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Learning to SUP surf and mastering manoeuvres takes time on the water. The saying ‘practice makes perfect’ is definitely true! But you can also learn a lot from watching others. Sometimes it’s just having the right person or ability of paddler to demonstrate a technique and to give you afew key tips that can make all the difference.
This recent video released from Dan O’ Sullivan (SUP surfing sessions) shows talented rider Kayla Dahl catching some great rides. With her calm smooth riding style her surfing looks so effortless. And there is one key thing Kayla is really good at demonstrating… the importance of getting low. This is so important if you want to take your surfing to the next level.
Getting low
Kayla is very good at getting low after her cut backs or top turns. Watch how after she completes almost every turn she bends her knees and gets low at the very end of the manoeuvre. Doing this lowers her centre of gravity and keeps her body weight over the board. This means she is less likely to be forced off the board at the end of the move and it is easy for her to complete the turn and go back down the wave.
This is something that all the best surfers in the world do but sometimes it’s harder to see because they may do it in one fluid movement. You can clearly see Kayla crouching at the end of the turn, which is very effective.
We have covered this manoeuvre and movement in our SUPboarder How to Video / Top Turn video which you may find useful too for more tips.
Great riding Kayla, smooth and effortless, put together with a great tune! It’s videos like these that make us just want to grab our boards and find some waves.