The Journey Towards Having More FUN Surfing

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One of the most common questions I hear as a surf paddling coach is: Does kicking while paddling actually help you catch waves?

The short answer: we’re not 100% sure yet—but anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that it can help.

What the Science Says

In 2010, a study published in the Journal of Sports Science tested competitive junior surfers paddling in flatwater. The results showed that kicking increased peak paddling speed by about 8%, which translated to an extra 0.8–1.6 meters gained over a 5–10 second sprint. That’s a significant advantage when speed and positioning matter.

Real-World Surf Examples

We’ve also seen kicking in action during pro contests. In paddle battles, like Seth Moniz vs. Ethan Ewing or Kauli Vaast vs. Crosby Colapinto in the Lexus Tahiti Pro, surfers used kicking to gain extra speed. These moments highlight that kicking can make the difference in tight situations.

Wave Catching: Still Unproven

Here’s the catch: while kicking clearly helps...

“SurfEye shows I surfed 163 waves between 6 privates and 5 publics LOL!”

This was a text I received from one of the surfers on our rail carving trip to Lakeside Surf in Washington. It got me thinking.

The number of waves is stunning, for sure. No doubt. These are waves he didn’t have to paddle into, nor pop up onto. So, this is pure surfing repetition.

But what this sparked in my mind was a new question – how many cutback repetitions did he get during the 163 waves?

Knowing this surfer, he is in the Phase 3 learning curve on this wave, which essentially means that each time he gets on the wave, he has the ability to doing repetitive cutbacks (rather than still learning the wave in Phase 1; and learning to redirect in Phase 2).

I could easily feel okay attaching at least eight cutbacks per wave on average for this surfer. A majority of his waves he would be on for longer than that, so eight cutbacks would be a decent average estimate.

What that means is that in the 163 waves, w...

I’ve never looked into what an initiation for a biker gang is like. My imagination goes to some dark places thanks to television true crime dramas. But it’s unlikely to be similar to the gang we formed while in Waco for the intermediate to advanced surf trip.

What I do know is that biker gangs are dedicated communities. They have motorcycles. They have jackets. They have tattoos (or at least quite a few do).

Biker gangs do a lot of things together – kind of like a swarm in the animal kingdom. And their philosophies have common themes like “ride or die”, and having each others’ backs when things “get real”.

Yeah, I sound like an idiot talking about this. I know I do. But for a brief moment during our Waco trip, I felt like we had formed a biker gang.

Except, it wasn’t a biker gang.

It was… a mini-van gang.

Yes, you read that right. We were a mini-van gang without even knowing it. Our “bikes” were replaced with mini-vans (rentals) without us even coordinating. It was ordaine...

Here's a quick analysis of a wave catching sequence between Cole Houshmand and Jack Robinson at the Trestles Pro 2025 contest, quarterfinals.

How did Jack out paddle Cole, who is four inches taller than him?

One subtle technique did the trick. This video breaks it down.

Enjoy!

 For more info on the book and to get the three free bonus videos before you purchase it, go here: https://www.surfingpaddling.com/surfing-paddling-technique-book

“Am I being pranked right now?” thought Justin as Kanoa Igarashi sits up next to him in the lineup.

The previous night, all-star surf coach Dan Mori (who organized this epic co-coaching trip to El Salvador) showed clips he was able to procure from the local videographers of Kanoa shredding this same surf spot just a month prior. Dan broke down every movement, showing us all how Kanoa applied the same techniques he was teaching us (albeit Kanoa’s application of the movements were much more crisp and powerful than ours).

And the next day, Kanoa showed up. Coincidence?

I love serendipitous moments in life like these. Those gleeful occurrences that catch us off guard remind us how exciting life can be.

Kanoa proceeded to put on a clinic for us and the locals (Justin had a literal front row seat) and we all were inspired by his performance and Dan’s sage technique advice.

Kanoa was here to warm up for the upcoming El Salvador comp at La Roca. Apparently, he preferred the surf sp...

How to Maximize a Surf Trip - Top Three Paddling Focus Points to get the most waves during your week (and to last your whole week)

We just returned from a week in long right point break waves in El Salvador while co-coaching with Dan Mori from Encinitas. It was an amazing week of progression and fun, and a proper blog article about it will be coming next month.

But one of the first things we discussed was how to last throughout the whole week, and consequently, how to get the most waves during the week.

Yes, fitness plays a role. But I say it all the time, you could be the Incredible Hulk, but if you have forty parachutes tied to the back of your surfboard, don’t you think it’s smarter to cut a bunch of them to move more efficiently? And then also use that strength in the correct places in the stroke so you aren’t wasting energy? I digress. The point is, fitness is important, but there are other aspects that should be thought of first.

When coaching surfers in general I have one ma...

Our annual co-coaching trip to Surf Ranch has concluded and I’m ecstatic to report that we’ve hit our priority takeoff goal (and exceeded it). If you recall from last year’s trip, we fell just short of the priority takeoff goal I set for our group each year. This is the primary metric I developed for our group after watching group after group suffer the pain of missing priority waves at Surf Ranch. From watching the strained expressions on surfers’ faces (not as the primary organizer of those trip – rather a secondary coach or consultant for KSWC), I set a goal when I began organizing co-coaching trips. We will strive for a priority takeoff rate of 90% or above.

Why not 100%?

Well, every wave pool has a learning curve because they are all so foreign to our brains at first. Every surfer, no matter their experience, must move through the pool’s learning curve, during which, mistakes will be made, not because of the surfer’s skill, but rather in the process of simply getting used t...

A common request once a surfer has completed Level 1 and is either in the middle of Level 2 or afterwards, is how to paddle into steep waves. 

The same sequencing and techniques are used in steep waves as they are in not so steep waves, but these three techniques stand out the most when paddling into steep waves. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. 

Yeww!

 Learn more about Paddling Technique in the Level 1 and Level 2 courses here.

A vital lesson I've been trying to teach my kids is to avoid saying "no" to experiences, especially if those experiences have the potential to help you grow. That growth mindset is critical to living life to it's fullest.

Ideally, there is no guarantee of a good time when saying "yes" to those experiences. That is where the unknown plays a fun role in one's personal growth. 

But at Surf Ranch, it's pretty much a guarantee of a good time. So when my contact reached out and said there was a last minute cancellation and could I fill the day, I said, "yes", and then my blood pressure went through the roof with no guarantee I would fill it. 

I was given two and a half weeks. 

Oops, maybe I made a mistake. 

Well, if that's the case, so be it. But let's give it a try anyways. 

The call went out to Alumni. Last minute day trip to Surf Ranch. Small group. Lots of fun. Any takers? 

"Sounds amazing, but I'm gone that day."

"Wish I had a bit more time - I would for sure have gone on thi...

During the Waco Beginner's Trip last August, I had the opportunity to try out one of their new Barrel waves. Just prior to that, they released an amazing set of videos showing that same wave looking like an easy takeoff, setup, and ride through to the end. 

I should have known better. 

The surfing world is very good at marketing. And the general formula is - get a pro to rip on video or in a photo, and then watch as we all buy what they are selling. 

Like I said, I should have known better. The initial video of the pro surfer taking off on said wave barreling wave profile looked incredibly easy. I promoted it as a great way to learn barrel riding - a warm up to Surf Ranch - take your barrel riding to the next level. 

Oops. That's really all I can say. Because when I tried this new wave profile in August during the Beginner trip (with advanced to expert surfers), I realized the reality of this wave. It was not an easy takeoff, nor an easy set up, and no, it would not be a wa...