Life is full of many ponderous mysteries – such as, who wrote the Bonnie Tyler hit ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’?  What’s the proper technique for collapsing an ironing board?  And how do I link my Facebook to my Instagram?  Today though we’re tackling one of the biggest imponderables – how do you pop up on a shortboard?  The fact of the matter is the basic principles of popping up on a shortboard are similar to popping up on a longboard.  It’s the same, but very different.  We asked Surf Instructor Helen to make this video because she’s popped up on more shortboards than you’ve had hot dinners.  She’s also had a lot of hot dinners.  In this video Helen considers a number of issues; including braille for the feet, and the 80s fitness aerobics instructor Jane Fonda.  So fasten your seatbelts and jump in…

So we hope this video inspires you to improve your surfing pop up, whether you’re on a shortboard or a longboard.  Have a go at practicing the ‘no toes’ pop up on dryland, and don’t worry if you struggle at first.  Remember that the pop up sets up 99 percent of your surfing stance so it’s worth putting in some time and effort to try to get it right.  Sometimes a small key can open a big lock.  Little things like keeping the head centered, maintaining an upright torso, and making sure the hands are parallel in the ‘chicken wings’, can all make a big difference.  Here at surf camp we are all pop up nerds and we love getting into the nitty gritty of popping up, so if you have a question don’t be afraid to ask.

Next month we’ll bring you ‘Part 2’ on this subject.  We’ll look more at the role of the arms in the pop up.  In particular looking at why you don’t want to look like a wounded seagull, or the string puppet milkmaid from the Von Trapp family production of ‘A Lonely Goatherd’.