Your eyes might be sabotaging your pop-up

We’ve talked about how to improve your pop-up multiple times now: focusing on building upper body strength, exploring different pop-up methods, and emphasizing the importance of practising in the water.

But one thing we haven’t touched on yet is where to look.

Why looking matters in surfing

Looking, in surfing, is an essential skill. You need to look at the waves to understand their timing and when to start paddling. You need to look at the lineup to know when it’s your turn. You need to look around so you don’t run anyone over—or get run over yourself.

And finally, you need to look when you’re popping up. Looking is essential.

Common beginner mistake: looking down

But where do you look? I have a tendency to look down: Where should I put my hands? Where should my legs go? And invariably, my pop-up suffers.

Shouldn’t I be looking where I’m going? It’s so ridiculously obvious—and yet beginner surfers make this mistake often enough that it’s mentioned in every single online surfing course.

Surfing = horse eiding = snowboarding

In addition to surfing, I ride horses. And on a good day, I can steer a horse where I want it to go just by looking in that direction. Magic? Nah. My body follows my head, shifts weight, and the horse responds.

Why should surfing be any different?

It shouldn’t. Like skating, snowboarding, and riding, surfing is all about leading with your gaze. If you look down, your body tends to collapse, which throws off both balance and speed. Looking where you want to go sets every part of your body—head, shoulders, hips—in the right direction.

Why looking up helps your pop-up

Looking forward also lifts your chest, which helps you arch your back. That arch is what creates the space you need to swing your legs through—especially if you’re going for the explosive pop-up we all dream of.

Not to mention, if you’re looking down, you might wobble or even nose dive.

But—but—but—looking toward the beach works best when you’re being pushed into a wave by an instructor. If you’re catching waves on your own, first you need to keep your eyes up and track the wave you’re about to take.

You want to see what that wave is doing. If it’s closing out faster than expected—maybe don’t take it. If it’s dying on you—maybe skip it. Or if some joker is about to drop in on you—definitely don’t take it.

The science: confidence and the gaze

And here’s one more thing I didn’t know until today: according to neuroscience, looking forward—especially with your head up—signals confidence. It tells your vestibular system (which controls balance) and your nervous system that you’re in control.

Looking down, on the other hand, can trigger a stress response. It subconsciously tells your brain something’s wrong. You go into protection mode. Everything tightens up. And—bye bye, explosive pop-up.

So repeat after me: Looking down, you’ll fall down.

Looking up… well, no rhyme yet—but you’ll thank me for it later.