The pop-up is essential to surfing, a poor pop-up means either you fall off into the water or you miss the wave completely. The actual pop-up will vary for everyone but the basics of the technique is the same. It is in essence an explosive push up and by practicing everyday while on land will help make the pop-ups in the water easier, but there is no substitute for water time.
- Firstly while laying on your board place your hands next to your chest as if you’re doing a push up.
- Next push your torso off the board with your pelvis and thighs still in contact with the board, don’t rise up onto your hands and toes
- Bring your feet through so your front foot ends up roughly where your hands are, your body should twist naturally with this and your back foot follow through so your feet are roughly shoulder width apart.
At this point you should work out if you are regular or goofy, the only difference being comfort and ease of pop-up and stance. Goofy surfers stand right foot forward and regular left foot forward, just practice both and see which is more comfortable. Your pop-up should feel natural and instinctive so it almost just happens when you catch a wave.
Another method is to end up with your front foot forward and your back foot on your knee before rising into the standing position. This is a much easier way to start if you’re a beginner just try not to end up on two knees constantly it is a very hard habit to break, trust me.
The real secret to the pop-up is practice, practice, practice. If you don’t practice you don’t get better at it. Doing 10-20 a day on dry land and getting in the water whenever you can is the best way to get a smooth , instinctive pop-up into your surfing.
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