The one wave theory

Today I was back in the water for the first time in a while. There were a lot of people out, so I decided to stay away from the main peak, which was a good choice, but nevertheless I had my challenges.

You know my one wave theory: If you get one good wave in a session you might as well quit, even if it's your first wave, because you won't get another. I don't know if this is true for everyone, and I wish it wasn't for me, but it always is.

I caught my first wave but couldn't get up. I caught my second but got up for only a nanosecond before falling. I caught my third and managed to ride it for several seconds. That was my one ride in two hours.

There is a mentality that sets in after that, at least for me: "I did it, I proved I can surf, can I go home now and have a hot and/or alcoholic beverage? Do I have to do it again?" And after that one wave it becomes work, or at least practice, with the goal achievement instead of fun. (Though admittedly it's often hard to tell the difference, at least for me! Achievement has been my fun for as long as I can remember.) I wish I knew how to get around this kind of thinking.

Instead of going in after that one wave, I talked myself into staying out, doing self coaching. I told myself the things I think (but don't know) are true: That in order to balance on a board I must remember to bend my knees, lean forward, keep my weight on the front of my feet, use my arms to balance and look at the ocean instead of the shore. (The last is because all of our waves are lefts, and I am a goofy foot; hence, if I am riding down the line I must be facing the ocean, which is hard to do; instinctively I always want to face the shore, even when swimming.)
Oh, and don't stick my butt out.

Whether all these things are true or not---does anybody know if this is how you balance on a surfboard?---I never got another chance to test them out, for I was never again able to stand up long enough to do any of them. If I got up at all, I fell immediately.

I did manage many takeoffs that were smooth, my buttah takeoffs; on these I really had the chance to try to think about how to stand up and balance but didn't have enough time before I fell.

But for every takeoff that was perfect, and this is the incredibly frustrating thing, there was another that was a wipeout. I pearled; I pearled and somersaulted (oh my back!); or the wave just knocked me off the board. And I never knew why these things happened. I'd be on the same place on my board, or at least I thought so, and on one wave I'd take off perfectly and on the next I'd pearl.

Perhaps it has to do with where my weight is on the board, not just where my nose is? All I know about that is that you're supposed to arch your back as you're getting the wave, and since I can only remember one thing at one time that's what my inner coach was saying; but it didn't always work. I seem to remember once being told you're also supposed to push the board down with your hands as you're getting ready to take off, no?

And why, having caught the wave OK, did I fall on trying to stand? Maybe it has to do with when I try to stand as much as how (the how: I will never have the strength to do a conventional popup, even though I've been working on my arms and they've gotten much stronger; I have to do some alternative kind of old person's popup.) Here I've gotten contradictory advice. N. told me to wait until you're sure you've gotten the wave before standing up; others told me to stand up immediately. The last never has worked for me ever, the first sometimes has.

I still think, but can't confirm, there is some kind of fulcrum action that makes it easier to stand up while you're still going down the wave (so to speak; it's hard to go down a one or two foot wave) and before you're at the bottom; but only at the bottom do you feel like you have something solid to stand on. And the fulcrum thing never has worked for me, because if I try to get up that way I fall even sooner than I do the other way. Getting up to your feet is useless if you're not instantly balanced and have no time to get balanced.

Damn, I need a surf coach. You know, in Vermont I took a private ski lesson that did more for me than two dozen group lessons have. I wish there was surf instruction here. When I go to California, I think there will be competent surf instructors. But in the absence of anyone to watch me and tell me what I am doing, I am going to have to get out my video camera again. I didn't want to do it today because it's embarrassing to be seen taping myself when so many other people are out. I wish there was someone who could tape me, but I can set the camera up on a tripod. I've done that before and it's helpful, just gotta wait for a day when the wind won't blow the camera over!

Skiing is two zillion times easier than surfing because at least you have more than one-tenth of a second to do what you have to do. And because ski lessons are easy to find and usually of good quality.

All told, today wasn't a bad day. Two hours, one ride; that's my standard and I didn't fall below it.