C1 Technique: Small waves basics

Lets face it... everybody likes to surf a big and regular wave... but not all of us have the opportunity to do so every day, so we must content ourselves with what we´ve got.

A small wave is surely a better place to learn the basics than something like Buseater or Hawaii, that´s for sure.
A good article on wave riding has been recently posted on the Riot blog
Big thanks to Adam Johnson for writing this article...

Ok so what basic skills does a C1 boater need while trying to do his best on a small wave? It is quite essential to spend some time practicing just the movements on the wave.
The first essential skill is carving. Before you start to try some moves you need to know, how does your boat respond to any shift of your weight. On a C1 every slight change of weight center has a much more profound impact on the movement of the boat, this is because the weight center of a C1 is a lot higher than on a K1. Carving is controlled by weight shifting and of course by paddle corrections. This video shows you how you can move from one shoulder of the wave to another.



Important thing is that you need to keep your balance while carving to your offside. The perfect way to do this is to support yourself with the palm of your offside hand.


If you want to do almost any move on a wave you have to get to the top of the foam pile so you can accelerate down the face of the wave and get some speed that you need to perform the move.
Getting to the top of the foam pile isn´t always easy. The important thing is that you have to get as high as possible without flushing. It is essential to actually feel the water under your boat and this comes only with practice.
One of the ways how to get to the top is to carve straight to one of the shoulders of the wave and than back to the other side. This should get you higher on the wave, and possibly to the foam pile. If you feel you are beginning to flush just lean forward and do a few quick strokes. If you manage to get up there you are half way through any move you want to do. This video shows you how to get to the foam pile and speed down to land a blunt.



That´s all for now. Tomorrow morning I am leaving Prague and by Sunday afternoon I´ll be on the Hawaii. I am still a bit ill but nothing can keep me from trying that wave...
Cheers people and I hope I can post some fresh pics straight from Lyon...