If you think pop-up is overrated, we can’t be friends

Everyone who surfs with me or reads what I write about surfing knows I’m unhealthily obsessed with the pop-up. I strongly believe that if I could pop up quickly, I’d be an intermediate surfer by now. But this pop-up, like an albatross around my neck, is keeping me down, man.

Which is why I found a discussion about “is the pop-up overrated?” extremely titillating. I’ve learned—from people who’ve surfed many-a-year, and coached even longer—that the pop-up is for losers. Because, according to some, surfing is 95% positioning and reading waves.

Math that doesn’t add up (but still makes sense)

Listen. I’m not arguing that surfing isn’t 80% paddling, 85% reading waves, and being in the right spot at the right time. I know that doesn’t add up. What I am arguing is that 10% is being comfortable in the lineup, staying assertive, taking the waves that are due, and not fucking them up for anyone else. And if you can’t pop up quickly enough, chances are you’ll waste a wave. And waves are precious.

As someone said: “It’s hard to get better at pop-ups without catching waves. But catching waves can be pretty intimidating if you don’t have confidence in your pop-up.”

It’s hard to disagree that the pop-up is absolutely fundamental to surfing. Unless you’re knee-surfing or bodyboarding, of course.

Another quote: “You can be great at reading waves and have perfect positioning, but if you can’t get from your stomach to your feet, then you can’t surf.”

I’ve heard the counterarguments. Look at the old timers—they have super slow pop-ups, sometimes even putting knees on the board, but because they can read the waves, they get them every time.
Dude, I can also put my knees on the board in Waikiki or Malibu, but that won’t work at my local break.

‍♂️ Easy for you to say

It seems to me that the people who believe the pop-up is overrated are the people who never had a problem with it.

I don’t have to look far for an example: my husband and I started surfing at the same time. He can literally jump up on the board while I perform a slowish step-on, with my back knee so close to the board that I sometimes get stuck on it. Every time he mentions that I’m too obsessed with the pop-up, I turn homicidal.

❌ What surf schools get wrong

Don’t get me wrong. I’m totally against the typical ways surfing is taught these days—especially in the first lesson. Pushing people into waves, making the pop-up the Holy Grail. “We guarantee you’ll stand up in your first lesson!”

If I had to do it all over again, I would’ve started with bodysurfing and bodyboarding. Thanks to Reddit, I came across a video from Surf Simply targeted at surf instructors. (Surf Simply is a surf coaching resort in Nosara, Costa Rica that I don’t know who can afford—$16K for a week for a couple—but they have some useful, free content.)

Surf Simply’s approach is exactly how I would’ve learned to surf today: getting used to paddling and catching a wave or whitewash, trimming the wave on my belly, carving, changing direction—and only then focusing on my pop-up.

Alas, I don’t have a time machine, so I’m stuck with my slow pop-up. My fault entirely. Because doing a few push-ups a day and some slide-ins wouldn’t kill me—but I seem to avoid them like the plague.

Author: The Wipeout Weekly team