TOP POP, THEN DROP...

A big mistake beginners make when transitioning to unbroken waves is to catch waves, ride down them on their belly to the flats, then pop to their feet from there.

Not only is this bad news for your make rate, it's downright dangerous.

You need a different approach.

Top Pop, Then Drop...

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Top pop is a reference to popping to your feet at the top of the wave, the dropping down the waves face in the standing position.

This is in stark contrast to the approach of many beginners.

Get this right and taking off on steep, late drops will become a reality.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Popping up at the top of the wave is:

Safer: On your feet you have much more control of your board than on your belly.
Easier: Popping up at the top of the wave is done whilst your board is not moving very fast (zero point), this makes everything easier.
Way more fun: Popping up and riding down a green wave - on your feet - is when stuff starts getting really fun!

But more than anything, it puts you in control.

LOW POP, THEN FLOP

Not popping up in the top third of the wave has some pretty big downsides...

WAY MORE DANGEROUS

Riding down the waves face on your belly drastically increases your chances of nosediving and pile-driving into the sand, which can lead to serious injury.

It may feel safer instinctively as you're looking down a steep wave to ride down it prone, but it's far more dangerous in reality.

HARDER TO STAND UP

Popping up to your feet going at max speed down a steep wave is far, far harder than popping up that the 'Zero Point' we alluded to earlier.

SPEED KILLER

When you pop to your feet at the base of the wave you end up getting to your feet in the flats.

With no curve to speak of, you grind to a halt and lose all of your speed.

This sucks.

WRAPPING IT UP

Overcoming the instinct to ride down the wave on your belly is a difficult one to navigate, and can seem counterintuitive at first.

But getting this right can initiate a big leap in progression as your success rate will sky rocket, and the spectrum of waves you can catch will expand dramatically.

At this point, try to judge your success based on your commitment to popping up early, rather than successfully riding a wave on your feet - it'll get you where you need to go quicker in the long run.

TOP POP THEN DROP

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IMPROVER SURF COURSE - LEVEL 2

IT'S TIME TO PROGRESS...

POP-UP LIKE THE PRO'S

READING WAVES

CATCHING UNBROKEN WAVES

TURN BABY TURN

TRIMMING

SURF ETIQUETTE

NEXT STEPS...