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| Sidewalk Surfing (537 Posts)
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balance boards
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On 3/8/2003 vaitus
wrote in from
(216.166.nnn.nnn)
Brian, I built one too.
After practicing on a friend's indo board, I decided I wanted the pro model, the bigger one. Being so expensive to buy I built one, the hardest part was finding the 8.5 inches roller. The ideal was to use a pvc pipe, but I couldn't find one that big anywhere so I ended up using a 8 inches corrugated pipe, regular plastic, $12 for 10 feet from an agri supply store. It's not as stiff as pvc and there's a tiny flex, but it's ok for my 145 pounds.
Then I made the board, 42" X 14 1/2" as in the pro indo board, and another one with the leftover wood, about 50" X 9", this one turned out to be the most fun, it's longer so I can cross step better and it can be turned.
total cost about $40.
After sometimes cross stepping with the board perpendicular to the roller becomes easy so now I'm turning it to an angle, it's a whole different story! much harder to do and more similar to surfing.
I'd like to hear how you built yours.
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mexico better than hawaii
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On 3/8/2003
john airey
wrote in from
(63.198.nnn.nnn)
just a word of advice to skaters wanting to try surfing,
consider mexico before you go to hawaii or worse,
california.
I learnt to skate as a young kid in maryland. also swam
on a swim team.
never thought I'd get a chance to surf, but I did and
I have surfed the SF penninsula obsessively for the last
13 years, year round, often several times a week. I would
not even travel to see my family because I might miss
a swell... christmas is often the best season here...
I have traveled to mexico, both driving and flying and to
hawaii to surf.
personally, mexico is more fun, closer, and cheaper.
you can get waves bigger than you want to surf on a regular
basis there just like hawaii.
I have met a lot of texans in mainland mexico so it's
not exactly a big secret, but you don't have to go to
crowded hawaii or crowded california.
also, surfers hate people. skaters like people. watch
out for that whole thing. most dangerous thing in the
water is usually another surfer.
don't drop in on anybody or snake them, ever.
when I first started
skating again I was prepared to deal with skaters that
acted like surfers, but everybody was nice, that
was strange.
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indo/balance board
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On 3/8/2003
brian
wrote in from
(67.250.nnn.nnn)
indo boards are actually pretty fun. after the talk (vaitus and lbk) about them last week here, i built one. vaitus, i'm not sure about popping up on it while it's balanced. maybe if you had one long and wide enough you could at least lean the board so the nose is on the floor and then try to pop up directly to a balanced position.
as far as surfing/skating practice, if you can cross-step to the nose of your balance board and then back, you can do it on a skateboard. cross-stepping to the nose while longboard surfing is obviously more complicated as it involves careful and constant rail-pressure (like during a carve while skateboarding) but also the primary reason for board-walking is to maintain trim and that involves the shifting of weight from tail to nose and vice versa (here it's pretty clear that the indo board style balance board will be really helpful).
i've spent time everday this last week on my new balance board and its enough to work up a sweat in about five minutes, depending on how hard i want to work. if you've got an indo board, get that thing out so you can see it and get on it when it's raining or whenever skating is out of the question. if you're thinking about getting one, consider building it yourself or having somebody help you because they can be had for a good deal less than what the tailor made factory jobs are retailing.
haven't heard from robc since the hawaii trip; d'ya have anything you'd like to share with the class? any good surfing, sidewalk or otherwise while you were away?
brian
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pop up on Indo Board
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On 2/28/2003 lbk
wrote in from
(165.247.nnn.nnn)
Pop ups on an Indo Board? That must be hard to do,. Indo Board is a cool way of "Surfing" indoors, not to mention the workout you get.
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rhino-chasers
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On 2/25/2003 brian
wrote in from
(67.250.nnn.nnn)
thanks all for the input. i'll let ya know what works out.
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Board width
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On 2/25/2003 Goose
wrote in from
(161.76.nnn.nnn)
Brian,
Yeah, the 10.5-11.5" range is as far as I go on a beast. My big guns about 10" and to be honest thats good enough.
smooth tarmac and slick bearings too ya.
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pop ups
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On 2/25/2003 vaitus
wrote in from
(152.9.nnn.nnn)
anybody tried popping up on the indo board?
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Jaime's Paddle Ins
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On 2/24/2003 lbk
wrote in from
(165.247.nnn.nnn)
Jaime would just ride on his stomach. Though I think he has plowed into his face a few times doing it.
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ECREW's jaime strapula
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On 2/24/2003 brian
wrote in from
(67.250.nnn.nnn)
does he pop up as he drops in? i would have to see that to believe it.
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Surf Paddle Ins
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On 2/22/2003 lbk
wrote in from
(64.75.nnn.nnn)
ECREW's Jaime Strapula does the best paddle ins on a skateboard. He rides a regular length board that is a bit wider than most. Jaime prones out on his board on the top of the bowl or pool. He then paddles/rolls in over the coping on his stomach. It is crazy to see him do it.
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Popping up
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On 2/22/2003
John Y.
wrote in from
(209.178.nnn.nnn)
I've tried popping up on a skateboard, and it's nothing like popping up on a surfboard. On a surfboard you mostly have to worry about your ballance front to back. On a skate, the ballance problem is side to side. If your knee or foot touches the water when popping up on a surfboard, it's no biggie, but you really have to pay a lot of attention to keeping your legs off the ground on a skate. Your hands are farther apart on a surfboard, so your front leg can swing between your arms. Even on a really wide skateboard, your arms are much closer together and makes it more difficult.
If you fall while popping up on a skate, the consequences are much worse than falling off a surfboard. The whole point of practice is to get good at something so that when you actually try it, you have less risk of suffering the consequences. You wouldn't practice hand-brake turns in a car right at the edge of a cliff.
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big wood
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On 2/21/2003 brian
wrote in from
(67.250.nnn.nnn)
thanks goose,
i've got all the tools, and i got a nice wood--i mean a nice plank picked out in black walnut--but i guess i'm trying to decide on a good width that is easy to pop up from (my surfboards are at least twice as wide as my skateboards) but won't be terribly awkward to push. i was thinking between 11" and 12" but then g mark says his 10.5" boards work fine. any thoughts?
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Monster boards
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On 2/21/2003 Goose
wrote in from
(161.76.nnn.nnn)
HEy Brian,
I cant remember any company's of hand but its easy to make a larger board. You can ignore ply, or get creative cos with almost an inch thickness to the deck its pretty much elementry. For poppin an surf style the more rigid the better so I advise gettin a sander, a jigsaw and a big plank of nice wood.
hope its all good,
Goose
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large decks
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On 2/17/2003 G. Mark
wrote in from
(199.46.nnn.nnn)
I have a 62" and 57" decks that are about 10.5" wide, and both of these are used to practice surfing pop ups. The best practice is in downhill driveways: lay on your belly, give a few quick 'paddle' strokes, and see if you can pop up to your feet while accelerating through the drop and negotiating the transition to the street, then step back and crank that bottom turn! Your neighbors will be convinced you're insane, but you'll be glad you worked on it when you get back in the water. I only wish the waves in Texas had faces as big and steep as some of the driveways!
-Mark Colden
Dallas, TX
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robc in hawaii
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On 2/16/2003
brian
wrote in from
(67.250.nnn.nnn)
go get 'em robc, let us know how it goes.
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really big longboards
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On 2/16/2003 brian
wrote in from
(67.250.nnn.nnn)
as long as we're talking about specifically surf-related topics, i got a question for you all. i know of at least two outfits that make longboard skateboards upwards of six feet long and supposedly wide enough to practice popping up from. anybody tried one? have any comments?
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surfing
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On 2/16/2003 robc
wrote in from
(64.231.nnn.nnn)
Thanks brian, that's great! I thinks I'll print that out and stick it on the fridge... and as for staying out of people's way, I tend to hate having an audience when I'm working out a learning curve, so yeah, I'll be staying out of the locals way...
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surfing Hawaii
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On 2/14/2003 G. Mark
wrote in from
(199.46.nnn.nnn)
robc,
Take special notice of these words from brian:
"don't get in the way"
The majority of waves and reef in Hawaii are not for beginning surfers, so be careful where you try to paddle out. If the locals give you the stink-eye, you might want to go elsewhere. Some of what is taken as "localism" is them keeping you from hurting yourself or others in the lineup.
Just a thought from someone who's been there.
-Mark Colden
Dallas, TX
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all terrain surfing
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On 2/14/2003 Goose
wrote in from
(161.76.nnn.nnn)
On the surfing side, I started surfing in Porth Cothan Cornwall at what, um 15-16 but now due to living in London and owning a motorbike my Longboard an wetsuit are in drydock. Consequentionally I only really skate/surf the streets and off road when I go back home (real home)in Somerset/Devon.
I havnt tried snowboarding yet but this is the thing, to me all the things I do where I'm flowing down a hill, flying across a marble floor or skimming the ocean swell are all surfing.
Skating to me is techdawg stuff pretty much but basically encompasses a compleatly different approach to that which I percieve mine to be.
Off Road I've got my own board thats big an bad an on that a smooth golfing green hill or lawn of hestercomb house is all I need (It has no bindings).
When I Snowboard in future I'll go for the Alpine board as far as I can tell, and work towards off pist.
And Finally God willing I will be flying on a Aero-board before I'm to decreped to enjoy it.
For me its all one and the same thing just with slighty different apperatus.
Yours,
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surfing skaters
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On 2/13/2003 brian
wrote in from
(67.250.nnn.nnn)
robc,
don't expect to use your skating skills for a long time.
don't expect it to feel anything like skating.
don't expect to feel fresh the morning after your first session.
don't forget your sunscreen.
don't worry when it seems a thousand times harder than you expected.
don't worry about sharks.
don't get in the way.
don't leave the whitewater until you can stand up every time you want to.
don't quit.
rent a longboard, the foam beezees are perfect for your first couple of times out (you'll have fewer bruises and it's practically impossible to break or damage 'em). drink plenty of water and eat a banana or two for breakfast 'cuz you want to give yourself the best possible chance of avoiding muscle cramps.
don't bounce around on your tip-toes for too long or else your calves will cramp up no matter how hydrated you are.
don't swallow too much water but don't worry when you do--you'll naturally get over that soon.
don't practice popping up on your board on the beach (practice at home or in the hotel is ok, but never on your board unless it's foam).
don't say things like 'surf's up' or 'i'm just waitin for my set' or 'outside! outside!'
don't ever forget the feeling of standing up and riding a real wave.
don't even try to wipe the sh..-eating grin off your face as you sit on your board in the lineup, rising and falling with the swell.
don't worry about what you look like, but watch surfers who are catching waves and study their technique and wave selection.
don't drown. when you wipe out, grab your leash and pull that big honkin' board back to you as fast as you can: it'll give you something to float on and you'll keep your budies or other surfers from getting really pissed.
have fun. it's really the name of the game. getting good will happen later. fun can happen now, regardless of your skill level if you stay low-key and keep a good attitude.
oh yeah, don't start telling everybody that 'surfing's the source, it'll change your life i swear to god' (although it actually is and probably will).
don't forget to charge!
brian
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skaters who surf
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On 2/13/2003 robc
wrote in from
(205.150.nnn.nnn)
Like G. Mark sez, it's funny how things work out- surfing was barely on my radar until a year or so ago- about the time I started longboarding, my sister suggested that I read Caught Inside, which I eventually did, and suddenly it started to seem possible. I'm actally a bit obsessed, in fact. In a week I'm off to Hawaii, with pretty much one thing on my mind. I'm completely stoked, especially since this winter has been pretty consistently icy, and I haven't skated for ages. Hopefully I won't drown or anything...
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Downhill Motion
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On 2/13/2003
doug
wrote in from
(216.20.nnn.nnn)
does anyone know where I can get the movie downhill motion?
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Weaver
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On 2/11/2003 Glen D.
wrote in from
(216.102.nnn.nnn)
John O.
Weaver was one of my favorite skaters of all time. He got put down by some of the other skaters of that time because he was about flow and while he was doing the same things the others weere doing, he made it look easy. The board walking footage in downhill motion is one of my favorite skateboarding video clips ever. Total flow and style.
Other skaters who I've seen that flow like him, are Stacy Peralta, Eddie Elguera, Brad Edwards and a new school street skater Matt Beach.
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hills
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On 2/10/2003 snoball
wrote in from
(65.32.nnn.nnn)
Chuck, look around the Lake Wales area ( careful though ).then there's Clermont...but all this is relative you see as we live in a flat state, so any rise 50' above sea level to us is a hill ha ha.....the highest point in the state is in north florida and that's only something like 300 ft above sea level..easily laughable compared to hills out west..i don't think anyone here would claim 'big hills', but yeah, there's hills...the closest one to me's in st.pete which is why garages are an easy choice ;-)
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