It should be the responsibility of the developing surfer to learn to do this beach observation by themselves, so that whilst in the line-up they are able to make good decisions concerning positioning and wave selection by themselves, thus taking control of their heats and control of their destiny.

By not learning the key elements of what to look for while performing your beach observation, surfers are setting themselves up to be too reliant on the luck factor in their competitive heats. The developing competition surfer should be trying to “minimise the luck factor” by preparing well for their heats, and making good decisions whilst in the water. The key element to this minimisation of the luck factor is a quality beach observation.

The sooner the developing surfer is able to perform their beach observation by themselves, the sooner they will make good, consistent decisions in the line-up. Significant others - such as parents, coaches, teachers, can still be useful as a 2^nd opinion or a sounding board for the surfers intentions. But it must be remembered that the surfer is the one making the decisions in the water, so they must be the ones with the thorough knowledge of what is happening and likely to happen in the water during their competitive heats.

The final benefit of a thorough beach observation is that it gives the surfer the knowledge to devise a simple plan that they can try to enact, enhancing the likelihood of a successful performance in the forthcoming heat.

Observation Variables

So what should the surfer be looking for?

1                    Best peak - where you are able to perform the highest number and best manoeuvres.

2                    Back-up peak - if it stops breaking on the best peak, where can you go to catch good waves

3                    Pick landmarks on the beach that you are able to position yourself off.

4                    How far out are these peaks breaking? Are they close to shore or out the back?

5                    Time the sets. How often are they coming through, and how many waves are in each set?

6                    Best access point to the break? Do you paddle back out or run around on the beach?

7                    Decide how many manoeuvres you would be able to perform on the waves observed. The waves with the optimum manoeuvre potential are the ones you want to catch while in the line-up.

Using the knowledge gained

Once in the water:

1                    Check you are sitting in the correct spot in relation to the landmarks already selected at the start of your heat.

2                    Only paddle for and catch waves with the optimum manoeuvre potential

3                    Paddle back to the peak using the fastest access point, which has already been determined

4                     After each wave during your heat, once back in the line-up, check your positioning by observing where you are sitting in relation to your selected landmarks.

Martin at left, with Tasmanian surf coaches

Besides creating this website and all it’s content, Martin Dunn is also a presenter of elite coaching programs and surf training courses. He does this as part of his own business, but also represents Surfing Australia both domestically in Oz and overseas.

In September, he conducted a Level 2 Surf Coaching course in Victoria attended by 10 coaches from Victoria and Tasmania. The Level 2 course is a two day course that covers topics ranging from surfing fitness, risk management, to surfing technique. Coaches go away from the course with more confidence and skills to help surfers correct faulty skills and generally assist them to become better surfers. Following on from the course, Surfing Victoria has invited Martin back to coach the Victorian Junior team before the Australian Titles in December. This is not only to work with the junior surfers, but coaches from the Level 2 course will be invited to assist with the on-the-beach sessions, using the skills learned during the course.

Another development has been the outputting of these courses globally.  The Surfing Australian courses are being picked up by the International Surfing Association, and will be branded with the ISA logo. The first two of these courses will be conducted by Martin in Galicia in Spain, and Tenerife in the Canary Islands in mid October. Martin will travel to Spain and conduct a Level 2 Surf Coaching course in Galicia, followed by a two day surf training camp for junior Spanish surfers. This will be followed by the same program being conducted in the Canary Islands. More countries are looking at using the proven Surfing Australia courses to help upskill their coaches, and in term improve the overall standard of their surfing communities.

Anyone wanting to know more about these surf training courses or elite training, please contact Martin through this website.

Positioning is critical to catching waves

The skills I am talking about here are the skills of positioning in the line-up, catching waves paddled for, successfully taking the drop, and consistently riding waves from beginning to end. Notice, I haven’t mentioned the performance of surfing manoeuvres, as learning to perform moves, comes later in the developmental process.

The typical novice performance is one where the surfer would paddle for lots of waves, but catch only a few. Once they catch a wave, they usually pop-up slow, ride their waves by going straight through the middle of the wave, and kick-out before the end section, normally because of a healthy aversion to being smashed.

But initially, most mistakes occur around the takeoff, and these can be categorised into two main issues.

1.       Novice surfers typically try to catch their waves from the shoulder of the peak, primarily because of a lack of confidence or fear of being pitched at takeoff. If you like, they take the cautious approach, but you can’t catch waves if you aren’t on the steep face of a wave. In the surf yesterday I heard a father advising his novice son to paddle in deeper to catch his waves, indicating that he was too far out on the shoulder. The direction he gave was correct, but the terminology was wrong, as the novice surfer needs more specific instruction, as in his mind, he was thinking he was already deep enough. It would have been more correct and effective if the father had said, “Paddle over and catch the wave from where it initially breaks”. With this direction, the novice surfer has a picture of where they need to go, and with that comes the direction to position themselves in a more positive way.

Breaking the ledge makes the drop easier

2.       Most novice surfers get hung up in the lip at takeoff, causing then to fade over the back of the wave or to get pitched. What should be understood, is that there is a ledge at the top of every wave that must be broken through to achieve consistency when taking the drop. This ledge is really the lip that will pitch out as the wave breaks. In soft waves, the ledge is narrow and easy to break through, but in hollow and large waves, it is a significant size that requires forceful paddling to break. Once broken, the drop down the waveface is much easier. To overcome getting caught in the lip, novice surfer should take 2-3 more strokes than they think they should to break the ledge and with that, more consistency when dropping down the waveface.

Positioning oneself on the peak and breaking the ledge are fundamental to creating confidence when surfing, and are foundation skills that will enhance all other aspects in a surfing performance.

Not all surf coaches claims are fair dinkum

As the sport of surfing matures, one of the things that will occur is that more surfers will look for surf coaches to help to better their performances. As a result of this, experienced surfers are seeing an opportunity and setting-up shop and calling themself surf coaches. But it is my experience that some of these people will not provide a professional service, and by doing so, give the profession of surf coaching a bad name.

Often, surfer’s performances are hampered by little issues in their performances. It may be simply they stop paddling too early when catching waves, or that they look down the line too much making for flatter and slower surfing manoeuvres. Or, they may not hold a body position long enough to utilize the wave’s power effectively. Whatever the issue is, most people cannot self-diagnose what the problems are, making the surf coach a vital part of any self-improvement attempt.

There are probably thousands of surf schools around the world right now. Primarily, these schools are working with the beginner surfer, who just wants to experience the thrill of riding waves, or to have a head-start into the sport. Most of these schools do a great job by being professional, using safe and functional soft boards, running their classes in small and non-threatening wave locations, making for an enjoyable experience for their clients.

The issue I see, is at the next level up where coaches are working with surfers who can surf, but just want to get better, or become a better competitor.

Now with surf coaching accreditation courses available, and the incentive to make an income from the profession, the quality of the coaching is beginning to grow. But on the reverse side of things, many see becoming a surf coach as a way to surf more themselves and have a cruiser life. The reality is however, that coaching surfing is a difficult and time consuming profession if the coach is serious about helping their clients.

To help surfers differentiate between different coaches and to hook-up with a coach who is interested in helping you become a better surfer, below are some of the qualities of a professional coach as I see it.

1.       The coach is always punctual, and is at the beach before their clients turn up. This gives the coach an opportunity to assess the surf conditions and make decisions as to what training is possible, considering the surf conditions faced. It indicates to the client that the coach is reliable and is trying to maximize the training time available.

2.       Quality coaches look for any risks that their clients may face and communicate these risks to them. They also have a risk management strategy in place, in the unforeseen event of someone getting hurt or ending up in a dangerous situation.

3.       They run their programs in a planned and organised manner. There is structure in their programs, so the training program runs smoothly and efficiently, maximising the training time available.

4.       Every client is welcomed and spoken to equally, especially in group situations. I have witnessed training programs, where the better surfers are favoured over the surfers who struggle to perform well. In my opinion, this weakens the bond between coach and surfer, as you never know how good a surfer will become, given time and effort.

5.       Quality coaches only surf with their clients for a few specific reasons. These being:

-          Helping a surfer select and position themselves for waves

-          Provides the coach an in-water view of a performance when they are have difficulty spotting the issues of a surfer

-          When teaching tactics and thought patterns after waves ridden for the competitive surfer.

To see what is a surfer is doing, the coach should be primarily on the beach taking notes or videoing the performance. Any coach who suggests that they go surfing with their clients should be questioned as to what they are trying to achieve, as often the coach is really only going for a free-surf, which the client is paying for.

I’m sure there are other qualities not mentioned, but these are the main ones as I see them. If you are not satisfied with the service and support you are currently receiving, look for another coach who cares about how you surf, and wants to help you achieve better surfing performances.

The bottom turn, whether forehand or backhand, is the power source from a surfer’s body. This power when married to the wave’s power is the total power that a surfer can apply to all top turns. So when a surfer wants to perform a BIG move off the top, a BIG bottom turn needs to be performed off the bottom to create enough speed and height to be successful.

When we look at the re-entry, there are basically 3 different types:

1. 1. The basic re-entry
2. The vertical re-entry
3. The lift re-entry

The basic re-entry can be performed with an inferior bottom turn, as usually the wave’s power has sufficient push to allow the surfer to hit the top and drop back down the wave face successfully. But the other two require low, technically correct bottom turns to generate the power necessary to surf vertically, or climb an already broken lip or foam section. And when I say technically correct, the surfer should lower into a compressed body position, by bending at the knees and waist. From this compressed body position the surfer can then straighten out of the turn to apply maximum power.

The second area to create re-entry consistency, is that surfers should have the intention to hit the lip or foam high enough so that their front foot is above the lip on impact. This position allows the surfer to achieve sufficient height, so they won’t catch or nose-dive as they descend back down the waveface.

Thirdly, before impact, surfers should turn their head and shoulders away from the lip, to create and apply a torque force to their surfboard. You can think of this as the surfer wanting to look where the surfboard should point as the surfer drops back down the waveface.

Too often nowadays, surfers takeoff and race down the wave looking for the boost section, creating a fast but flat surfing style. Learning to utilize the entire waveface by surfing top-to-bottom will create a performance with a strong foundation.

And a big part of this is having a bottom turn re-entry combination, which is technically correct and consistent. With this foundation created, surfers can build their performance towards its ultimate potential.

Sally Fitzgibbon choosing to perform a forehand snap

A choice must be made as to what is the best manoeuvre to perform for the section faced, as often, there a number of manoeuvres that could be performed, but which is the best one to display power, maintain speed, and to be consistently successful.

A case in point is when surfers are choosing between the performance of snaps or cutbacks. Many surfers haven’t learnt to recognise the signs or cues that indicate which is the most appropriate manoeuvre to perform. They often perform snaps in cutback sections resulting in a significant loss of speed and flow, or more rarely,  perform cutbacks in snap sections which cause the surfer to get held up in the foam, also resulting in a loss of speed, but also a significant loss of control.

The cues I am talking about are the shape of the wave,  and the position of the surfer in relation to the foam. If a surfer comes around a section and they are faced with a tapered wall that is steep with no lip to hit, it is usually the time when a snap could be performed. So setting up off the bottom is a major cue when deciding between the two manoeuvres, along with the “look” of the wall. Ask yourself - Is it steep, and is it tapered? Answering yes to both questions indicates that a snap should be performed.

Fanning setting up his snap by performing a quality bottom turn

If  on the other hand, a surfer enters a flat section, where the wave is backing-off, then they should consider performing a cutback, as a cutback will maintain the surfer’s speed [ because of the longer, drawn-out arc ], and return the surfer back to the power source  of the wave. So a flat entry into the section, rather than performing a bottom turn, is a major cue to performing a cutback. A good saying to help surfers decide when it is appropriate to perform their cutback is - “If fat, Cutback” Meaning if the wave goes flat/fat perform a cutback.

Obviously, the decisions we make on the waves we ride are instantaneous, directed by what we face when surfing down the line. “Reading” the cues correctly will significantly help with choosing the right manoeuvre to perform, and with that, more enjoyable surfing performances on a daily basis.

No matter which surfcraft you ride – shortboard, longboard, or kneeboard – the technique required to perform well is really all the same. As the information presented on Surfcoach is illustrated with examples of shortboarding, I have had emails from longboarders asking can they benefit from the information as well. And the answer is a definate yes.

Although I have primarily worked with shortboarders, I have coached elite kneeboarders and longboarders. With kneeboarders, elite surfers in this discipline, move their bodies exactly the same as elite shortboarders, except from the knees up. With longboarders, the use of the arms, bending and straightening, and twisting the body - are all a part of quality surfing. Except with longboarders, there is a lengthening of turns to accommodate the extra rail in the water.So when I talk about straightening your body and throwing your arms to create speed, or turning your head to look where you want to go [ both common mistakes in performance if they aren’t done ], these have just as much relevance to the other disciplines of the sport as well. Technically, moving a surfer’s body to create force and aid balance, just has to be modified to the surfer’s choice of equipment.

In addition to the above, when coaching longboarders and kneeboarders in competition tactics and wave selection, these skills are exactly the same as for the shortboarder. So the competition surfing package on Surfcoach, is relevant for all competitors.

With the amount of information and the number of instructional videos yet to be produced and added to this site , I have no other course at this stage, but to present the information in the shortboarder view. But surfers from all disciplines can be assured that the information and direction will have positive implications for all.

Usually beginner surfers have plateaus in performance which they must pass through to become a competent surfer. The step from only catching whitewater waves to catching unbroken waves is obviously one of these. And it can be a BIG step for many.

There are a number of reasons why it is difficult for many, but for the very young or people with little ocean experience, it seems that fear or apprehension is the primary cause of taking the next step. I am not privy to where people surf, but a softer wave location is important at this stage. Somewhere where they can take this progessive step to riding unbroken waves, without fear they may be hurt. But it is also important that people progress at their rate, but a little encouragement always helps.

One thing that people can try when helping others, is to offer some sort of reward for catching an unbroken wave. Or turn the catching of green waves into a competition. Kids love competition, so in this case they will only be scored for their rides if they take off on their waves before they break.

So a session could be [ in 1-2ft surf maximally ]:

1. Let the surfer surf for a short time in the whitewater

2. Call them in and tell them that you will score them on how long they can stand up on their surfboards on whitewater waves - and the scoring is you counting: 1000, 2000, 3000, etc. Call them in and give them feedback on their rides after a set period.

3. Then, lets do that again, but this time they will only be scored if you take off on the unbroken wave. And score them again using the same critera. Or the scoring could be - one point for every unbroken wave they catch.

After the session, give them some reward, not for who won, but for their participation. Sometime in the future, at some future session, you can reward the winner. But ultimately, the goal is that they won’t need rewards anymore, as becoming a better surfer will be rewarding enough in itself.

The result is usually characterised by a loss of speed or a catching of the inside rail [usually near the nose of the surfboard] as the surfer come out of their turn. The problem with looking down the line is that the surfer’s head does not turn sufficiently, restricting the rotation of the upper body, which in turn reduces the amount of power that can be applied to the surfboard.

Figure 1. The surfer on the left is looking down the line as she performs her backhand snap. This is indicated by the yellow arrow. This results in a cropped turn with little flow. The surfer on the right is looking back towards the bottom of the foam, allowing her upper body to twist maximally, creating a full turn, and provides drive out of the turn to flow effectively into the next section of the wave being surfed.

The reason for this reduction in power is that when the head doesn’t turn, the upper body cannot twist maximally, effectively limiting the total amount of power that can be created. The surfer’s head in this case, acts as a brake to upper body rotation. And this rotation is essential in all well executed backhand snaps and re-entries.

So what can a surfer do if they recognise this error in their performances?

1. When performing their backhand re-entries surfers should turn their head to look where they want their surfboard to point after impact with the lip or foam.
2. When performing their snaps, look vertically to the base of the wave in fast waves, or in pocket sections, look back to the bottom of the foam.

When performing these manoeuvres, the head should twist before the surfer impacts with the lip or reaches the top of the wave. This will initiate the turn, and stop the surfboard being caught off the top.

Looking down-the-line, is a significant error that I see in approximately 70% of the surfers I have trained. Even WCT surfers. But once diagnosed, it is relatively simple to fix. Understanding there is a problem is the first task to fixing it.

Martin Dunn