Learn how to do a good take off
The take off in a wave is like a first date, if we fail at the start we won´t be going anywhere. The take off is one of the most critical maneuvers all surfers have to learn. That´s why we will give you the 5 keys for a good surf take off.
1. Choosing the moment
Choosing the correct moment to get up is one of the first keys. Once we feel the wave start to take us away, we put both hands at chest height and separate our chest from the core from the board. Our hands will do a push up under our chest and not on the edges of the surfboard. This is because it can produce an imbalance in the surfboard and consequently make us fall without even having surfed the wave.
Patience, the wave will come to you
2. Lower your center of gravity
A good tip when doing a take off is maintaining a low center of gravity. We should stay crouched, this way we have more balance and we will avoid destabilizing ourselves and falling off the board. An excessively erect posture will increase the chance getting hit by the rail or the putting too much weight on the tail.
Stay crouched and maintain a low center of gravity.
3. Chest out
Once you´ve got up put your weight towards the front, never on the back. For that, use your front foot for the weight and you back foot for balance on the tail. Support yourself in front, over the point of maximum glide over the board. A lot of times because of the inertia we will feel like we´re falling and tend to put our weight on the back after getting up on your feet. It´s a common mistake and always try to correct it.
4. Get in the peak
Lose the fear and enter the peak. The best angle of entrance to the wave and where most of the energy is, is usually in the peak. And it´s precisely there where you want to start paddling. There has to be a reason why everyone fights to be there right?
If you paddle in a more open angle, entering the wave will be harder.
5. Careful with waves that are too vertical
For waves that are more vertical, change your angle of attack towards the wave. Instead of going towards the wave, try to go towards the hollow part. With that you´ll use all the energy for speed from the wave.
Careful with verticals
How to train yourself to do a good take off
Does it take longer for you to stand up than the rest of your friends? Are you in shape and paddle well but you lose more waves than you think you should in the moment of take off? If that’s the case, we´ll give you a few functional surf exercises to do out of the water.
We are of the thinking that there is no better training than surfing. But for those that live far from the sea or have extreme periods of inactivity, doing exercises like the one we will propose next will help you stay fine-tuned. Just by repeating this training on land, you will feel like a fish once you´re back in the water.
Take Off Training 1
In this video we will show you three exercises that you can do anywhere and that we only need our body to do. In this occasion we will work the Tabata method. It’s a method that consists of 20 second series workouts, with maximum number of repetitions possible in that time frame, with 10 seconds of rest in between each series. For more info.
Take Off Training 2
Another workout that we can do to improve our take off is one you can do in at any pool in which you´ll only need a small ball. For more info.
In surf, just like learning a new language, you learn through repetition. Once you get a good rhythm, it won´t take long for you to automatize the movements you´re looking for.
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