How to Pop Up like Advanced Surfers - The Standard Take Off | How to Surf

The standard pop-up is the most popular takeoff technique amongst advanced surfers because some of the conditions such as fast peeling waves require surfers to get to their feet as fast as they possibly can. It's the fastest way to get to your feet but it can be challenging for some surfers as it requires a good amount of core strength and mobility. Before getting into the steps of the takeoff let's address a very frequent question for this technique. Should you try to bring one foot after the other or aim to land both feet on the surfboard simultaneously? Some surfers land with both their feet on the board at exactly the same moment. From what we have seen through hundreds of analysis most advanced surfers including professionals bring their back foot first and then their front foot onto the board. They do this so quickly that unless you watch videos in slow motion it looks like they bring both feet at the same time. We strongly recommend our students to focus on bringing the back foot first and then the front foot onto the surfboard. We frequently see beginners and intermediates wiping out when they try to swing both of their feet on the surfboard simultaneously. This is mostly because they lack the experience to bring both their feet at the right spot on the board at the same time. By bringing one foot after the other surfers have a bit more time to place their feet making sure they are balanced on the board before standing up. Additionally bringing the back foot first will help you create more space to bring your front foot onto the board in between your hands. You can compare both options at home. Lay down on your chest and see what is physically more demanding on you. Either popping up with bringing your back foot forward onto the board or popping up by swinging both of your feet into the correct position with your front foot landing approximately in between your hands and your front knee arriving underneath your chin. Rarely do we have students feeling more comfortable with bringing both feet at the same time but if this is for you then you could consider trying it out of the water. When practicing this at home make sure you're not actually using your toes to pop up as this could mislead you in believing that you can easily bring both feet in the correct position simultaneously. The first step for this technique is to push your upper body up swinging the knees forward and landing on the back foot. This might sound like multiple steps but it should be done in one fluid motion. To verify if you're able to do this step lay on your belly with your hands below your pectorals. Push your upper body up as your thighs lift off the floor see if you can swing both knees up and forward without them dragging on the floor and have your back foot land towards where your tail would be. Often surfers will have their toes land on the surfboard's tail first which is fine. Make sure to swing your knees up and forward by using only your hands and your knees as spots of contact with the floor or the surfboard. You can purposely lift your feet from the ground before taking off to prevent you from using your toes. We often see surfers practicing this technique on land using their toes as point of contact on the ground which is easier. If you're riding a shortboard or a fish you need to avoid practicing this way. In the water your feet will be hanging further off the back of the surfboard so you won't be able to place your toes on the board to pop up. The next step is to push your body up to create more space. Once you're in this one leg push-up position the rest of the process is much the same as for some other take-off techniques such as the chicken wing. Push your whole body up and over the surfboard this creates the necessary space between your body and the surfboard for the next step bringing your front foot forward. Last step is to bring the front foot and stand up. Throw your front knee forwards towards your chest and place your front foot on the surfboard. Notice how the knee slides close to the surfer's chest during this step. Your front foot should land straight over the surfboard stringer in between your hands. Remember to look towards where you want to go during the take-off and to use your hands to keep your speed and to maintain your balance. This tutorial was purposely divided into multiple steps in order to clarify the body's movements of the take-off. In reality the standard pop-up is done quickly in one fluid motion often with the back foot landing only a small fraction of a second before the front foot. Surfers don't pause in between these steps as those have become automated for them through practice. The good thing about the take-off is that they are one of the rare things in surfing that you can practice almost anywhere anytime. If you would like more content on how to practice your take-off at home and about common mistakes and how to fix them make sure you click on the link in the description below to access our free complete online course on the take-off technique.