the ocean washed up on shore?
Why does my friend lose his board when he surfs without a leash?
It gets old hearing people say the water isn’t moving or pushing forward. It’s just going up and down. It’s a bit of both.
Where is Newton's laws here