How do you improve your surfing fast? The process is simple.
If you're ready to finally take your surfing to the next level, dm me "SURF" and let's make it happen!
#surfcoach
#surfcoaching
#surfprogression
Remember to celebrate the wins!
Here's what we've achieved with recent clients, swipe through!
And if you're ready to take your surfing to the next level, I'm here to help. DM me "SURF" and let's get started.
You don't have to stay stuck in your surfing. If you're a high achiever ready to finally progress, I can help. DM 'SURF'
#surfcoach
#surfcoaching
#surfprogression
Getting stuck at the bottom of a backside barrel usually happens because your body is misaligned. If your body points down the face of the wave, that is exactly where your board will go.
To hold your line right through the middle of the wave, you need to master the proper pig dog stance, which puts these 3 key body parts in perfect alignment:
1. Eyes
Where you look is where you go. If you are looking down, you will end up at the bottom of the wave. Keep your eyes locked down the line.
2. Chest
Many surfers simply stand up and grab the rail, leaving their chest squared toward the beach. This drops your line down the face. Your chest should be directly over your front knee to keep your momentum going down the line, so you stay right in the middle of the wave.
3. Hips
Your hips should be pointed towards the nose of your surfboard. To unlock this hip mobility, try adjusting your stance by moving your front foot closer to the inside rail, rather than keeping it dead center.
When your eyes, chest, and hips are all aligned and pointing down the line (not toward the beach), you are in the proper pig dog stance. This full-body alignment is what allows you to hold your line through the middle of the wave and successfully ride the barrel.
You can practice this perfect pig dog stance on land. Comment the words "PIGDOG" below and I will send you our land drill!
AND Follow me for more value!
#surfcoach
#surfcoaching
#barrel
#surfprogression
3 tips that will get you closer to sticking steep drops:
1. Ride a board with more volume
If I had known this when I started riding barrels, I would have saved myself months of struggle. You don't necessarily need a longer board, just a little extra thickness so you can paddle faster. That extra paddle power allows you to catch the wave early and get to your feet before the face gets too vertical.
2. Angle your drop & engage the rail
It is actually much harder to drop straight down the face of a steep wave. Instead, you want to cut across the steepness, just like a skier carving down a mountain. Look down the line as you paddle in to point yourself in the right direction.
Frontside: Apply toe pressure right from the drop to engage your inside rail.
Backside: Grab the outside rail to aggressively lock your inside rail into the face.
3. Practice taking off BEHIND the peak
If you paddle for the wave directly on the peak or out on the shoulder, the wave is already starting to throw, and the lip will easily pick you up and pitch you. By taking off behind the peak, before any part of the wave has broken, you get an entry with the least amount of steepness. Plus, this is the positioning you need to actually set up and ride through the barrel.
Save this post for your next trip to hollow waves, and follow me for more value to elevate your surfing!
#surfcoach
#surfcoaching
#barrel
#surfprogression
TLDR- to stall for the barrel like a legend:
1. Get your weight over your front foot
2. Use your back arm as the brake!
#surfcoach
#surfcoaching
#barrel
I love coffee just as much as the next guy, but this 5-minute breathwork routine is the ultimate dawn patrol hack!
It kills that groggy morning feeling, energizes you, and sets the tone for the entire day.
Our breath is our Vital Life Force, available to us at any time. By connecting with it, we tap into our power and into the best version of ourselves—both in the lineup and out of the water.
Drop a like if you are going to try this, save it for your next early AM session, and follow me for more tips to elevate your surfing and your life!
#surfcoach
#breathwork
#surfcoaching
#dawnpatrol
Want to surf hollow beach break waves with experienced barrel riders?
That is exactly what we do. Join our next week-long, all-inclusive Barrel Clinic and get on the best waves of your life with a crew that knows.
DM the word "SURF" to join the mission 🌊
#surfcoaching
#surfcoach
#barrel
If you want to find a makeable barrel, expand your vision to identify these three parts of the wave:
1. The Peak:
Where the wave will break first. You ideally want to take off just behind the peak.
2. The Barrel Section:
The section right next to the peak that has the same wave height. This is the money zone. Drop in behind the peak, ride right through the barrel section, and let the wave throw over you.
3. The Taper:
Just after the barrel section, look for the wave height declining. This tells you there's a possible exit on the wave.
If you can identify these three zones as the wave comes in, you know it's a makeable barrel.
Signs it's NOT a makeable barrel:
❌ Taper right next to the peak: There is no barrel section and the wave will not barrel.
❌ Long section with no taper: The wave height stays the same for a long distance, which means it’s going to close out.
If you found this helpful, save this post and follow me @5amray for more wave reading tips and surfing value!
#surfcoach
#surfprogression
#barrel
Have a dream? Make it real.
Have a vision? See it through.
Take the step you're afraid of—your future self will thank you.
#surfcoach
#surfcoaching
#surfprogression
#barrel
#motivation
You don't need a babysitter to catch waves, you need a process to build skills.
A surf coach should help you:
identify the mistake
give you the exact mechanism to fix it,
and show you the result of doing it right.
When you learn this way, your progress doesn't disappear when the session is over. You build on it every time you paddle out.
The more you progress, the more fun it gets 🤘
#surfcoach
#surfprogression
#surfcoaching
I had to learn these the hard way after years of trial and error. If you want to change your barrel riding game fast, here are the 5 things you need to do differently:
1. Riding too small of a board
Barreling waves are steep, which means you need to get in early. Ditch your normal performance shortboard and go for something with a little more volume so you can paddle in earlier and make the drop easier on yourself.
2. Surfing on your back foot
I see this constantly when people try to slow down for the barrel. Getting on your back foot will not slow you down enough on a steep wave, and it will completely ruin your line. You need to learn how to stall properly without throwing your weight backward.
3. Leaning back on the drop
Fully commit. As your board drops down a steep face, your head and arms need to travel down with it. If you lean back, your drop will be out of control and you’ll lose your line. Point your hands down the line where you want to go.
4. Having a closed-off pig dog stance
You can't just stand in your normal stance and grab the rail. You must open your hips parallel to your rails so you have full vision of the wave. Practice this on land and on a bigger board in small waves before taking it to real barrels.
5. Not taking off behind the peak
Taking off right on the peak, or just in front of a throwing lip is a much harder drop and will likely get you pitched. Taking off behind the peak actually gives you an easier drop directly into the section where the wave throws over. Trust the spot.
If you found this helpful, SAVE it before your next session in barreling waves and follow me @5amray for more barrel riding tips!
#surfcoach
#surfcoaching
#barrel
#surfprogression
