What was your first time shortboarding like?

[ntmonkey]

It took me two days of solid surfing and paddling to stand. I went from a 7' 10" funboard to a 6' 3" shortboard hybrid. The board was super thin and had problems floating me. I just kept paddling, and planed on my belly to see how it would turn and trim. The second day, I figured out where I needed to be while on my feet so it wasn't hard after that. I was so stoked that I could stand. However, the board was plagued with bad fins and I wasn't having a good time taking off. Changed the fins, and boom, more waves caught.

I will say the longboard -> funboard -> shortboard route helped a lot. I see a lot of guys try to go from a 9' 0" longboard to a 5' 10". Those are 2 worlds apart and it'll be a bitch to learn.

peace,

Lu

[Jersey(C.I)_surferU.K]

I started out on a 9'1" 23x 2 5/8 for about 1 year then went to a 7'2" hyrbrid 20 3/4 x 2 3/4 al merrick for 8 months and just recently went and bought a 6'6" 19 1/2 x 2 9/16. Well im stoked i love my new and only shortboard, it's so much easier to get out back and is looser/quicker than anything iv riden. Also it's alot easier to take around, but there is a down side to it. You have to paddle harder to catch waves and quicker at popping up, other than that im loving it (and no i aint advertising for MCakie D's, crap bullock's. " im loving it") Im just stoked.

[HitAndRun]

1st time i was very dissapointed because i couldnt even catch a wave, my board was way to short way to thin and way to narrow, (and it was like a 10 year old board) i tried to paddle on a few waves but couldnt get there (didnt even wipe out ) on my 2nd time my brother told me to catch the white water, it was a pretty big day so i did, still couldnt stand. instead i injured my leg
my 3rd session a dream come true 1st wave i paddle i stood up and rode it to the beach, loving it ever since

[mmdb]

First time I caught a wave, which was about 6', with my shortboard (6'10") I was afraid I was going to pearl (purl)? like my foam 8', but I didn't and it brought me a big big smile I rode it out straight on the white water, but I'm still learning how to turn... some day soon!

[surferdude_scarborough]

ah my first time shortboarding. well it was my 3rd time on a stand up board. the waves were about 1.5 ft, id been out on a bodyboard for a while then and got my first (and only) ever barrel on the bb. then went to get the shortboard. I dont recall catchin another wave and then the "waves" turned into shorebreak. frankly the shorboarding sucked but i stuck at and now ive gone to a shortish funboard (6'8 ) which is the best thing ever.

[CaliBoy]

First Time shortboarding was with a bunch of friends. I couldn't catch crap, and my arms hurt like a mother the next day. After that I didn't surf for a few years. I tried again with a 8' funboard and told myself that I wouldn't give up for the whole summer, Because everyone told me it takes awhile to get it going and then like magic it'll come together.
During that summer I was bolsa Chica with my 8' funboard, and I had the cleanest ride. It was a waist to chest high day, slow breaking, and I paddled hard, and early and then the wave took me and everything else happened as if it was meant to be. I stood up perfectly, and rode that wave all the way into the shore. It just felt perfect, as if I belonged there, at that moment. I've been hooked ever since, and now i'm about to buy a shortboard 6'5" roundtail. I'm stoked!

[el_timmo]

I learned on a shortboard, and believe me, it's much easier to learn on a longboard. The only good thing about learning on a shortboard is that you learn to put your body in the correct position for paddling/popping up/manoeuvring much more quickly! I learned on a 6'2" light as hell custom jobbie, but I'm surfing a 6'8" Circle One board now, and still enjoying it.
For some reason, people in Trinidad (where I used to live and learned how to surf) don't like surfing on longboards, so you have to learn on a shortboard!

[dirtbike diva]

I am glad to hear that I am not alone in the quest for pop up on my 6'4". I am really small 5'1" and 90 lbs but I am having trouble getting it. I have a good handle on duck diving, paddling out, and really pushing to get out, I can ride in on my belly really well. I just seem to feel really unstable when I push up on the rails. I know I wil eventually get it but I am soooo ready. Here in the south the waves are bigger in the winter, so it's the wetsuit and I already this year. 1/1/06 was great I didn't pop up but I was out there with the other guys, (I am a 38 yr old woman), and trying with guy size heart. I just hope that I don't give in to the urge to buy a longer board before I get it on my shortie... Thanks for eveyones honesty about the diffuculty of a short board....I am rejuvinated...

[el_timmo]

Hey, keep trying! Enjoy yourself when you're trying is my advice! I'm still trying, and I'm enjoying every minute of it in the freezing cold waters of England in the middle of winter!

Anyway, I'm not a good surfer at all, but when I was learning to pop up (and believe me I still am), I used to feel unstable pushing up on rails. Now, when I'm standing up, I push up, arch my back a bit, and give a second's pause or so and then pop up. Also, I realised that when I tried to catch the wave too late, I felt a lot more unstable.... maybe you should try to catch waves a bit earlier..... anyway that's my humble advice... maybe it'll work... maybe it's a crock of sh*t and it only (kinda) works for me!

here's a few pics of me trying to style on my local millpond! hehehee

[Cheshire]

wow thanks for sharing the pics. And thanks for the advice. I havent been able to go out much even tho I live on Oahu but i go like once a month and my arms hurt. i move like a snail..can't get a rhythm going . don't know how to paddle out faster. If i stay centered and in trm the board just moves around alot and i find myself re-adjusting all the time. what do i do? and what exactly is "pumping"? how is it done? thanks

[el_timmo]

I think pumping is what you do when you want more speed. I don't know how to describe it really.... it's like pushin down on front foot and easing back up and doing the same again..... I sometimes do it on my stomach if I don't think I've got enough speed before I stand up.

Hope it helps! And although I'm a crappy surfer, I'm a pretty competent windsurfer, and if it's one thing I know is that as long as you're having fun doing what you do, that's all that matters.... if you take 3 months to stand up on your shortboard or 3 hours, it doesn't matter if you're having fun. I spent one whole day learning on a shortboard just catching waves and riding them on my stomach, and I had loadsa fun!

Also, the only other thing that matters is that you get yourself a VW camper van and go on a trip somewhere. That matters a lot. One day I will do this!

[Forfeit]

Hi, I started yesterday with a 6.3, and I´m 1.83 tall and have 75kg.

Yesterday I went for it with a friend, and it was way crap. It took me 10 minutes to start paddling, and I couldnt sit on the board. I was looking like a damn fool there in the middle of a lot of surfers, and all the time I would fall out of the board and it would pop in the air because I couldnt find the right spot to sit.

Fortunaly the sea is quite "small" in here, and the waves were very mercyfull. My duck diving was crap and I drank water at least a few times.

TOday I went for the second time and everything was way easier. I think that going every day, in about 2 weeks Ill be able to catch a good wave. Today I tried catching one, but I didnt paddle enough to get into it.

[Cheshire]

Me too! I can't sit on my board and I don't move when I paddle. Yes I know about getting trim etc. etc. but this is different. I heard that it's the way you paddle thats gonna get you going? But yeah I look silly and I miss almost all the waves. And then I just look around and check to see if anyone saw me floundering about. Cause when you carry a sortboard i guess people generally think we've been at it a long time and thats not always the case and people are watching you from the beach and in the water to see how you surf. so embarassing.

[el_timmo]

Hey guys don't despair! these things come with practice! Cheshire it's possible that you're not getting going because you're lying too far backl on the board. If you're too far back, you'll cause too much drag, and it will slow your speed significantly!

[Laguna]

I started on a 7"3 BIC and used that for 5 months and then went to a 6"10 funboard and its much harder. Once I catch a wave its so much faster and smoother - its the best feeling in the world, but sometimes I find it hard to paddle and get far back into the big surf. I need a lot of practice with it especially paddling and duck diving I think.

[Forfeit]

LOL man, yesterday was great.

I went for the third time, and I noticed that my paddling had improved a lot. Duck diving too, now after the wave has gone through I´m still standing on the board.

I cant sit for a long time yet, but I can manage for 1 or 2 minutes, it depends on how many waves go by.

But I finaly managed to ride a wave. Well, not exactly ride: I got it. I paddeled and it started carrying me. But I didnt rise well and fell out of the board LOL. The wave was like 1.5 metters high, and the fall was pretty ugly. I got to the botton of the sea, about 4 metters of depth, and had to swim my way up. Thankfull nor the board hitted me or escaped my foot.

But now I understand why one of my friends said "Once you ride one wave, you will never let go of surfing". I mean, when I got that wave, it was so fast, had so much energy in it. Being able to ride it must be great, specially once you know enough to be able to spend some seconds in it without falling.

[dudette]

i started surfing with a group of mates surfing evry day for a week, and evry thursday for 2 months-it was rele fun and we got some pretty gd surf on days!

but i learnt on a crappy swell board---im ashamed to say

i have just ordered my new surfboard tho-a take off big boy flyer epoxy 6"8!!! im rele exciterd-as its gdbye swell and surface boards and hello surf here i come (better prepared this year!!!)

[el_timmo]

hey dudette, it's cool that you learned on a swellboard.... I don't think anyone here is going to fault you for that! I've never been on one of the things, so I can't say how good or crap they are, but at least you got yourself out there, and learned to surf, so be proud!!! even if you learned on a foam mattress!

Have fun shortboarding!

[drowningbitbybit]

it's cool that you learned on a swellboard.... I can't say how good or crap they are,

Swellboards are great - you can do headstands on them!!

[Laguna]

I had my first surf lesson on a swell board and they are ace to start on! You can catch the smallest of waves on them, and they are so easy to play around on. You can do what you want on them, they are lots of fun!!!