It seems as if here are commonality between at least half of these surfers: 1) back foot lands first, sometimes well before the front. and that foot is used to help push the front foot thru (even on Slater, if you look closely, his back foot still lands 1st). 2) hips twist to raise inside/rear hip 3) front hand (same side as the front foot) is usually well ahead of the "back" hand, and both hands seem canted in the same direction toward the inside of the board giving more room to swing the front foot through (eg, hands facing more left for goofie riders). 4) head/eyes facing down the line in direction they want to go 5) back arches and chest raises before the push on the hands 6) hands on board until both feet are placed, 7) stay low and crouched until that hands leave the board. i've thought a lot about this vid, and these takeaways have helped my pop-up immensely! it is not so much of a pop-up, but a quick powerful step up , and realizing that allowed me to keep in contact with my board, staying low and to be in the surf position once i remove my hands from the board. at least this is how it works for me. thanks Brent!
Wow, these are excellent insights, thank you! After almost 40 years of surfing (I'm 47) my pop up has now decided to start giving me problems. I struggle to place my front foot far forward enough, which means you're bulldozing water right from the start. Point 1 and 2 seem to work together - push off your back foot and twist your leading hip forward, and your front foot should land on the "x" every time. Gonna try this today, thank you!
#6 and 7, how else? haha The rest is basic ergonomics. Some things should just come easy without over thinking. Like a child without instruction would naturally do it.
Looking at the commonalities of the pros rather than the minor differences (which are often due to differences in wave shape or even section shape due to different positioning on the takeoff) is definitely the way to go John. Good to see someone notice that the back foot lands 1st, that 1,2 step timing is important and lots of people who try to land with both feet together end up doing it too explosive and landing in an awkward stance with the rear knee sticking out, it's not as smooth. The Pop Up is a complex movement and if people are having troubles it can be for quite a few different reasons (that they often aren't aware of) but one other commonality I'd add that average surfers often miss is that after the arch at your step 5 and as you push the hands down in to the board, you must also lift your hips upwards and back toward the tail of the board which forms a shape where you have your knees on the board, hips at around 90 degree angle, a flat back and shoulders forward of hands pushing board down the face (see parko at 2:55). From there the feet flow quite easily under the body in like you stay a step up, partly due to the right muscles being activated and the downward slope of the board. Without that hip lift, everything gets jammed up or people start to twist one hip higher than the other which also impacts stance negatively. Good footage thanks Brent, I know lots of surfers worldwide have been studying this one!
Started surfing as a shy 13 yo girl- no coaches, nobody to give tips for improvement but still had fun and never knew the difference. Many years of trial and error to find what worked for me, but 48 yrs later it's harder to undo some of the bad surfing habits that are ingrained. Take-offs are a key area needing improvement for this 61 y.o. girl still riding shortboards. Great slo-mo in this video shows how far down the wave these guys paddle in before planting their feet- definitely something to work on. Appreciate the video-thanks.
I know what you mean! I learnt (or should I say 'started learning..') over 50 years ago and learned bad habits! At 72, info like this keeps me keen to try a better way of popping up! This video is a great insight for anybody keen to get better and better at enjoying the waves we get to ride!
Biggest thing I picked up from this that immensely helped my pop up: virtually all the pros pop up with their hands offset (frontside back is farther back). I've surfed for a long time and always popped with my hands next to each other, which makes it harder to get the front foot through on center. Thanks so much Brent!
I think you think the hand helps ( which it does but that's shoulder positioning early).. But you I think putting a hand back depending makes you rotate your hip, making it easier to get the front foot through smoother...Vid on youtube also "How to use your hips for a perfect pop up", slight rotation of the hip as you pop up, smoother transition to get the front foot through rather than pop the lower back up higher..Jordy smith does it 1:10, Gabriel does it more so, few do a bit more slightly..Slight rotation, smother, and with the hands offset depending on a Right or Left break you get a smooth pop up and your shoulders are in the right position from the take off..Watch Mick Fanning, he rotates the hip..
i feel insane but have seen actual popup improvement since watching your video. the turning your arms into your stance technique i saw from matt wilkinson really seemed to click for me.
I first learned to surf around 12 , had a friend of a friend teach me, (she had surfed around the world, a good ten years older) first thing she did was have me practice my pop up just on Mg board in the sand. Haven’t met anyone else that was taught like that. From then on it was just getting a feel for timing and carving but could catch the smaller waves at my beach no problem.
I think this video is one of the most helpful videos about proper popping up on youtube if you take time to really examine. My 2 takeaways from this amazing video... 1) back foot has to land first not only to create that 'jumping forward momentum' (if your front foot lands first, your weight distribution inevitably moves from front to back when your back foot lands..)but also to be compressed when you get on the board. This way you can start pumping and start generating speed from the very first second of your ride. 2) your hands don't leave the deck until your front foot lands so you always have that forward pressure until you are on the board. If you lose that forward pressure even for a slight second before you are on the board, you are gonna create drag and slow yourself down. Hence, you never jump up on your board, but rather slide up on your board. Maybe these are obvious facts to good surfers, but I feel like nobody directly tells you these tips and why they have to be done in such fashion when teaching how to pop-up on a shortboard.
Everyone should. That tail block is what it’s about. You see a lot of beginners place their back foot right above fins which leaves 7-9 inches in a turn of usable pivot. Less backfoot fatigue loss.
I've been looking for a video dedicated to just this. I noticed none of these pros grab the rail while popping up. I've got some adjustments to make. Thanks for the vid🤙🏽
this is such a gem of a video ... thank you for the footage ... I refer back to this video so often. something I've personally been working on in my own surfing - and it's so beautiful to see it here in slow-mo - is the actual setup to their takeoff. before they even bring their feet under them, the projection (many use a subtle shift with their head), then setting their line ... this makes such a huge difference. the other thing I notice is that there's so much variance which goes to show that there are actually a lot of functional ways to get to your feet ... also that adjustments are important. great video - thanks again!
one interesting thing to note is how low their heads come down when paddling in. Only Gabriel medina keeps his back arched the whole time. For most people, on their last stroke, they drop their heads and chest almost straight down to the board. This helps to keep the nose of the board down in most cases. How much you do this will depend on your position on the wave and speed of paddling. Pop up is also angled to the right to get them going in the right direction - with hands also keeping extra pressure on the inside rail on the push up. Eyes are always focused on the next section of the wave. Once standing, the pros are compressed and immediately un-compress for a first speed-generating pump.
I totally agree. It's all about balance (forward/back) and being at the right place. At first you back is a bit arched and when needed you can transfer your weight more forward lowering your jaw
Carissa's chin actually rests on the board for a second. I surfed with a pro in Indo once and all his boards had pressure dings on the deck near the nose where his chin would hit for those last couple strokes before popping up.
This is amazing footage and, in my opinion, the approach you take on this video is very valuable and not something I had seen focused before... I used to be involved in professional tennis prior to learning to surf and and I had always been flooded by millions of HD slow motion videos of things such as Federer's serve or Nadal's forehand (+100k results for each of these, for example), so it came to me as a shocking surprise that, when I looked for similar studies done with professional surfing in order to take a look at how the pros did it and try to realize what I was doing wrong and how I could do it better, I basically found no footage, especially concerning the pop up moment. I may be speaking for myself and others may look at this as something trivial, but I believe that these six minutes you brought before us are very rich in showing the fine details of how each surfer tackles this critical moment in waveriding and how they compare between each other, especially when the wave is the same for everyone. At the end of the day, this won't make me surf like Slater, but for someone like me, who never had surfing classes but instead got hold of an old beaten softboard missing one fin, pointed that thing at the shore, paddled like a maniac, tried to stand up, fell and proceeded to scrutinize what had gone wrong, wave after wave, session after session, trying to correct myself and improve out of casual feedback from friends and self evaluation, this is nothing short of pure gold and a tool that ultimately may help me improving my surf and result in me having more fun in the water! Thanks you very much for releasing this, man! :)
Holy shit! Thank you so much. I learned so much from this video! I've done a lot of professional movement analysis as a snowboard coach, but found high level resources for surfers significantly lacking. I really noticed how every single one of these takeoffs demonstrated planting the back foot pretty intentionally first. I've always kinda focused on trying to get my front foot forward as quickly as possible, thinking that if it lands properly then my back foot should be able to fall into place, but it makes so much sense to slow down and simply do it in the obvious order that things are moving in. Also, it's like they're not doing anything more complicated than a basic "Aussie Walk" longboard pop-up. I've been over complicating this for YEARS! Thank you so much! :D
I'm in the same boat, always so focused on the front foot. This video shows how important it is to plant that back foot first then let the front follow. Totally changes how I've approached it.
This is very valuable footage. When I was learning/working on my popup I would spend a lot of time watching pro heats trying to analyze exactly how they paddled into a wave and popped up
This is literally pure gold. Thank you so much for making this! Why have I never seen something like this before!! I've been surfing for a decade and this is SO helpful because there's always that nagging thought that I _could_ be doing the pop-up better if I just got some technique when I mess up a few in a row. Especially how many variations you give: I can see what a good average is!
I can’t believe that I’ve been surfing for 20 years and I’ve never seen or thought about this. I have known from the beginning that the pop up is the most important part of surfing. I recently had my hip replaced and I really had to work hard to get to a point that my flexibility was good enough to surf again. I started watching videos and I came across this and a couple others on the details of the pop up process. I have to admit I need to completely change my old habits! Those bad habits of exploding into a stance with both feet hitting at the same time and standing more sideways has held back the progression of my surfing 😣! Thank you so much for this! When I started surfing there was no UA-cam and coaching around to keep me from perpetuating my bad habits. I have to completely change my pop up. This going to be challenging. One thing I noticed with me is I go into auto mode when I catch a wave because I don’t want to think about what I’m doing and miss a decent ride. Everywhere is so crowded now that I feel like every wave I might get is precious. I am going to practice on land every day and I hope it will translate to the water. Has anyone come up with a good way to practice in the water without effecting their wave total or the quality of the ride? Somehow I have gotten away with my poor technique for years. Thanks again 🙏
The major thing that I’ve noticed is that they all have slightly different leg movements and foot planting, but they all grab the inside rail and place their outside hand on the top of the board. Can’t wait to try this. I would think this allows the surfer to micro adjust the angle of the board to prepare for going down the line. Also allows them to put more weight on the inside rail that is about to be engaged when the pop up. This could be a game changer for me! Thanks for the vid.
I gotta say this is great! Such an overlooked thing in surfing. The pop up and then your footwork sets up everything. And the different styles of hand placement. Grabbing both rails, grabbing one rail with one hand on the deck, or two hands on the deck. Great stuff!
Been watching this over and over and it’s so helpful (video and commentary). I’m 46 and always open to listen and learn and being very new I’m grateful for having this explained. I’m going to watch this prior to paddling out as it helps with the mind and visual muscle memory. Remember to stay low, head down and hands and bit further up on the board - like the consciousness keeping the back foot hitting first (makes sense). Very appreciate you put this out - feels like I owe you something.
OK, I "learned to surf" in California in... the late 50's... on inflatable rafts. Fiberglass surfboards came later for me, in high school in about 1963. We lived inland, in SoCal, so only got to surf on about every other weekend. THIS video is showing me things I should have learned all those years ago, and with your beautiful eye for detail including video composition and all that. A brilliant presentation -- thank you!
The one thing they all do the same is how they have there hands. None of them grip the rail! Many people, including me, have the habit of holding the rail as they try to stand. Thank you for this opportunity to see what the pro do.
Much thanks!! I've been surfing for 40+ years and recently suffered a back injury that is forcing me to re-learn the basics. Frustrating as hell, but I simply refuse to quit-- or go SUP. Since I can no longer get away with anything other than excellent technique, videos like this are incredibly helpful.
I love slow mo’s of the best pros surfing. I think it’s such a subtle art that they have uniquely perfected. I personally love watching entire waves surfed by them in slow-mo to see and study technique. JJF is one of the best at late take offs and watching him pop-up and see where on the wave he is and where his eyes are looking is incredible to watch/study in slow-mo.
This is sooo helpful. Most videos on popping up show all kinds of weird and different things that, after seeing this, aren't what the pros do at all and just make it more confusing. So good to see how they do it to have something actually useful and good to emulate and try to work toward.
Great video. All I’d say is that every one of these surfers still put the back foot on first (they just did it faster than others) and this is the best way to teach it to someone instead of just saying “pop up” If they slow it down and learn it in steps like your wonderful video, there’s no chance of picking up bad habits
The slow mo of the pros popping up is really great stuff...Thanks! You are right in that they never show the pop up on TV. I hired a lower-level pro as a coach for a day, and one of the tips he gave me was to place my hands with the inside hand back and the outside hand more forward (I had never heard anyone say that until I saw it on your video again). In this case, on rights the right hand is further back. On a left, the left hand would be back slightly from the right. His comment on this was that it helps set the rail in the direction of travel, and that equal pressure makes the board go more straight. I do think it also helps rotate the hips as you mentioned, and provides more space as well. All I know is that it help to improve my pop up.
Just Wow. wow. Thank you. Awesome footage! The main thing I notice is how they all put their chin down to get the board gliding. It's all about getting the board planing it seems.
Awesome footage and comments! It really helped me see that they do not take off with their back foot already at the end of the traction pad, but instead they move it as they progress through the wave.. thanks mate!!
That's why I like watching surf contest over movies : you see which wave the pros choose or let go and you see their approach and pop up. Nice video, thanks.
One thing I noticed from your great footage is the speed and power with which they all paddle into the wave. The faster one can propel himself before the wave takes over the better. It will keep you on top of the surface and stabilize the board making it easier to push off and balance.
Great video. As a somewhat older surfer on the Carolina Coast with hit or miss surf it is easy to get sloppy on my pop ups. Now I can get off the couch and practice with the pros so I can be ready for the next swell.
Great footage bro! It's really good to see some pros in slow motion. We get to see every detail. Something that is not available on live transmissions.
This is great. I always feel cheated by the lack of pop-up action in most surf vids. I'm really interested in this because I'm nearly 60 and popping is becoming harder by the week. Anything I can use to slow my gradual descent back to being a kook is much appreciated . Thanks
I've got a decade on you Geoff. The pop up , striving to maintain that extra gear to paddle fast, and shoulder recovery are my 3 issues. Not ready just yet to surrender, it's like a full time job to keep surfing entering your 8th decade. I ride a 7'4'' mostly in fast beach break waves .
This video was amazing! Thank you! 🙏🤙 It’s important to not forget that those in the spotlight are very much pros/naturalists. They adjust accordingly based on conditions (wave speed, height, board length, etc) . I’m 33 and have been surfing for 25 years and have been an instructor/coach for almost 6 years - depending on situational factors, I know that I adjust my pop up on the fly either back foot landing first or both feet simultaneously. The board length has a significant role in the process. I am 5’9 177lbs. If I’m riding anything under 6ft I’ve noticed my back foot plants first, anything bigger than 6ft it’s almost guaranteed I get both feet landing at the same time. With the shorter boards it makes sense that the rear foot would land first - pressure on the tail/fins = stability allowing for that front foot(gas pedal ) to position proper and go. Again excellent video but, I do believe when dealing with some of the worlds most versatile athletes it’s important to know that they adjust their bodies accordingly and I do not believe they always pop up the exact same way. 🤙🤙🤙
Great video! This is the first video I've seen where we can compare styles because the wave is the same! Well done! Can you make another one where you extend each clip a little longer so we can study their back foot movement as well as their pop up?
So cool! I have been looking for a video like that for a while! The only pop up videos I found were of people demonstrating a pop up on the ground in regular speed. This is 1000 better! Thank you!
Learning to surf in the mid-90s, it was always frustrating that all the videos I seemed to watch pretty much only ever showed the surfer riding the wave. I remember finally getting my hands on one video (perhaps Litmus or Morning of the Earth) that showed some pop-ups which I was able to slo-mo and really understand the mechanics of it. All of this is a long way of saying great vid and wish this had been around when I was trying to figure the pop-up out (can still learn something now of course).
Probably one of the best surf tutorial clips on UA-cam without being a tutorial clip. It would be great if you can do some basic maneuvers comparative slo-mo clips for frontside/backside re-entry, bottom turning feet positions, backside pigdog takeoff and hands position...?? I read something that pros have one hand on the deck and the one grabbing the outside rail for drops at waves like Pipeline or Teahupoo.
Thanks for posting, cool observations! Since the mid 90s when I was just learning, I've always wanted to see more pop up footie just cause it's something we can all actually apply...as much as we try and pretend to take mental notes on how to do air reverses and sit-up recoveries in the whitewater. How about some positioning, angles, and paddling stuff, esp in steeper waves. Not 10 foot pipe, but like little salt creek tubes or something? I'm still haunted by botched takeoffs from like 8 years ago on account of like a few degrees of angle or one stroke too few.
This is a good video and shows that the three things that matter are: speed, balance at push up, and precise foot placement. They all seem to do it differently at the details.
The hand position are a result of how much angle the board is started on and how down the line they want there take off to be. Backhand will always have more angle in the take off on smaller waves to give drive down the line and time to get ahead of the wave, forehand is a little easier to drive with the first pump from take off. Interesting to see Kelly virtually go both knees up at the same time with everyone else really moving back foot forward first
Love this content, nice work. Contests are an amazing source of learning as we see the pro's in more relate-able conditions.... even better in slow mo! I've done the offset hands thing for a long while now. I find it "automates" my hip rotation better.
Awesome video, I'm always watching the pop up in the clips, assuming they show it in the shot. They all seem to be a couple inches further towards the nose than most people are comfortable with but there's also probably more rocker in these boards than the normal board in the lineup. Either way, great to watch in slo-mo. Bottom line here appears to be weight forward, head down, angle yourself down the line and dont grab the rails, hand plants on the deck. Thanks again, great video!
U should do a video of takeoffs of pros on very heavy surf cus on heavy surf pop ups are a lot harder and need to be quicker and also have a high chance of nosediving, or going over the falls.
This is a phenomenal video! Thank you Brent Rose. Think about it...if you’re pop up is decent that paves a stronger path to developing your other surfing skills. If you can’t pop up well then your surfing is drastically hindered.
Great video. I've been surfing my whole life and never used to think of the pop up move. Now I'm middle aged with chronic injuries (from too surfing ironically), and it's all I think about. It's the hardest thing to nail consistently. Once I'm up n riding, it's like riding a bike (you never forget), and I'm racing down the line... Thanks.
Great video, thank you! I have always regretted that they don't show the take-off in surf movies or events, because I find it the most critical part of surfing, especially in the beginner to intermediate range. I lived in Manhattan Beach (LA county) for three years in the early 2000s and used to surf the beach break over there pretty much every weekend. Later I moved to Southern Bavaria and got into mountaineering, which is great, but I have to say even a ski ride in the best champagne powder doesn't come close to surfing a good uncrowded wave. One aspect in the take-off I have never figured out is the difference in difficulty between a frontside and a backside take-off. Manhattan beach is a fast breaking beach break, so I had to angle a lot and get out of there as quickly as possible. I always found it so much easier to take off on the frontside than on the backside and even though surfing is obviously an asymetric sport I never understood why that is. I thought the movement pattern should be exactly the same, no matter if you take off on your frontside or backside. Watching this video I think I found the answer: It seems to be due to weight distribution. When I as a goofy foot turn left on a wave, which is my frontside, I kind of lean to the left already in the take-off process. That creates a lot of room under my torso for my front foot, which is my right foot, to land on the board. On the other hand, when I turn right on a wave, which is my backside, I lean to the right and my back foot, which is still my right foot, has very little room under my torso to land on the board. I think even with the pros in this video you can see that the backside take-off is harder for them than the front side. Don't get me wrong, it still looks very smooth, but you can tell that it requires more mobility of your legs when your torso is bent forward. So now that I seem to understand the reason for my poor backside take-offs, I still have no remedy I could use for my trip to Portugal that I have planned. Perhaps all I can do is practice take-offs in my living room and try to work on the mobility of my right leg...
heck yeah man!!!! I love this! and totally agree! this is the most interesting and important part! positioning and taking off and generating speed as you do it. sooo key. with out this move you can not do much else. I love this video.
This video is great. You can see that pretty much all of them place the back foot first and then the front, even if the timing is pretty close together.
great video, found it very interesting, im 53 , my pop after 45 years of surfing is ok but hey can be tweaked still Im sure, was cool seeing the different styles even though only subtle differences.
A cool video thanks for putting it together. The pop up is a personal thing. Some grab rails, some push up off their deck... I think the pop up changes slightly depending on your wave and your position as well. It would be cool to see a video on one surfer’s pop-ups on different type of waves, both lefts and rights.
Probably worth noting the relative height, weight and board volume of the surfers. As a lean taller surfer (6'3), I find I really arch my back initially and then push my chest downward just before take-off. I find it gives that little bit of initial momentum down the wave. I also have a very strong kick during the final strokes but then again, this largely depends of positioning and wave type. Great content and discussion point all round
Great observations, was interesting to see not all surfers jump or pop both feet up at the same time. Also the fact about the hand placement one hand in front of another for some, I am a coach these are extra tips I can use.
Awesome, it helps a ton. I see the lift of the upper body as a key stage in the process. This makes it easier for the hips pull the legs up and gives the core muscles less weight. When a beginner or a goofball like me forgets this first step, my longerish legs get caught up. For the tall folks, this is key. Great to see the slow mo. I also agree that most surf shows only show carves and not hop ups, great job!
Great Video! Thanks! The pop-up is probably the most important part of surfing in my opinion, since it sets everything else up. I was surprised to see how often the front knee hits, or almost hits, the chest. I would like to know more about the action of the knees. For example, it seems that in at least some of the segments, the pop-up begins with the knees, which help push the hips off the board. This is hard to see and I'm wondering what others think.
I think you're right. Especially the front foot knee. Watch John John, he drags his back leg and most the pop comes from his left (front foot) knee, and the elevated backleg is already ready to step under
This angle view is so close you can absorb a lot of technique thank you man! Also I've always wanted to see pros carving or getting speed this close, kinda satisfied with the few frames after they stand up here, but would love a video deeping into it like this one, it's another curious maneuver not easy to fully understand its dynamics or do it properly.
Thanks for this. I’ve surfed this wave and the take off is really soft. Would love to see you compare their take offs here to a steeper more “normal” wave. My back foot comes down first in soft waves but I don’t think it does on steep waves.
Correct. I imagine JJF taking off here, and taking off at pipe are certainly different in almost every aspect. One thing I noticed is that alot of them barely paddled hard for the wave.
@@ericcaloosa371 the takeoff is the same. Back foot come down first then front foot. As mentioned by others, it helps to have front hand slightly in front, or more importantly, back hand further back to help with hip rotation and bringing front foot/ leg out. See Jaime O'Brian at pipeline going backside. Back foot lands first. ua-cam.com/video/NtPkgOzNz1s/v-deo.html
Great video. I would like to see the same sort of film but in real time. You point out that all surf clips start way to late, (I love to see the wave roll in) but also slo-mo can also be unhelpful because waves certainly don't come at you slowly when you're in the water! Im a beginner and really appriciate your work, thanks.
Great video, thanks for posting. There is a common assumption in surfing that the "proper" pop up is one where both feet land precisely at the same time. It makes intuitive sense as it minimizes wobble, and prevents any loss in speed. But naturally I've gravitated towards back foot landing on the traction pad earlier than front foot, especially when surfing backside. Great to see it's a legitimate way to do it, as it works fine for some of the best in the world.
This was very helpful for me, considering i am a beginner surfer( goofy foot). I have trouble with the pop-up. Practice makes the difference. Now all i have to do is get the balls up to surf here in the winter. I live here in Massachusetts.BRRRRRRRRRR!!!
I think a really valuable insight for a racing takeoff, is that your takeoff is like a pump initiated by pushing your arms down rather than your front foot. So basically you are doing a pump with your arms and then your front and back leg. This doesn't really show through in these waves because they are kind of roll ins. The difference between a racing popup, and a stalling pop, the kind you use to get under a front side barrel and a neutral pop up or roll in (shown here) are commonly overlooked skills. People will say 'I'm going to work on my pop up,' and then they do this same movement regardless of the wave. I think almost everyone could improve their racing popup by pulling into some closeouts. (Provided you are on a shortboard)
Keep an eye on where there hands are relative to their chest. The ones that pop up the fastest, put their hands below their chest onto their boards making it way easier for bringing your feet onto you board. If you put your hands under your shoulders you're going to have a hard time.
Really cool stuff. i notice they all keep their heads up and steady, eyes forward looking down the line, like their bodies rotate under their head which does not move, key to a quick pop up i think.
It seems as if here are commonality between at least half of these surfers:
1) back foot lands first, sometimes well before the front. and that foot is used to help push the front foot thru (even on Slater, if you look closely, his back foot still lands 1st).
2) hips twist to raise inside/rear hip
3) front hand (same side as the front foot) is usually well ahead of the "back" hand, and both hands seem canted in the same direction toward the inside of the board giving more room to swing the front foot through (eg, hands facing more left for goofie riders).
4) head/eyes facing down the line in direction they want to go
5) back arches and chest raises before the push on the hands
6) hands on board until both feet are placed,
7) stay low and crouched until that hands leave the board.
i've thought a lot about this vid, and these takeaways have helped my pop-up immensely! it is not so much of a pop-up, but a quick powerful step up , and realizing that allowed me to keep in contact with my board, staying low and to be in the surf position once i remove my hands from the board. at least this is how it works for me.
thanks Brent!
Wow, these are excellent insights, thank you! After almost 40 years of surfing (I'm 47) my pop up has now decided to start giving me problems. I struggle to place my front foot far forward enough, which means you're bulldozing water right from the start. Point 1 and 2 seem to work together - push off your back foot and twist your leading hip forward, and your front foot should land on the "x" every time. Gonna try this today, thank you!
#6 and 7, how else? haha
The rest is basic ergonomics.
Some things should just come easy without over thinking. Like a child without instruction would naturally do it.
What’s the inside of the board? Excellent analysis btw.
I'm 63 ... stretch those hamstrings for a few decades and you'll stay on the shortboards ... it's the joints that need to stay flexible.
Looking at the commonalities of the pros rather than the minor differences (which are often due to differences in wave shape or even section shape due to different positioning on the takeoff) is definitely the way to go John. Good to see someone notice that the back foot lands 1st, that 1,2 step timing is important and lots of people who try to land with both feet together end up doing it too explosive and landing in an awkward stance with the rear knee sticking out, it's not as smooth.
The Pop Up is a complex movement and if people are having troubles it can be for quite a few different reasons (that they often aren't aware of) but one other commonality I'd add that average surfers often miss is that after the arch at your step 5 and as you push the hands down in to the board, you must also lift your hips upwards and back toward the tail of the board which forms a shape where you have your knees on the board, hips at around 90 degree angle, a flat back and shoulders forward of hands pushing board down the face (see parko at 2:55). From there the feet flow quite easily under the body in like you stay a step up, partly due to the right muscles being activated and the downward slope of the board. Without that hip lift, everything gets jammed up or people start to twist one hip higher than the other which also impacts stance negatively.
Good footage thanks Brent, I know lots of surfers worldwide have been studying this one!
Started surfing as a shy 13 yo girl- no coaches, nobody to give tips for improvement but still had fun and never knew the difference. Many years of trial and error to find what worked for me, but 48 yrs later it's harder to undo some of the bad surfing habits that are ingrained. Take-offs are a key area needing improvement for this 61 y.o. girl still riding shortboards. Great slo-mo in this video shows how far down the wave these guys paddle in before planting their feet- definitely something to work on. Appreciate the video-thanks.
oladulce love this! Thanks for the response!
I know what you mean! I learnt (or should I say 'started learning..') over 50 years ago and learned bad habits! At 72, info like this keeps me keen to try a better way of popping up! This video is a great insight for anybody keen to get better and better at enjoying the waves we get to ride!
At a land locked 60 yrs. of life , I envy your 13 to 61 life. Loved sports growing up and I’m sure this would have been my life if only!
Ya I'm a young 61.Surfn since 12.Had injury.The pop up was the hardest to relearn not the surfn.Core strength.
It's easier to paddle in and pop up earlier. Give you more time to look down the lines.
Biggest thing I picked up from this that immensely helped my pop up: virtually all the pros pop up with their hands offset (frontside back is farther back). I've surfed for a long time and always popped with my hands next to each other, which makes it harder to get the front foot through on center. Thanks so much Brent!
I think you think the hand helps ( which it does but that's shoulder positioning early).. But you I think putting a hand back depending makes you rotate your hip, making it easier to get the front foot through smoother...Vid on youtube also "How to use your hips for a perfect pop up", slight rotation of the hip as you pop up, smoother transition to get the front foot through rather than pop the lower back up higher..Jordy smith does it 1:10, Gabriel does it more so, few do a bit more slightly..Slight rotation, smother, and with the hands offset depending on a Right or Left break you get a smooth pop up and your shoulders are in the right position from the take off..Watch Mick Fanning, he rotates the hip..
@@Namdor2012yup, spot on. The hip rotation helped by offset hands is key
dude. i have died waiting for a vid about this topic. my popup sucks and this is exactly what i needed
Nicholas Andersh awesome to hear. Honestly, I'm in the same boat, that's why I made the video. :)
i feel insane but have seen actual popup improvement since watching your video. the turning your arms into your stance technique i saw from matt wilkinson really seemed to click for me.
Me to!
I first learned to surf around 12 , had a friend of a friend teach me, (she had surfed around the world, a good ten years older) first thing she did was have me practice my pop up just on Mg board in the sand. Haven’t met anyone else that was taught like that. From then on it was just getting a feel for timing and carving but could catch the smaller waves at my beach no problem.
same here! thanks!!!
I think this video is one of the most helpful videos about proper popping up on youtube if you take time to really examine.
My 2 takeaways from this amazing video...
1) back foot has to land first not only to create that 'jumping forward momentum' (if your front foot lands first, your weight distribution inevitably moves from front to back when your back foot lands..)but also to be compressed when you get on the board. This way you can start pumping and start generating speed from the very first second of your ride.
2) your hands don't leave the deck until your front foot lands so you always have that forward pressure until you are on the board. If you lose that forward pressure even for a slight second before you are on the board, you are gonna create drag and slow yourself down. Hence, you never jump up on your board, but rather slide up on your board.
Maybe these are obvious facts to good surfers, but I feel like nobody directly tells you these tips and why they have to be done in such fashion when teaching how to pop-up on a shortboard.
Thank you so much, as a beginner surfer these tips really help out and even us beginners a want to have the fun so thx.
what I love about this clip is you can see how top shortboarders adjust their back foot before opening up their turns.
And the front foot. Sometimes boards have a ding in front that your foot lays perfectly. It happens to me on every fiberglass board.
Spot on. Really helped me understand - I thought my feet had to be static once I stood.
Everyone should. That tail block is what it’s about. You see a lot of beginners place their back foot right above fins which leaves 7-9 inches in a turn of usable pivot. Less backfoot fatigue loss.
Q00
I've been looking for a video dedicated to just this. I noticed none of these pros grab the rail while popping up. I've got some adjustments to make. Thanks for the vid🤙🏽
this is such a gem of a video ... thank you for the footage ... I refer back to this video so often.
something I've personally been working on in my own surfing - and it's so beautiful to see it here in slow-mo - is the actual setup to their takeoff.
before they even bring their feet under them, the projection (many use a subtle shift with their head), then setting their line ... this makes such a huge difference.
the other thing I notice is that there's so much variance which goes to show that there are actually a lot of functional ways to get to your feet ... also that adjustments are important.
great video - thanks again!
one interesting thing to note is how low their heads come down when paddling in. Only Gabriel medina keeps his back arched the whole time. For most people, on their last stroke, they drop their heads and chest almost straight down to the board. This helps to keep the nose of the board down in most cases. How much you do this will depend on your position on the wave and speed of paddling. Pop up is also angled to the right to get them going in the right direction - with hands also keeping extra pressure on the inside rail on the push up. Eyes are always focused on the next section of the wave.
Once standing, the pros are compressed and immediately un-compress for a first speed-generating pump.
Angus Chen great observations, thanks!
Angus Chen I started missing less waves when I started keeping my head lower when paddling, before I had a bad habit of having my back too arched .
Putting the head and chest down on the last couple of strokes is crucial. It's a complete game changer for catching more waves.
I totally agree. It's all about balance (forward/back) and being at the right place. At first you back is a bit arched and when needed you can transfer your weight more forward lowering your jaw
Carissa's chin actually rests on the board for a second. I surfed with a pro in Indo once and all his boards had pressure dings on the deck near the nose where his chin would hit for those last couple strokes before popping up.
This is amazing footage and, in my opinion, the approach you take on this video is very valuable and not something I had seen focused before...
I used to be involved in professional tennis prior to learning to surf and and I had always been flooded by millions of HD slow motion videos of things such as Federer's serve or Nadal's forehand (+100k results for each of these, for example), so it came to me as a shocking surprise that, when I looked for similar studies done with professional surfing in order to take a look at how the pros did it and try to realize what I was doing wrong and how I could do it better, I basically found no footage, especially concerning the pop up moment.
I may be speaking for myself and others may look at this as something trivial, but I believe that these six minutes you brought before us are very rich in showing the fine details of how each surfer tackles this critical moment in waveriding and how they compare between each other, especially when the wave is the same for everyone.
At the end of the day, this won't make me surf like Slater, but for someone like me, who never had surfing classes but instead got hold of an old beaten softboard missing one fin, pointed that thing at the shore, paddled like a maniac, tried to stand up, fell and proceeded to scrutinize what had gone wrong, wave after wave, session after session, trying to correct myself and improve out of casual feedback from friends and self evaluation, this is nothing short of pure gold and a tool that ultimately may help me improving my surf and result in me having more fun in the water! Thanks you very much for releasing this, man! :)
Bharkatron very well said
if you fix up the missing fin it should help ; )
@@hazwaz6385 This part was to add some drama. It was a 9.5
Yes, it's very hard to pop up a surfboard that missing a fin. Especially, a twin-fin style surfboard.
Just to make it clear, I wasn't surfing with an assymetric fin setup, it was just to illustrate the board's condition ahahah
Holy shit! Thank you so much. I learned so much from this video!
I've done a lot of professional movement analysis as a snowboard coach, but found high level resources for surfers significantly lacking. I really noticed how every single one of these takeoffs demonstrated planting the back foot pretty intentionally first. I've always kinda focused on trying to get my front foot forward as quickly as possible, thinking that if it lands properly then my back foot should be able to fall into place, but it makes so much sense to slow down and simply do it in the obvious order that things are moving in.
Also, it's like they're not doing anything more complicated than a basic "Aussie Walk" longboard pop-up.
I've been over complicating this for YEARS! Thank you so much! :D
I'm in the same boat, always so focused on the front foot. This video shows how important it is to plant that back foot first then let the front follow. Totally changes how I've approached it.
One of the best surfing videos on the internet. RESPECT! THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!!!
This is very valuable footage. When I was learning/working on my popup I would spend a lot of time watching pro heats trying to analyze exactly how they paddled into a wave and popped up
This is literally pure gold. Thank you so much for making this! Why have I never seen something like this before!! I've been surfing for a decade and this is SO helpful because there's always that nagging thought that I _could_ be doing the pop-up better if I just got some technique when I mess up a few in a row. Especially how many variations you give: I can see what a good average is!
I can’t believe that I’ve been surfing for 20 years and I’ve never seen or thought about this. I have known from the beginning that the pop up is the most important part of surfing. I recently had my hip replaced and I really had to work hard to get to a point that my flexibility was good enough to surf again. I started watching videos and I came across this and a couple others on the details of the pop up process. I have to admit I need to completely change my old habits! Those bad habits of exploding into a stance with both feet hitting at the same time and standing more sideways has held back the progression of my surfing 😣! Thank you so much for this! When I started surfing there was no UA-cam and coaching around to keep me from perpetuating my bad habits. I have to completely change my pop up. This going to be challenging. One thing I noticed with me is I go into auto mode when I catch a wave because I don’t want to think about what I’m doing and miss a decent ride. Everywhere is so crowded now that I feel like every wave I might get is precious. I am going to practice on land every day and I hope it will translate to the water. Has anyone come up with a good way to practice in the water without effecting their wave total or the quality of the ride? Somehow I have gotten away with my poor technique for years.
Thanks again 🙏
The major thing that I’ve noticed is that they all have slightly different leg movements and foot planting, but they all grab the inside rail and place their outside hand on the top of the board. Can’t wait to try this. I would think this allows the surfer to micro adjust the angle of the board to prepare for going down the line. Also allows them to put more weight on the inside rail that is about to be engaged when the pop up. This could be a game changer for me! Thanks for the vid.
It's probably one of the main skills you need when surfing, without getting up you are a bodyboarder! Great vid.
I gotta say this is great! Such an overlooked thing in surfing. The pop up and then your footwork sets up everything. And the different styles of hand placement. Grabbing both rails, grabbing one rail with one hand on the deck, or two hands on the deck. Great stuff!
Been watching this over and over and it’s so helpful (video and commentary). I’m 46 and always open to listen and learn and being very new I’m grateful for having this explained. I’m going to watch this prior to paddling out as it helps with the mind and visual muscle memory. Remember to stay low, head down and hands and bit further up on the board - like the consciousness keeping the back foot hitting first (makes sense). Very appreciate you put this out - feels like I owe you something.
OK, I "learned to surf" in California in... the late 50's... on inflatable rafts. Fiberglass surfboards came later for me, in high school in about 1963. We lived inland, in SoCal, so only got to surf on about every other weekend. THIS video is showing me things I should have learned all those years ago, and with your beautiful eye for detail including video composition and all that. A brilliant presentation -- thank you!
The one thing they all do the same is how they have there hands. None of them grip the rail! Many people, including me, have the habit of holding the rail as they try to stand. Thank you for this opportunity to see what the pro do.
i love this video. i've watched it so many times and will continue to do so. thank you for putting this together.
Appreciate that!
Much thanks!! I've been surfing for 40+ years and recently suffered a back injury that is forcing me to re-learn the basics. Frustrating as hell, but I simply refuse to quit-- or go SUP. Since I can no longer get away with anything other than excellent technique, videos like this are incredibly helpful.
I love slow mo’s of the best pros surfing. I think it’s such a subtle art that they have uniquely perfected. I personally love watching entire waves surfed by them in slow-mo to see and study technique. JJF is one of the best at late take offs and watching him pop-up and see where on the wave he is and where his eyes are looking is incredible to watch/study in slow-mo.
Keep finding myself coming back to this video - always learn something new. Thanks so much for posting.
This is sooo helpful.
Most videos on popping up show all kinds of weird and different things that, after seeing this, aren't what the pros do at all and just make it more confusing.
So good to see how they do it to have something actually useful and good to emulate and try to work toward.
I surfed a lot in high school.. that was 24 years ago! This video helped TONS!
Great video. All I’d say is that every one of these surfers still put the back foot on first (they just did it faster than others) and this is the best way to teach it to someone instead of just saying “pop up”
If they slow it down and learn it in steps like your wonderful video, there’s no chance of picking up bad habits
The slow mo of the pros popping up is really great stuff...Thanks! You are right in that they never show the pop up on TV.
I hired a lower-level pro as a coach for a day, and one of the tips he gave me was to place my hands with the inside hand back and the outside hand more forward (I had never heard anyone say that until I saw it on your video again). In this case, on rights the right hand is further back. On a left, the left hand would be back slightly from the right. His comment on this was that it helps set the rail in the direction of travel, and that equal pressure makes the board go more straight. I do think it also helps rotate the hips as you mentioned, and provides more space as well. All I know is that it help to improve my pop up.
Just Wow. wow. Thank you. Awesome footage! The main thing I notice is how they all put their chin down to get the board gliding. It's all about getting the board planing it seems.
Awesome footage and comments! It really helped me see that they do not take off with their back foot already at the end of the traction pad, but instead they move it as they progress through the wave.. thanks mate!!
That's why I like watching surf contest over movies : you see which wave the pros choose or let go and you see their approach and pop up.
Nice video, thanks.
Am 37, surfed for 30 years and have been out for the last year due to back issues, herniated disc/sciatica. Having to relearn the pop-up. Great info!
For sure, one of the most useful videos I've ever watched on UA-cam. Thanks bro!
One thing I noticed from your great footage is the speed and power with which they all paddle into the wave. The faster one can propel himself before the wave takes over the better. It will keep you on top of the surface and stabilize the board making it easier to push off and balance.
Great video. As a somewhat older surfer on the Carolina Coast with hit or miss surf it is easy to get sloppy on my pop ups. Now I can get off the couch and practice with the pros so I can be ready for the next swell.
Thank you for showing this! I've always been clumsy on take off. Something I need to practice more. So glad you posted this analysis. Thanks again!!😀
Thnks for this footage, absolutely fantastic. The pop up is my biggest hurdle and your commentary and footage is a great help on technique.
Great footage bro! It's really good to see some pros in slow motion. We get to see every detail. Something that is not available on live transmissions.
This is great. I always feel cheated by the lack of pop-up action in most surf vids. I'm really interested in this because I'm nearly 60 and popping is becoming harder by the week. Anything I can use to slow my gradual descent back to being a kook is much appreciated . Thanks
I've got a decade on you Geoff. The pop up , striving to maintain that extra gear to paddle fast, and shoulder recovery are my 3 issues. Not ready just yet to surrender, it's like a full time job to keep surfing entering your 8th decade. I ride a 7'4'' mostly in fast beach break waves .
Thank you !! I also have always wanted to see top pro surfers popping up in slow-mo too.
This goes straight to my favorites playlist.
This video was amazing! Thank you! 🙏🤙 It’s important to not forget that those in the spotlight are very much pros/naturalists. They adjust accordingly based on conditions (wave speed, height, board length, etc) . I’m 33 and have been surfing for 25 years and have been an instructor/coach for almost 6 years - depending on situational factors, I know that I adjust my pop up on the fly either back foot landing first or both feet simultaneously. The board length has a significant role in the process. I am 5’9 177lbs. If I’m riding anything under 6ft I’ve noticed my back foot plants first, anything bigger than 6ft it’s almost guaranteed I get both feet landing at the same time. With the shorter boards it makes sense that the rear foot would land first - pressure on the tail/fins = stability allowing for that front foot(gas pedal ) to position proper and go.
Again excellent video but, I do believe when dealing with some of the worlds most versatile athletes it’s important to know that they adjust their bodies accordingly and I do not believe they always pop up the exact same way. 🤙🤙🤙
Great video! This is the first video I've seen where we can compare styles because the wave is the same! Well done!
Can you make another one where you extend each clip a little longer so we can study their back foot movement as well as their pop up?
So cool! I have been looking for a video like that for a while! The only pop up videos I found were of people demonstrating a pop up on the ground in regular speed. This is 1000 better! Thank you!
Really helpful analysis/video. I also observed their paddling form.
Learning to surf in the mid-90s, it was always frustrating that all the videos I seemed to watch pretty much only ever showed the surfer riding the wave. I remember finally getting my hands on one video (perhaps Litmus or Morning of the Earth) that showed some pop-ups which I was able to slo-mo and really understand the mechanics of it. All of this is a long way of saying great vid and wish this had been around when I was trying to figure the pop-up out (can still learn something now of course).
Probably one of the best surf tutorial clips on UA-cam without being a tutorial clip. It would be great if you can do some basic maneuvers comparative slo-mo clips for frontside/backside re-entry, bottom turning feet positions, backside pigdog takeoff and hands position...?? I read something that pros have one hand on the deck and the one grabbing the outside rail for drops at waves like Pipeline or Teahupoo.
This is a fantastic video. Your analysis is incredible and footage is beyond valuable. Well done. Great content
Thanks for posting, cool observations! Since the mid 90s when I was just learning, I've always wanted to see more pop up footie just cause it's something we can all actually apply...as much as we try and pretend to take mental notes on how to do air reverses and sit-up recoveries in the whitewater. How about some positioning, angles, and paddling stuff, esp in steeper waves. Not 10 foot pipe, but like little salt creek tubes or something? I'm still haunted by botched takeoffs from like 8 years ago on account of like a few degrees of angle or one stroke too few.
This is a good video and shows that the three things that matter are: speed, balance at push up, and precise foot placement. They all seem to do it differently at the details.
Finally a video about the one thing that matters most! Great video!
very helpful. Thank you!! Super excited to ride tomorrow
The hand position are a result of how much angle the board is started on and how down the line they want there take off to be. Backhand will always have more angle in the take off on smaller waves to give drive down the line and time to get ahead of the wave, forehand is a little easier to drive with the first pump from take off.
Interesting to see Kelly virtually go both knees up at the same time with everyone else really moving back foot forward first
Dude!
This is such an amazing video!
Love this content, nice work. Contests are an amazing source of learning as we see the pro's in more relate-able conditions.... even better in slow mo! I've done the offset hands thing for a long while now. I find it "automates" my hip rotation better.
I want to watch this everyday. I feel the pop-up is 90% of surfing
I adored this video! Thank you Brent! I am having pop-up timing problems, so this helps!
Gained a subscriber, thank you for the time and initiative you took to film and post
Such an awesome video! Will watch this countless times! Thanks
Awesome video, I'm always watching the pop up in the clips, assuming they show it in the shot. They all seem to be a couple inches further towards the nose than most people are comfortable with but there's also probably more rocker in these boards than the normal board in the lineup. Either way, great to watch in slo-mo. Bottom line here appears to be weight forward, head down, angle yourself down the line and dont grab the rails, hand plants on the deck. Thanks again, great video!
Love this! Would love to see other videos like this reviewing various parts of surfing!
U should do a video of takeoffs of pros on very heavy surf cus on heavy surf pop ups are a lot harder and need to be quicker and also have a high chance of nosediving, or going over the falls.
this is exactly how I feel about it. Do one at pipe!
This is a phenomenal video! Thank you Brent Rose. Think about it...if you’re pop up is decent that paves a stronger path to developing your other surfing skills. If you can’t pop up well then your surfing is drastically hindered.
Thanks mate this is awesome cheers for uploading. Think I'll be referring to it alot. Kelly looking the cleanest!
Great video. I've been surfing my whole life and never used to think of the pop up move. Now I'm middle aged with chronic injuries (from too surfing ironically), and it's all I think about. It's the hardest thing to nail consistently. Once I'm up n riding, it's like riding a bike (you never forget), and I'm racing down the line... Thanks.
Great video, thank you! I have always regretted that they don't show the take-off in surf movies or events, because I find it the most critical part of surfing, especially in the beginner to intermediate range. I lived in Manhattan Beach (LA county) for three years in the early 2000s and used to surf the beach break over there pretty much every weekend. Later I moved to Southern Bavaria and got into mountaineering, which is great, but I have to say even a ski ride in the best champagne powder doesn't come close to surfing a good uncrowded wave.
One aspect in the take-off I have never figured out is the difference in difficulty between a frontside and a backside take-off. Manhattan beach is a fast breaking beach break, so I had to angle a lot and get out of there as quickly as possible. I always found it so much easier to take off on the frontside than on the backside and even though surfing is obviously an asymetric sport I never understood why that is. I thought the movement pattern should be exactly the same, no matter if you take off on your frontside or backside. Watching this video I think I found the answer: It seems to be due to weight distribution. When I as a goofy foot turn left on a wave, which is my frontside, I kind of lean to the left already in the take-off process. That creates a lot of room under my torso for my front foot, which is my right foot, to land on the board. On the other hand, when I turn right on a wave, which is my backside, I lean to the right and my back foot, which is still my right foot, has very little room under my torso to land on the board.
I think even with the pros in this video you can see that the backside take-off is harder for them than the front side. Don't get me wrong, it still looks very smooth, but you can tell that it requires more mobility of your legs when your torso is bent forward. So now that I seem to understand the reason for my poor backside take-offs, I still have no remedy I could use for my trip to Portugal that I have planned. Perhaps all I can do is practice take-offs in my living room and try to work on the mobility of my right leg...
heck yeah man!!!! I love this! and totally agree! this is the most interesting and important part! positioning and taking off and generating speed as you do it. sooo key. with out this move you can not do much else. I love this video.
This video is great. You can see that pretty much all of them place the back foot first and then the front, even if the timing is pretty close together.
great video, found it very interesting, im 53 , my pop after 45 years of surfing is ok but hey can be tweaked still Im sure, was cool seeing the different styles even though only subtle differences.
Nice 👍🏽 I always wanted to see the pros popping up in slomo but they hardly ever show it in the comps. Thanks man😎🤙🏽
This is great - combined with remembering Cobra Pose, I might start to improve! Never too old to try! :D
Such a great video! Thank you man
Brilliant video! Well shot edited and explained. How about a future vid about pro’s adjusting rear foot position while riding?
A cool video thanks for putting it together. The pop up is a personal thing. Some grab rails, some push up off their deck... I think the pop up changes slightly depending on your wave and your position as well. It would be cool to see a video on one surfer’s pop-ups on different type of waves, both lefts and rights.
About time somebody showed this!! It is one of the hardest and definitely most overlooked aspects of surfing
I keep coming back to this video. Thanks
I'm goofy , Thanks for the medina footage
Probably worth noting the relative height, weight and board volume of the surfers. As a lean taller surfer (6'3), I find I really arch my back initially and then push my chest downward just before take-off. I find it gives that little bit of initial momentum down the wave. I also have a very strong kick during the final strokes but then again, this largely depends of positioning and wave type. Great content and discussion point all round
Could you do one where you do slow motion manouvers? Like Off the top, cutbacks snaps etc..?
Great observations, was interesting to see not all surfers jump or pop both feet up at the same time. Also the fact about the hand placement one hand in front of another for some, I am a coach these are extra tips I can use.
1:44 And... There he Goats! 😆 (thanks for the video analysis, very intuitive and helpful) 🤙🏽
Awesome, it helps a ton. I see the lift of the upper body as a key stage in the process. This makes it easier for the hips pull the legs up and gives the core muscles less weight. When a beginner or a goofball like me forgets this first step, my longerish legs get caught up. For the tall folks, this is key. Great to see the slow mo. I also agree that most surf shows only show carves and not hop ups, great job!
Great Video! Thanks! The pop-up is probably the most important part of surfing in my opinion, since it sets everything else up. I was surprised to see how often the front knee hits, or almost hits, the chest. I would like to know more about the action of the knees. For example, it seems that in at least some of the segments, the pop-up begins with the knees, which help push the hips off the board. This is hard to see and I'm wondering what others think.
I think you're right. Especially the front foot knee. Watch John John, he drags his back leg and most the pop comes from his left (front foot) knee, and the elevated backleg is already ready to step under
Helpful video, at 61 I've lost a little spring in the pop and need all the help I can get.
Soo cool to see this in slow mo and good quality. Challenging to see this in real action as things just toll up soo fast
This angle view is so close you can absorb a lot of technique thank you man! Also I've always wanted to see pros carving or getting speed this close, kinda satisfied with the few frames after they stand up here, but would love a video deeping into it like this one, it's another curious maneuver not easy to fully understand its dynamics or do it properly.
Thanks for this. I’ve surfed this wave and the take off is really soft. Would love to see you compare their take offs here to a steeper more “normal” wave. My back foot comes down first in soft waves but I don’t think it does on steep waves.
Correct. I imagine JJF taking off here, and taking off at pipe are certainly different in almost every aspect. One thing I noticed is that alot of them barely paddled hard for the wave.
@@ericcaloosa371 the takeoff is the same. Back foot come down first then front foot. As mentioned by others, it helps to have front hand slightly in front, or more importantly, back hand further back to help with hip rotation and bringing front foot/ leg out. See Jaime O'Brian at pipeline going backside. Back foot lands first.
ua-cam.com/video/NtPkgOzNz1s/v-deo.html
Here's another video with slow motion and you can see the back foot lands first.
ua-cam.com/video/GoN4qCVGUxA/v-deo.html
Such a great video, just learned so much about what I do wrong
I had a plan to make a video like this. You did it much better than I would have imagine. The pop up is super important. Thank so much
Good content.. Be interesting to see the difference when they drop vert from overhead +.
Wow, excellent. Really helpful!!! Thanks for putting this together.
Great video. I would like to see the same sort of film but in real time. You point out that all surf clips start way to late, (I love to see the wave roll in) but also slo-mo can also be unhelpful because waves certainly don't come at you slowly when you're in the water! Im a beginner and really appriciate your work, thanks.
Thanks for posting, really cool footage!
Great video, thanks for posting. There is a common assumption in surfing that the "proper" pop up is one where both feet land precisely at the same time. It makes intuitive sense as it minimizes wobble, and prevents any loss in speed. But naturally I've gravitated towards back foot landing on the traction pad earlier than front foot, especially when surfing backside. Great to see it's a legitimate way to do it, as it works fine for some of the best in the world.
This was very helpful for me, considering i am a beginner surfer( goofy foot). I have trouble with the pop-up. Practice makes the difference. Now all i have to do is get the balls up to surf here in the winter. I live here in Massachusetts.BRRRRRRRRRR!!!
Thanks for posting this! I’m a beginner, and this analysis really helps.
I think a really valuable insight for a racing takeoff, is that your takeoff is like a pump initiated by pushing your arms down rather than your front foot. So basically you are doing a pump with your arms and then your front and back leg. This doesn't really show through in these waves because they are kind of roll ins.
The difference between a racing popup, and a stalling pop, the kind you use to get under a front side barrel and a neutral pop up or roll in (shown here) are commonly overlooked skills. People will say 'I'm going to work on my pop up,' and then they do this same movement regardless of the wave. I think almost everyone could improve their racing popup by pulling into some closeouts. (Provided you are on a shortboard)
Keep an eye on where there hands are relative to their chest. The ones that pop up the fastest, put their hands below their chest onto their boards making it way easier for bringing your feet onto you board. If you put your hands under your shoulders you're going to have a hard time.
Great Tip - Thank You !
ditto! hand placement is critical... further back and angled works better than level with the shoulders!
Really cool stuff. i notice they all keep their heads up and steady, eyes forward looking down the line, like their bodies rotate under their head which does not move, key to a quick pop up i think.
Great video and commentary. Nice work! Next time I go out, I am definitely going have someone videotape me.