Learning to Surf: Closeout vs. A-Frame Waves

Learning to Surf: Closeout vs. A-Frame Waves Surfing Session 235 and 236. In this session, I was having a lot of steep drop-offs but the waves closed out quickly and the next day I had smaller waves but they were A frame waes. So in this video, I wanted to show you a comparison of closeout waves and A frame waves. In these first few waves, I was surfing on close out waves. These closeout waves are shaped more like rectangles or wide walls of water with no identified peak or a broad shoulder. Once you catch the wave, you will be able to ride the clean wave for a few seconds, but unfortunately it will close out on you quickly. So you have to execute your turns fast! In order to deal with this, I tried to adjust my positioning to catch the waves earlier and also try to catch the wave closer to the shoulder so that I could ride this wave to the right. I was also experimenting with angled takeoffs. This means that I would paddle toward the beach, but at the last minute, I would angle my board slightly to the right and also lean in that same direction to put the rail in the water. I would then try to execute one quick top turn on the section or against the closing white water before it closed out. I had a lot of fun on these waves even though they were closeouts, because they had steep take off points and I was able to experiment with the angled take off and with executing a top turn on the close out sections. However, my runs were very quick and in many cases, I just ended up riding the wave down and I had no section on which to execute a top turn on. Here are some clips of me on A frame waves which I rode the very next day. These waves are more triangular in nature, with a peak and then two steeper shoulders to the left and right. Because they are A frame, the wave starts to break at the peak of the triangle, and then starts to slowly break off as it approaches the shore. These waves are great because you can ride in both directions, to the right and the left. The breaking white water is behind me and I see a nice clean section of a wave in front of me to execute pumping motion, top turns or cutbacks on. These waves give you more time to ride on the clean or green waves and they are generally more fun to ride for me. Here is my approach to A frame waves. I try to catch them at the peak of the wave where it is steepest and will give me more speed forwards. I then execute a bottom turn to one side or the other. Then by the time I execute a pump or a top turn in one direction, the wave has had enough time to form and I have a wave to ride up and down on. I do not need to do as sharp an angled take off on these waves, because the wave needs time to form and I am not in a rush to go down the line. In some cases, I also try to do a faded turn, which means I paddle away from the peak, and at popup I immediately change direction and then ride the wave through the peak and find myself in the pocket of the waves. I love A frame waves more because I have more time in the pocket of the wave, as you can see. This gives you the most speed and energy to execute maneuvers. If the wave in front of me starts to look flat, then I execute a cutback or two to return the board to the white water and then try to return to the pocket of the wave or just ride the white water to the flats. I want to give a shoutout to my friends who have been surfing with me right from the start. Thanks for being there with me and learning and coming out when waves are big, small, quick closeouts or beautiful A frame waves. I hope you liked this video. If you did, please click like, comment or subscribe. This is part of my surfing progression on Youtube. Surfboard: 9'2" SOLID LHP longboard Music: Pare Ko by Erasureheads, Ukulele cover by Vil Ramos #surfing #surfboard #learningtosurf #longboard #surf