Pop-up is a mind(duck) in motion

Physics. If it weren’t for physics, I (Zuz Wilson) would be a Girl Who Can Surf Super Good.

But, as science would have it—and unless you’re one of our amazing adaptive surfers—you actually need to stand up on a surfboard to surf well.

And standing up means facing the dreaded pop-up. And that’s the topic for today’s episode.

You don’t need me to explain what a pop-up is—you already know what it is when you’re bad at it. It’s like a hangover before you get buzzed—an annoying, unfair, and painful hurdle standing between you and the joy of riding a wave.

I can already hear experienced surfers listening in, shaking their heads:
“Suz, you are being so melodramatic. Just get over it.”

But for us beginner surfers, the pop-up—or more accurately, the lack of one—is the biggest obstacle to progress.

“How do I improve my pop-up?” is the number one question asked in our Girls Who Can’t Surf Good community.

Why is the pop-up so hard to master?

Because it’s a mindduck. (Listen, this is a clean, kid-friendly article.)

For a pop-up to work, it has to be an automatic movement. Automatic—like sweating or peeing in your wetsuit. (You know who you are.) The moment you think about it, it’s game over, man.

It’s like that scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall—(Gee, Suz, what is it with you and Forgetting Sarah Marshall?) Oh, I don’t know. It’s a masterpiece.

So, in the “Kunu will be your instincts” scene, Paul Rudd is teaching Jason Segel how to surf:

“Don’t do anything. Don’t try to surf. Don’t do it. The less you do, the more you do. Now, let’s see you pop up. Pop it up.”

Jason, without thinking, pops up. Paul, unimpressed: “That’s not it at all.” And the more Jason tries? The worse his pop-up becomes.

See? Mindduck.

The pop-up is deceptively hard because it’s a combo of strength, speed, balance, and timing. Oh, and general ocean awareness. And you have to do it perfectly, in a split second.

Argh.

We’ll be talking about the pop-up every week—and I promise you, you will get better at it.

But for now, I just want you to know:  It’s okay. You’re okay. You are not alone.

You may not consciously think the pop-up is scary, but your brain does. And it will do everything possible to protect you from harm.

• Because staying on the board is safer than standing up.
• Because pulling back is safer than heading downhill on the wave.
• Because joyfully body-surfing to the beach feels  safer for your self-esteem than screwing up your pop-up in front of 20 people.

So I’ll leave you with the wisdom of Kunu:
“Do nothing… but you gotta do more than that.”

And my own:
“Don’t do the pop-up—be the pop-up.”