trimming on a longboard

killedsirius

Hi there. i've been surfing a 7'6 for a while now and can trim and do basic turns on the wave to keep up with the green part. i'm not doing cutbacks or bottom turns but i can ride a wave a good long distance
I decided during the summer to help me perfect my pop up i'd buy a 9'3 board and help me catch smaller summer waves etc, but for the life of me i can't figure out how to keep the board going down the line. I either end up slowing down too much and back with the white wash or shooting too far past on to the green and getting mangled then by the lip. Does anyone know of a good tutorial video for longboards? I've googled and youtubed but vast majority are for short boards or mini mals

Low Pockets

Search for wing nuts art of longboarding

killedsirius

cheers! i was finding it annoying and not at all intuitive like with a short board:D

Cecil Mor

Longboards are for greedy fat old men!
If you found riding a shorter board to be more intuitive perhaps it might be best to forget about riding some slow aul barge!!?

xxyyzz

Contrary to what the esteemed poster above says, a 9'3" board is faster than a shortboard. A shortboard can travel faster in powerful waves or when pumped and it starts planing but up to that point as displacment hulls the longboard is always faster. I would hazard a guess that if the board is stalling then you are too far back on the board. A tip for correct trimming. Get off the board and let it float by itself in flat water and note how far the nose is above the water - an inch or so depending on the rocker. When you are surfing the board in perfect trim you should aim to have the board floating just like this in the water - if you are too far back the nose raises out of the water and causes drag.

Logs are great for generating their own speed but they are heavier and need to build momentum so any sudden jerks on popping up will hinder this momentum. You need to slow down and perform your turns more slowly than on shorter boards - digging a rail will only slow the board down.

If you need to generate more speed a slow pump sometimes helps - just gently weight your inside rail and the board rises up the face of the wave. As you near the lip, unweight the rail and move your weight over your front foot. The board will drop back down the wave gathering speed.

killedsirius

yeah that sounds perfect! i found i was digging the rail a little. I can do a top turn ok to get the board in trim. But the turn down from the top of the wave back down the face, or getting around a section on the longboard i was finding impossible. I will try this slower approach and try avoid digging any rails:rolleyes:

Cecil Mor

I don't think the OP has difficultly generating speed but perhaps instead the generation of that speed WHEN he needs it and conversly losing it before he outruns the wave?

It is all a subtle combination of many differing aspects of longboarding but subtly is the key word, momentum is your friend and abrupt jerky movements kills that momentum.
The clip below explains what, I think, the esteemed poster above was trying to explain with his slow pump term.

YOU NEVER PUMP A LONGBOARD!!
It don't work, looks downright ugly and shows the world that you are the truest form of a Kook that there is.
Leave the Monkey Dance to the Monkeys Brah!!


Carving V Trimming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B7kpAliIB4&feature=related


You'll also need to perfect your cross stepping. Shuffling is poor technique and also kills speed.


Cross Stepping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTDFPsvhMH4&feature=relmfu

Turning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=p0EPM5lwG5E


As you move up & down the log you'll notice a certain sweet spot at which the board should begin to accelerate, given a suitable wave of course.
The further forward of this spot the more acceleration/speed you'll generate whereas the further back you walk the slower the board will go.
You can use this characteristic to maintain the boards progress on a wave.
To far ahead of the curl just slow it down or stall the board, or if a nice wall presents itself hit the nose and speed ahead.

xxyyzz

Cecil Mor wrote: »

YOU NEVER PUMP A LONGBOARD!!
It don't work,

I agree that you should not wiggle your butt on a log but to say that slow pumping does not work without knowing the design of the board is wrong. If it is a retro design with 50-50 or eggy rails then no it will not work as the design is all about displacement and suction however if the board has harder rails, not necessarily the tri-fin long shortboards, but a more modern design designed to release and plane at speed then pumping will work and the skies the limit in terms of speed.

Cecil Mor

I never said that Slow Pumping does not work if what you're referring to is actually trimming along the face of a wave.
I said Pumping.

YOU NEVER PUMP A LONGBOARD!!
It don't work, looks downright ugly.......

There's Longboarding and then there's shortboarding on a longboard in which case please see above.

Longboarding is meant to be graceful, or at least it should be!

Regardless, this has little to no relevence to the original query by the OP.
Besides, I'd never encourage anybody to try longboarding.

tedshredsonfire

Cecil Mor wrote: »

I never said that Slow Pumping does not work if what you're referring to is actually trimming along the face of a wave.
I said Pumping.




There's Longboarding and then there's shortboarding on a longboard in which case please see above.

Longboarding is meant to be graceful, or at least it should be!

Regardless, this has little to no relevence to the original query by the OP.
Besides, I'd never encourage anybody to try longboarding.

Just put down the spoon brah!!!

killedsirius

cheers guys
i quite like longboarding. Its fun and peaceful. until i get smashed by the lip so once i rectify that