Fat guy rips it up

For those of us who are slightly unfit or who could do with losing a few more pounds, this guy should give us some encouragement. Surfing is viewed as a healthy lifestyle - which, of course, it is - and surfers of both sexes shown in videos and photos are generally of the fit, slim and young variety. It's rare that you see a surfer of, shall we say, a fuller figure, especially one who rips it up. I found this vid on the net, which features Jimbo Pellegrine, a very big guy and an excellent surfer (he does drop in at 0:40 in the vid, tho') and it shows you don't need to be skinny, or even that fit, to surf.



Three weeks to my trip to Cornwall. I am unlikely to be able to go surfing before then, hence the lack of anything really meaningful to say or show.

Pop-ups

If, like me, your pop-up isn't the best (since getting back into surfing and having been surfing the grand total of two times in the past month, I clumsily and slowly lunge to my feet, often wiping out) there are some videos on YouTube which show how to do pop-ups. Watching these and doing land practice if you can't get into the water as much as you'd like will help a lot. I am watching loads of surfing videos, not kids ripping it up on shortboards - yes it looks good but my shortboard days are long past now and, even then, I didn't exactly rip it up - just Joe and Jane Average Surfer, and my land-based practice (pop-ups) is getting better and better.

Here are some of the pop-up vids. This Holly Beck one is, I think the best.
 

This one, from the Online Surf School, has three methods. When you go to a surf school, they don't advise using your knees (or a lot of them do) and using your knees can be a bad habit to break. The 'Aussie sprint' pop up is interesting, I've not seen that one before and, I think if I tried it, I'd wipe out more than actually get to my feet (even more than I already do). But, whatever works.
 

Ben's Surf Clinic shows, again, a method of using your knees. That's always something I tried to avoid but, again, if it works for you it works.

'Don't rent out space in your head'

I.e. Don't let people get to you', is an excellent saying. But, while it works well during the day, I wish it worked out as well in dreams. I am sick of people, often relatives, in my dreams telling me that I am useless and everyone hates me...although it is not them, I think it's me telling myself that in the guise of other people. It's the whole self-esteem thing again and another reason I am taking up surfing again.

Anyway, have another vid. This is bodyboarding, rather than stand up surfing, at Teahupo'o, Taihiti featuring some pretty huge waves - this is one of the most dangerous surf spots in the world, even the world's best surfers are scared of it. Better yet, the soundtrack is provided by Metallica. Interesting comment from someone below the vid, though "super gay to bodyboard ant (sic) not surf that shit" - I wonder if the commenter has actually surfed waves like that, if I was a betting person I'd guess not, they'd probably crap themselves. Posters of YouTube comments are invariably full of shit. Anyway, why is there always some schism about one thing being better than another? Stand up surfers v bodyboarders v SUPs, Canon v Nikon, Metallica fans v Megadeth fans, and so on and so forth? It's stupid, there's room for everyone, why can't we all respect each other and get along?