Poor technique - Onshore "gopro" videos

[coriordan]

This is really useful footage for me as well as I suffer from all the same issues as seen in the photos.

Great tips SB, will bear those in mind when I'm next out.

[Radialhead]

Will someone help me with my technique? (100% onshore)

This is boards_tomas's pet topic, he's written a lot about onshore technique & what helped him to nail it. It's well worth searching for.

[ultimoamore]

Thank you very much for the replies.

As for the camera: it's an Apeman a70.

I can see some mistakes in the videos above, but not all of it. Especially the very first one; back end is very far back, but I don't bring it back forward in the cut back. And the bottom is not tight enough. But why is the wave passing below in the cut back? Did I change direction too early? Not vertical enough?

Not even sure about boom eight/stance while planing; everybody seems to have it much higher than me (I'm average eight). Tried higher I don't feel comfortable...

[PK1111]

Just a thought, your board looks quite small?
Can you confirm gear incl rig and your size / weight?

The waves dont don’t look like they have much punch, which always makes it hard to get a reverse top turn in. I find having a lot more float and a faster design really helps.
On technique, don’t beat yourself up as you display loads of skill and this is a really top end technique element.
If you can lean further forward through the bottom turn, it helps keep you speed up, which helps prevent stalling.

[Silicon Beach]

Just a thought, your board looks quite small?
Can you confirm gear incl rig and your size / weight?

The waves dont don’t look like they have much punch, which always makes it hard to get a reverse top turn in. I find having a lot more float and a faster design really helps.
On technique, don’t beat yourself up as you display loads of skill and this is a really top end technique element.
If you can lean further forward through the bottom turn, it helps keep you speed up, which helps prevent stalling.

He's on the RRD twin ... and I'm presuming it's the 82? It's a fantastic board for small onshore conditions (I sailed one for six years, and still have it in my shed). But as PK says with some modern / current shapes (ie the ultra short stubbie shapes) you can use a board with more volume and still get the same loose snap, but the extra volume can make up for less perfect technique - in terms of keeping speed through the turns etc

Also as PK says when the waves are this gutless and the wind is so onshore, you have to 'make' the turns happen, 'milk' the waves, rather than just try and time your turns to fit a more powerful wave and allow it to push the board around like a surfer. This means exaggerating everything, putting in 200% commitment, using wind power from the rig etc ... If you can get to watch footage of the pros competing in a PWA wave heat in these kind of conditions you see what I mean. They have to progress through the heat, so they are very good at making the most of poor conditions.

So, in the bottom turn you have to exaggerate the twisted clew first / switch stance position (which the OP does pretty well), and aim for super tight turns to get vertical (look at slo-mo of a pro going into a wave 360 and copy / de-tune for a normal waveride) ... and in the top turn you have to really snap the board round with loads of leg power. You can try 'scissoring' it off the top of the wave using a radical weight transfer putting loads of force through the feet and the mast foot and really throwing your weight around (watch a good surfer snapping a radical 'hack' off the top - they really throw their body around at the critical moment).

[ultimoamore]

I'm on my RRD Wave twin 74lt and 3.7 (I'm 70kg). Waves are not big nor powerful.

The 74 turns waaay tighter than the 82 twin (yes I know, it doesn't look like from the videos ). It's also much less forgiving of not-perfect technique of course.

I'll try to be more committed next time!

Thank you everyone.

[Jeroensurf]

Missed this thread before but watched the vids:
On the other side of the canal (Holland ) we do sail a lot in dead onshore as well.
What really works for me and I mis in your vid is:

A)
start with a proper backside hack to the lip. On the vids you are driving purely on the sailpower and try to do a 180degree turn....those are really difficult, but if you start with a backside turn you get the push from the wave and turn a bit tighter because you washed of the extra speed that will hinder you to get close to the wave.

B)
Grab your boom wide.
with a wider grip you get more controll, you will be forced to lean in more over the rails and to twist your hips and upper body. This way you are stretched out, arm,s almost strechted as well like a coil and when you hit the lip: BENG!! full pull back making even in weak waves a powerfull turn.

Besides that, it takes ages to get it right.