TAKE OFF or STANDING
It is the key maneuver of surfing. It may seem very easy, but getting on the surfboard once it is moving, sliding, increasing speed through the water that carries it, is not easy. You must simultaneously rise from a prone position while the weight and shock are thrown out of balance from left to right. This is when you discover the amount of practice it takes to get to your feet.
Standing on the board, also known as take off, is the most important point in surfing, since the correct performance of this technique will depend on whether or not we are able to surf correctly. That is why we must master the execution of a series of basic movements with which we will be able to control our body when getting up on the table.
The starting point with the take off technique will be when our wave arrives and we notice that the back of the board rises a bit and we begin to pick up speed. At the beginning it is better that you row more and end up standing up in the foam than losing the wave, since knowing how to choose the exact moment to stand up is very difficult at the beginning.
HOW TO MAKE THE TAKE OFF IN 3 STEPS
Take off step 1 or standing on the surfboard
The first step once you feel that the wave is pushing you is to place the palms of your hands on the board at the height of the first ribs, in the lower part of our chest. It is important that at no time we will grab the edges of the board, since it will cause us an imbalance on the board. The hands will be our first point of support when getting up, so the arms must be gathered. At this time we will stretch our arms by lifting our upper part of the trunk without lifting the lower part of the trunk, forming what is known as the figure of the cobra.
Take off step 2 or standing on the surfboard
To carry out the second step in the take off, we pick up our back foot, the one that has the leash attached, and we will put it at the height where the knee was before by turning the hip slightly. In this position, flexing the entire leg, we can place the entire inner part of the foot on the table. At this time, we will have the three necessary supports to stand up: the two hands and the inner part of
the back foot (formed by the toe and the heel). It is very important to place both the heel and the toe of the back foot, since otherwise, when performing the take off, our body will rotate in around the rear foot, incorrectly placing the front foot.
Step 3 of the Take Off or standing on the surfboard
The third and final step in getting up to surf is the one that requires the most skill and energy. At this moment, in which we have these three supports ready to make force and stand up on the board, we must push ourselves very quickly with them. We will place the front foot, the foot that is still stretched, in the center of the table, right in the middle of where we had our hands. At the same
time, the back foot that we had flexed will perform a hinge effect and will rest completely on the board.
In this position we will be standing on the table, but we must keep in mind a series of small details. We will not fully stretch our legs,
but we will leave our knees slightly bent to generate a more aerodynamic position. Likewise, the feet must be perpendicular to the board, being a fairly common failure to place the front foot parallel to it. This is because if we place our feet perpendicular, a position similar to snow, we will have more stability once the take off is done.
Finally, it is important to place both arms facing forward. Each arm is located on one edge of the table, obtaining greater speed, reducing friction and gaining stability. To do this, we will rotate the hips slightly and keep our eyes high, taking a reference to which
to direct.
Make sure to keep both feet centered on the board, that is, taking as a reference the soul of the surfboard (center line of the board) and place your body a little forward, lean towards the front and put your feet firmly on the board. , with one foot near the tail and one foot just above the midpoint of the board.
Conclusion on how to stand up in the surf
Performing the standing-on-board technique requires practice, so you may have to repeat the exercise several times before getting fluent and mastering it.
The important thing is that you don't worry if you can't stand up on the first day, as this is normal. In addition, you will notice that practicing outside the water is much easier than inside. This is because the sea conditions are changeable and it is a more unstable surface.
Before entering the water, we practice on the sand to be able to correct any faults that arise and polish the details that prevent total control of the system.
Once you manage to do it out of the water, it will be much easier for you to do it inside it, managing to considerably improve your surfing level.