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Wednesday 10 May, 2006
Tyler's Top Surfing Tips
Top traditional board riding tips from series of Tyler masterclasses at Saunton, Sennen and Woolcambe.
When Tyler came to visit in April, we ran a series of very successful "Masterclasses" with Tyler explaining in some detail the techniques he uses and suggests for traditional style board riding as well as discussions on design.
Below you can read some of Tyler's Top Tips - we will be publishing a more detailed version in due course.
Walking The Board
Always cross-step instead of shuffling
Take small steps- big steps can make you unsteady
Keep your shoulders steady and level - if your shoulders move up and down then so will your board
If your steps are too high or large, try dragging the top of your feet/toes as you walk- this will help steady your walking and ultimately the plane of the board
Watch the wave ahead and not your feet
Noseriding
Trim or load the inside rail of the board (into the wave face) for lift. 50/50 rails are ideal
Trim high in the steep part of the wave
Keep most or all of your weight on the back foot when at the nose
Stay in the steep part of the wave- walk back and stall or cutback if necessary to adjust position
Focus Whilst Surfing
Always look down the line - not at your feet
Mentally plan two manoeuvres ahead - always know your next moves
Anticipate the movement of the wave face and how that will affect you and your board- for example, if a really hollow/fast section is coming up, plan to aim your board more toward the beach to not get sucked too high up the face. If the wave is slowing down or flattening, plan to walk back towards the tail and perhaps for a cutback
Drop Knee Turns
Watch masters like Phil Edwards in Surfing Hollow Days
Keep both feet on the turn side of the stringer to help release the rail from the face of the wave
Facing forwards, open your shoulders and arms, rotate and look towards you desired destination direction
If possible, dragging your inside hand will help open your body and guide your turn
Keep the weight on the front foot keeping the board in trim - the back foot just to be used to help steer the board round once the rail is released from the face
Board Design
50/50 rails are a 60s design that places the edge of the board exactly between the bottom and deck of the board. Ideal for noseriding as the rail easily holds in a steep wave face and does not slide out
Down rails are a modern design that places the rail edge on the bottom of the board. Ideal for turning a tri-fin (AKA 2-plus-1) configuration, but not ideal for single-fins or noseriding as the rail tends to release in steep (ideal noseriding) parts of the wave
The more parallel the rails and nose, the better a board will noseride- the Tyler Riddler model is an example of this design
Concave in the nose creates lift for noseriding and a slight amount of stall to stay in steep (ideal noseriding) part of the wave
Single fin longboards turn best when weighted, then pivoted off the tail. This method frees the nose and forward waterline of the board, then engages the fin and aft rails to drive and guide through the turn
A heavier longboard is more stable when walking, noseriding and also drives through critical sections and whitewater with ease
Many thanks to Mike Keller for his help in pulling this info together for us. A true gent.
We would love to read your experiences and tips you picked up from Tyler during his visit. Please use the "add comment" button below.
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11/05/2006
Hey guys, Thank you thank you thank you for a fantastic time.. the cove is still buzzing.. here's a link to the images of the day... http://splashography.com/splashoghraphy/weekly
customer feedback
11/05/2006
Thank you so much for organising today’s session at Woolacombe. I am sure I was not the only person who thoroughly appreciated the chance to listen to Tyler talk. It is always a privilege to hear someone talk about their passion in life.
customer feedback
11/05/2006
thanks for the mail, wanted to let you know I enjoyed the masterclass ( I was at fridays sauton session) , great to hear Tyler explain so eloquently the subtlety of his shaping and to understand how this affects how you'll actually ride the wave. It was cool to surfing with all the others attending the 'class and of course Tyler and Mike. I borrowed the Riddler for a few waves which was so stable I was up to the nose straight away! It was fun seeing Tyler ride my board too. I've attached a couple of photos of Tyler describing the riddler. Will drop in when enroute to saunton next,
customer feedback
11/05/2006
I for one thoroughly enjoyed the time with Tyler et al. It was the Saturday session at Saunton, lots of info but no surf (shame). I enjoyed he laid back atmosphere created on the beach and back at the shop. Everyone made us feel very welcome and it was easy to talk to other people that enjoyed the beach session as well.
customer feedback
11/05/2006
Thanks for the opportunity to attend the Tyler Masterclass at Saunton on Saturday. I learnt a lot about longboards, shaping and surfing from the great man, got an opportunity to speak to him and get his advice on boards and technique. Bought a copy of Single Fin Yellow and am totally stoked by it. Great hosting by Loose Fit. Good food. Good shop. Met some great people. Can hardly wait to get into the surf to practise my longboard technique.
customer feedback
11/05/2006
I thought the Tyler master class was great, although let down by the wave gods the talk on the beach was great and Tyler was very receptive to all questions asked, there was no high an mightiness that you sometimes get from professionals when they talk to us lowly part timers. All in all a top guy and the weekend after the lesson just happen to surf the nose for the longest I ever had (8 secs) as witnessed by Pete!!!!!!!!!! was this down to Tyler's sound advise or luck who knows but I was stoked.
customer feedback
11/05/2006
Tyler day was just superb, an entertaining talker, gave some eye opening insights on noseriding board design and some excellent teqhnique instructions. I was lucky to attend the friday sesh as there were some waves to practice on, this resulted in completing my first drop knee turn and the first tentative cross steps, plenty to work on. it was fantastic to see the maestro do it in the flesh. truly inspirational, thanks Tyler. Clive.
customer feedback