Just wondering why it seems to me the majority of guys
I see SUP..ing are trying to imitate shortboard moves, like
floaters, lip slashing and radical cutbacks etc..
I thought the SUP would suit more fluid, soul type moves
similar to Longboarders.
Bring back the SOUL ARCH !!
You haven't watched Greenroom surf.
Each to his own I love the way Dogman rides a sup
Doesn't mean you have too.
I think that's why that recent vid of Laird is very visually refreshing....not on a rad pointy nose sinker but on a biggish board relaxed & stylee.
bit goin on over yonda 
Maybe it's because most guys are comp orientated and, they see the shortboard/progressive style being rewarded by the judges?
Or maybe beceause most guys are ex shortboarders or current shortboards you do what you do and what ever you feel is the most fun personaly i would rather bast a lip than hang ten but thats just me
Agreed,i like to do both,the waves pretty much dictate my approach.
preferably on the same wave.
These pics were shot on Monday when Dave Boyd snuck out for a stealth run on his new 10'6 Imperial big boy model 115+ kg ripper prototype.
Dave mixes the new with the old effortlessly
I had to use 3600 ISO as it was just on dark.
I like a to watch a bit of both styles as well , i guess a really good surfer connects them all togeather and has flow.I think watching a lot of short boarders including pros some just go for slashing and ripping and their is little flow and it looks disjointed and boring.
Yeah! I watched some comp. footage (shortboard) and I agree that
its really looks a bit disjointed. I reckon that the wave comes second
in this style of surfing and the rider just attempts to destroy it.
Long boarders have to use the wave to generate turns etc. because
of long waterline length. My Sup is 10'6", so similar to a longboard.
All this is my opinion and not at all derogatory to any of the riders.
I was just wondering if others felt the same way? and venting my
opinion.
I think that style is style. whether it's longboard style, shortboard style, progressive, aggressive or just impressive. When you watch someone who is smooth and in the groove it rocks!
Personally I like to mix it up. I ride everything, and love it. Use the appropriate tool for the conditions including beer when it's flat.
Prone paddlers have multiple diciplines, so why not Stand up paddlers??
I see longboard, shortboard and pure aggression progressive being the way forward.
My2cworth
JB
Hey PS,
If you talk to the head judge at any of the comps (exclude Mambo where I think everything is counted including style) you would hear pretty much short board criteria.
Lots of the posts on the forum are put up by comp surfers so short boards are what you hear about. At OG last weekend plenty of sups out most over 10ft.
Shorter boards now have significantly improved in performance and primary stability and as peoples skills have progressed they tend to want to pull more radical moves simply because they can.
Its a laugh to read back through last years threads and see what people were saying about I wont be going to a short board and then see whats in their quiver now. Then there is the flip side people riding ultra short and also having a long board now.
I love having both the long and the short board in the quiver as like with everything else in life moods change and you enjoy different things on different days or different conditions.
Who cares what you ride or how you ride it as long as you have fun.
Soulful or radical, I like both... but have always been an energetic surfer whether on short, long, or SUP. My normal approach is to turn rather than glide, to try to go vertical rather than stay horizontal. But... the wave dertermines my approach. I love it all, and appreciate other surfers' different approaches.
I ride a 9.3 Naish, and try to keep the shortboard approach. Then I have a C4 iSUP, which ain't too good for turning, but is fun for gliding, position surfing, and cross stepping type styling (I don't ride the iSUP much, except for flat water and giving others a go).
This whole notion that shortboard surfing is disjointed and disregards the wave is quite frankly very silly. Further more, even that the pro's are disjointed is almost ludicrous.
Good surfing no matter the discipline is surfing that utlilises all sections of the wave to its full degree. It is surfing that uses style, commitment, flow and speed. At no time ever has unfettered aggression on any craft overtaken this concept of good surfing. Even an aggressive surfer must have the above or they have nothing.
I watched Mick Fanning at this years Quik Pro do only 3 turns on a 150m long wave and score a 9.5. 3 of the best linked bottom, top turns you are likely to see. No pumping, wiggling or unecessary movement in between just a great surfer making the most of the wave he was riding and generating speed every time he put it on rail. The highlight of the event for me.
i'm one of those disjointed surfers, otherwise i wouldn't be working for a living
but yeah, i wonder a lot where it's all going
cheers
I think good surfing is like any other sport activity , those that are excpecially talented make it look easy and effortless , and that to me is a joy to watch.That vid of Laird that was posted was a good example, so was ther vid of the guy surfing finless.Some short board surfing looks to me sometimes forced and not in tune with the wave , that just comes down i think to the mindset.
Been watching some olo's of late, impresses the hell out of me that they can even get some submarine action going on them.
The guy stoked on just being there will always score the 10 in my books, I just can't rate the raging hustler spitting venom at others.
Long, short, wide, retro, wooden. Just get out there!!
