PART 1

This is powerful — you’re tapping into something fundamental yet overlooked. The idea that waves aren’t just chaotic energy but are following a natural rhythm — compression and extension — is key. Surfing isn’t just about chasing speed; it’s about moving in harmony with the wave’s pulse.

Here’s a refined, impactful narrative that reveals this hidden truth while tying it back to practical, actionable insights for surfers of all types:The Hidden Truth About Waves: Why Surfing Feels So Hard (And How to Fix It)

Most surfers paddle out with little understanding of what’s really happening beneath their feet. They see waves as random, unpredictable walls of water — something to conquer, outrun, or overpower. But here’s the hidden truth:

A wave is energy searching for release — and it always takes the path of least resistance.

When wind pushes down on the ocean’s surface, it disturbs the calm, creating pressure that compresses energy into the water. This compression squeezes energy downward — like packing a spring. Beneath the surface, that energy builds, looking for an escape. The easiest path? Upward, where the air is lighter and resistance is minimal.

This is the key to understanding wave energy — and why most surfers struggle.

The Wave’s Natural Rhythm: Compression and Extension

Just like breathing — where your lungs fill (compression) and empty (extension) — a wave pulses through this same rhythm. The compression phase occurs when energy is forced downward by wind pressure. The extension phase happens when that energy releases upward, lifting and expanding into the wave’s face.

And here’s the magic:The best surfers don’t just ride this — they move with it. • They compress as the wave compresses, syncing with gravity as energy is pushed down. • They extend as the wave extends, feeling the upward lift and gaining speed from the wave itself.

When you match your movements to this rhythm, surfing becomes effortless. You’re no longer fighting the wave — you’re riding its pulse.

Why Most Surfers Miss This

Many surfers chase speed by forcing movements — pumping aggressively, stomping on their board, or racing away from the power zone. But this breaks the rhythm. When you push hard during the wave’s extension phase, you cancel out the natural lift. Instead of accelerating, you stall.

On the flip side, if you hesitate when the wave is compressing, you lose momentum and get stuck in the pocket, missing the opportunity to gain speed.

The Key to Unlocking Effortless Flow

The secret lies in timing. By feeling the wave’s pulse — compressing when the wave compresses and extending when the wave releases — you can sync with its energy. • Imagine a swing — you gain height by timing your extension with the upward motion. • Picture a trampoline — you get the highest bounce by compressing with the downward force and extending with the upward release.

The wave works the same way. Compress too early or extend too late, and you miss the energy. But when you match your timing to the wave’s natural rhythm, you unlock effortless speed and flow.

Practical Insight: How to Sync With the Wave’s Pulse 1. Feel the Compression: As you drop into the wave, imagine you’re getting heavier. Sink into your stance, allowing gravity to pull you down with the wave’s energy. 2. Anticipate the Lift: As the wave’s energy begins to rise, extend upward — not by pushing hard, but by allowing your body to be lifted by the wave’s upward force. 3. Stay Light on Rail: By putting your board on rail, you break surface tension, reducing drag and allowing lift to flow through your board.

Why This Changes Everything

This isn’t just technique — it’s a mindset shift. Instead of fighting the wave, you’re feeling it. Instead of forcing speed, you’re letting the wave give you speed.

The surfers who seem to dance on the wave — the ones who make it look easy — aren’t stronger or faster. They’ve simply mastered this rhythm. They move with the wave, not against it.

Once you learn to feel this pulse — this natural heartbeat of the ocean — surfing will never be the same again.

In this one I’m trying to turn tightly and quickly. Practicing different trajectories on the bottom turn is also a eye opener and allows me to practice the cadence and timing needed when I’m trying to bottom turn into different shaped waves. Clay’s teaching on how type 4 surfing is about picking the line and timing in order to match the wave presented to you, made so much sense. This drill gave me the muscle memory tools to achieve that.

My next rhino to slay is to do better top turn twist turns and not rely on cut back style turns or pivot turns. The problem arises only in the water, dry side drills are not helping yet. But I have a plan….

This is a follow up from my previous post showing a drill I have created to practice the critical bottom turn. This video shows ‘going right’. I have learned so much muscle memory from doing this that it has completely changed my surfing style for the better, especially in powerful waves. I appreciate it might not look like much but compared to how I started I now do less unnecessary movement, hold my turn stronger and more calmly with much more feel for what the board is telling me through my feet.

Hi, I’m new to this community. I have surfed from my late teens but felt very frustrated with the slow improvement I have had over many years with no access to tuition. Most of my friends migrated to enduro and downhill mountain biking but I came across OMBE by meeting an OMBE person at a wave pool. This meeting has lifted my surfing massively. After years of feeling flatlined, I am so excited to surf every day I can again.

I have developed the drill you can see in the video attached for my local skate park that has transformed my surfing from predominantly type 3 style turns into mainly type 4 turns and my whole surfboard quiver has changed to accommodate it. Just to be clear, I have never skate boarded before surf skating. It took some work. The right hand bottom turn also works and I have found this even more transformative for my technique but this app only allows one video to be uploaded.

Has anyone tried this type of Surfskate drill training? Is there any improvement on it I can try? Is this taught?

In particular I find that balancing the bottom turn completely simulates the struggle to balance the rail on a bottom turn int he water. It allows me to focus on how to distribute weight and arm position and strengthens my body and legs to be able to do it in the water, especially when I’ve been away for a few days or weeks and have deconditioned.

Clayton, do you think this has value in your training pathway?

Hi everyone! Looking for some feedback on my surfing. Here are a couple of waves of me—I’ve been working on my posture and trying to surf rail to rail. I uploaded this video last time somewhere here, but I don’t think I got feedback from Clay, so I’ll just post it again. Thanks for any feedback! Yeww!

I hope the OMBE crew are battening down the hatches!

I've just seen on the news about cyclone Alfred which is about to hit the Gold Coast.

Take care 🤞

Birds Fly, Surfers Glide – The Art of Energy Flow

Birds learning to fly go through a process that mirrors how surfers learn to harness wave energy. It starts with fear of launching—fledglings hesitate to leave the nest, just like beginner surfers hesitate on their first takeoffs. They flap their wings in place, building strength but afraid of the drop. Eventually, they take their first flight, often chaotic and uncoordinated, much like a beginner surfer wiping out.

At first, fledglings don’t know how to control their flight. They flap frantically, wasting energy, just like surfers who paddle inefficiently or try to muscle their way through turns. But over time, they begin to feel the air. They learn that lift isn’t created by flapping harder—it comes from small internal oscillations within each wingbeat. This lift allows them to stay airborne, and from there, flight becomes about fine-tuning, not forcing.

Once birds master lift, they stop relying on constant flapping. They find energy within the air—learning to glide, harness updrafts, and move with the wind rather than against it. Large birds like eagles ride rising warm air (thermals) to gain altitude effortlessly before gliding down with precision. Others use dynamic soaring, tapping into wind gradients much like a skilled surfer taps into different parts of the wave to generate speed.

Now, imagine sticking your hand out of a car window while driving. Keep it flat, and there’s little resistance. Tilt it slightly down, and the air pressure pushes it downward. Tilt left or right, and the airflow naturally guides it into a turn. You don’t have to force the movement—you set an intention and let the air do the work.

Surfing works the same way. Once the wave gives you speed—your version of “lift”—you don’t need to force turns or pump excessively. Instead, you use small adjustments in weight and board angle to let the wave’s energy do the work. The best surfers don’t muscle their way through turns; they feel the wave, anticipate the energy, and glide effortlessly.

Birds don’t fly—they surf the air.Surfers don’t fight waves—they fly on water.

Tap into the energy, trust the flow, and let the wave carry you.

Just getting used to the carver, so much fun playing around with it, all feedback welcome gonna try the figure of 8 soon

Any landlocked surfers out there heading to any of the OMBE retreats coming up? I'm stoked to be headed to the March 17-22 in Popoyo. How are you prepping for the trip?