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Progression in surfing is challenging because it requires a fundamental shift in how we understand balance, speed, and control—concepts that often conflict with our instincts and prior experiences. Let’s break it down:

1. The Balance Misconception

Most beginners think of surfing as primarily a balancing act, much like standing still on solid ground. However, surfing introduces a dynamic environment where balance is inseparable from acceleration and thrust. Newton’s first law comes into play: when the wave propels the surfboard forward, inertia pulls the body backward, leading to a fall. True balance in surfing isn’t static—it’s dynamic and tied to understanding the energy of the wave.

Analogy: Riding a Bicycle

Just like riding a bicycle, balance improves with speed. When you’re stationary or moving slowly on a bike, staying upright is difficult. But as speed increases, momentum stabilizes the ride, and you can relax into balance. Similarly, in surfing, speed generated by the wave creates a stable platform, allowing the surfer to relax and flow with the motion.

2. The Need for Speed and Control

In surfing, learning to harness speed from the wave is critical. Without speed, every movement feels forced, and small mistakes are magnified. But with speed, the wave does the work, and the surfer can begin to flow. However, speed introduces its own complexities—like timing, positioning, and line selection—which require practice to master.

Comparison to Vehicles:

• Car: Like driving a car, a beginner surfer learns the basics—getting moving, turning gently, and staying upright. But in a car, sharp turns at high speeds can lead to flipping, just as abrupt movements on a surfboard can cause wipeouts.
• Motorbike: A motorbike adds complexity. To accelerate effectively, riders lean forward to reduce resistance, much like surfers must lean into the wave’s energy. Motorbikes are also more agile, allowing sharper turns—similar to how more advanced surfers take tighter, faster lines on waves.
• Airplane: An airplane represents the ultimate freedom in movement, with no friction or terrain limitations. To achieve lift, it must accelerate enough to reduce drag and use its design to glide effortlessly. This parallels advanced surfing, where understanding lift, drag, and energy allows surfers to access the wave’s full potential.

3. Limitations of Equipment and Lines

Each surfboard acts as a mode of transport, with its own set of limitations:
• A longboard is like a car—stable, smooth, but limited in agility.
• A shortboard is like a motorbike—more dynamic and responsive, but requiring more skill.
• An advanced board with high rocker and thin rails is like an airplane—allowing for three-dimensional, free-flowing movement on the wave.

Beginners often don’t realize that their equipment limits the lines they can take, which in turn limits their understanding of what is possible. This creates a cycle of frustration, where they “don’t know what they don’t know.”

4. The Role of Coaching and Equipment Progression

Coaching breaks this cycle by exposing surfers to new ways of thinking, feeling, and moving. Changing the board or approach can expose surfers to previously unknown sensations, teaching them what they didn’t know they were missing. However, to progress, surfers must let go of preconceived notions—emptying the glass—and approach the lesson with an open mind and curiosity.

The Learner’s Mindset

Progression becomes fun when surfers embrace the unknown and commit to discovery. Each new sensation or breakthrough unlocks deeper levels of understanding and connection with the wave. The journey is as much about unlearning rigid patterns as it is about mastering new ones.

5. Why It’s Hard: The Learning Curve

Surfing progression is tough because it requires the simultaneous mastery of multiple layers:
1. Body Awareness: Adapting to dynamic movement rather than static balance.
2. Wave Reading: Recognizing the wave’s energy and learning to position and time movements.
3. Equipment Adaptation: Transitioning from stable to more responsive boards.
4. Mindset: Letting go of fear, embracing failure, and trusting the process.

Each level builds on the last, and the limits imposed by the surfer’s mindset, board, and understanding create bottlenecks that only exposure, practice, and guidance can overcome.

Final Thought

Surfing is not just about standing on a board—it’s about learning to harness energy, adapt to a dynamic environment, and move with freedom. Each step in the journey—like moving from a car to a motorbike to an airplane—offers new challenges but also greater possibilities. With speed, agility, and lift, the surfer moves closer to effortless flow, where the wave’s energy becomes an extension of their own.

Big News for the OMBE Community!
We’re sharing some changes happening here at OMBE: Ant is stepping back from co-hosting with Clayton due to a shift in direction and a packed calendar. 
As many of you know, Ant is always on the go, sharing his passion as a public speaker and mindset coach, helping people level up in all things personal development. He’s got some exciting projects on the horizon!
We’ll miss his energy, humour, and insights that have been a huge part of OMBE over the past 4 years. 
Ant’s contributions have been nothing short of epic, and we’re so grateful for the incredible vibe he’s brought to the team as we’ve grown OMBE to where it is today.
If you’d like to keep up with what Ant’s doing, be sure to connect with him on Instagram 👉 @anthonylayespeaks (https://www.instagram.com/anthonylayespeaks) and YouTube 👉 @anthonylaye (https://youtube.com/@anthonylaye) where he’ll be sharing all the good stuff and keeping the inspiration flowing.
We’ll
miss having him here at OMBE, but we’re pumped to see what he accomplishes next!

Project: Speed in Surfing

Introduction

Speed is the lifeblood of surfing. It allows surfers to navigate the wave’s face, perform maneuvers, and harness the wave’s energy to keep their ride alive. However, speed in surfing isn’t simply about going fast; it’s about understanding when and how to generate speed, how to maintain it, and how to avoid common pitfalls that can slow you down.

Drawing analogies from sprinting, we can break down the process of speed in surfing into phases that include acceleration, maintaining speed, and controlling movement across the wave face. Let’s dive into the mechanics of speed in surfing and explore the interplay between gravity, wave energy, and body movement.

Phase 1: Acceleration at Takeoff

Just as a sprinter launches off the starting blocks with a burst of acceleration, a surfer’s initial takeoff is all about harnessing gravity to propel down the wave. This initial drop provides a burst of speed, giving the surfer momentum to work with.

• Gravity’s Role: Gravity accelerates the surfer down the face of the wave. This force is strongest during takeoff, where it pulls the surfer downward, giving them their first taste of speed.
• Compression: At this stage, surfers should stay low, compressing their body to stabilize and control this acceleration. This low posture maximizes stability and uses the downward pull of gravity to gain momentum.

Coaching Point: “Compress to accelerate.” Emphasize the importance of staying low to harness the wave’s downward energy during takeoff. This is your burst phase, similar to a sprinter pushing out of the blocks.

Phase 2: Transitioning to Speed

Once the surfer is moving along the face of the wave, the objective shifts from acceleration to maintaining speed. This phase is about transitioning from a low, compressed stance to a taller, more extended posture that lightens the load on the board.

• Standing Taller: Just as a sprinter stands upright to maintain a sustainable stride, a surfer should extend after takeoff. This reduces drag, allowing for smooth, horizontal movement across the wave.
• Avoiding the Sinking Effect: Staying low too long causes the surfer to “sink,” or feel heavy on the board. This effect drags the surfer toward the wave’s base, causing them to lose speed. By extending, they reduce the downward force of gravity and remain light on the board.

Coaching Point: “Extend to sustain.” After the initial drop, encourage surfers to stand taller to avoid dragging down. This keeps them agile, reduces resistance, and allows them to flow with the wave’s forward energy.

Phase 3: Timing with the Wave’s Energy

To sustain speed, surfers need to move up and down the wave face in rhythm with the wave’s natural energy. This phase involves coordinating compression and extension to maintain a dynamic, flowing movement.

• Wave’s Orbital Motion: Water moves in a circular, or orbital, motion as it creates the wave, similar to a sine wave with an “even up” and “even down.” Surfing in harmony with this orbital motion is like moving in a rolling pattern, where you create speed through rhythmic compression and extension.
• Moving Up the Wave for Speed: After the drop, surfers need to return to the top of the wave to build potential energy. This motion allows them to “reset” their speed, as descending from a higher position on the wave face regenerates forward momentum.

Coaching Point: “Ride with rhythm.” Encourage surfers to think of their movements as a dance with the wave’s natural motion, going up and down to continually harness the wave’s energy and sustain speed.

Phase 4: Counteracting Gravity with Extension

Gravity, while useful for initial acceleration, is a force that surfers need to counteract to avoid losing speed. Extension becomes a powerful tool to lift the surfer above gravity’s pull, allowing them to stay high on the wave face.

• Upward Lift: Just as a sprinter lifts with each stride to counteract gravity, a surfer uses extension as an upward force to keep from sinking. By extending in sync with the wave’s upward draw, surfers align with the wave’s natural energy to stay above gravity’s slowing effect.
• Using the Rail for Lift: When surfers press down on their toe edge and engage the rail, they tap into the wave’s buoyancy. This buoyancy allows the board to “pop” back up, lifting them and maintaining speed. Timed with an upward extension, this technique helps surfers stay in control, light, and high on the wave face.

Coaching Point: “Extend with the wave’s lift.” By timing extensions with the wave’s upward pull, surfers counteract gravity, maintaining a smooth, fast ride.

Phase 5: The Balance Between Acceleration and Maintaining Speed

A crucial concept in surfing is distinguishing between acceleration and speed. Many surfers mistake initial acceleration for sustainable speed, but they’re two distinct phases. Acceleration is the burst of speed you get when gravity pulls you down the wave face, while maintaining speed is about managing movement across the wave.

• Controlled Extension vs. Compression: Compression should be minimal after takeoff to avoid sinking. Instead, the focus shifts to controlled extensions that maintain a steady flow across the wave face. This dynamic balance keeps you moving forward without losing height or momentum.
• Avoiding Over-Compression: Excessive compression can work against you by enhancing gravity’s pull, which will drag you lower on the wave. Remember, the wave’s energy gives you the forward motion, so the goal is to maintain that speed, not over-compress.

Coaching Point: “Use the wave’s energy, don’t force it.” Instead of over-compressing, focus on subtle movements that align with the wave’s energy. This keeps your ride fluid and efficient, letting the wave power your speed.

Key Insights Summary

1\. Harness Gravity Initially, Then Counteract It: Use gravity for acceleration on takeoff but shift to counteracting it by extending and moving high on the wave.
2\. Extend to Stay Light and Fluid: Transitioning from compression to extension reduces drag, allowing you to sustain speed without sinking.
3\. Ride with the Wave’s Rhythm: Embrace the wave’s orbital motion by moving up and down in a rolling flow, syncing with the wave’s natural energy.
4\. Precision in Compression and Extension: Minimal compression after takeoff and timed extension maintain a controlled, fast, and balanced ride.
5\. The Wave’s Lift Is Your Ally: Use the wave’s upward pull to counteract gravity, keeping your ride smooth, light, and fast.

Conclusion

Speed in surfing is a dynamic interplay of forces, timing, and rhythm. By understanding how to harness gravity for acceleration, extend to counteract it, and align with the wave’s orbital energy, surfers can unlock a faster, more controlled, and exhilarating ride. This journey isn’t about brute force or pushing for speed; it’s about syncing with the wave’s natural energy, moving with fluid precision, and knowing when to harness and when to release.

Riding the Edge: Surfing, Space, and the Secrets of the Universe

Alright, let’s get a little cosmic, but keep it grounded—like when you’re out in the lineup, waiting for that next set. We all know that feeling of dropping into a wave, riding the energy, and trying to hold the perfect line. It’s a dance between speed, balance, and the raw power of the ocean. But what if I told you that this dance has a lot in common with how things move in space, like a spacecraft navigating around a planet? Let’s talk about Roche’s limit, Hohmann’s principle, and why surfing might just be the most cosmic sport on Earth.

First, imagine a surfer dropping into a big, hollow wave—a wave with a powerful, swirling vortex inside the barrel. That vortex is like a planet’s gravity. It’s pulling everything towards it, trying to suck you in. Now, in space, there’s something called the Roche limit—the point where a moon gets too close to a planet and gets torn apart by its gravity, scattering into rings like the ones around Saturn. In surfing, your Roche limit is when you’re riding the tube, and the wave’s power is trying to drag you down. Stay just outside that edge, and you’re flying; cross the line, and you’re wiping out in a foamy mess.

But here’s where it gets interesting: To ride that line and not get pulled in, you need to use the wave’s energy, not fight against it. Think about how a spacecraft moves around a planet. There’s a concept called Hohmann’s principle, which says the most efficient way to change orbits around a planet is to use the planet’s gravity, letting it slingshot you around. In surfing, it’s the same idea—you want to harness the wave’s energy to move efficiently, to keep that smooth flow through the barrel without losing control.

Now, let’s break that down. The vortex of a wave is like gravity—it’s the pull, the raw force that’s always there. But there’s another type of energy at play: think of it like magnetism. This is where the Coanda effect comes in—the way fluid (like water) flows over a surface, sticking to it and creating lift. For surfers, this means when you’re on the right line, the wave’s energy wraps around your board, helping you stay lifted in the pocket of the tube. It’s like being magnetically drawn along the wave’s curve, with just enough lift to keep you from getting sucked under.

To ride that perfect line, you need to balance all of these forces—gravity, lift, magnetism—working with the wave instead of against it. You’re threading the needle between the wave’s pull and its push, the way a spacecraft uses a planet’s gravity to sling it around. And just like space travel, surfing is all about efficiency. Find that sweet spot, and you’ll glide effortlessly through the barrel, feeling like you’re bending the rules of nature itself. But push too far, and you’re swallowed up, sent tumbling back into the chaos.

It’s one of the reasons why surfing is so mind-bendingly difficult—because it’s not just about strength or speed. It’s about understanding how to tap into the wave’s energy, how to read the way it moves, and finding that perfect balance. It’s a small-scale version of what NASA deals with when they launch satellites or send rovers to Mars, but the challenge is just as real. And when you’re out there, feeling the pull of the ocean and the lift of your board, you’re playing with the same forces that shape the universe.

So next time you’re in the tube, think of yourself as that spacecraft, navigating the edge of a planet’s gravity. You’re riding the Roche limit, using the wave’s energy to take the most efficient path through the barrel. It’s a cosmic dance, and you’re right in the middle of it. And that, my friends, is why surfing is not just a sport—it’s a window into something way bigger, a chance to ride the energy of the universe itself.

Keep chasing that line, stay curious, and see how close you can get to the edge without getting pulled in. That’s where the magic happens. 🌊🚀

The Science and Flow of Surfing: Tapping Into the Ocean’s Secrets for Maximum Efficiency

Surfing is more than just standing on a board—it’s a dance with natural forces, where physics, hydrodynamics, and your intuition come together. When you’re truly connected with the ocean’s energy, each move becomes effortless and the ride transforms into a perfect harmony of speed, flow, and rhythm.

From understanding how waves move to mastering the intricacies of turning, surfing is all about knowing how to use the energy available to you. To truly grasp this, we’ll explore the principles that make surfing efficient and fluid—from gravity to the Hohmann principle, from the Coandă effect to resonance. By the end, you’ll not only understand surfing but also how to flow with the ocean as if you were part of it.

1. The Wave’s Energy: Riding the Horizontal Vortex

Imagine a vortex of water spiraling down a drain. The water closest to the center spins faster, carrying more energy, while the water farther out moves slower and with less power. Now, turn that vortex on its side—that’s essentially how a wave moves: a spiraling body of energy pushing forward.

• Low entropy (order): Near the center of this sideways vortex is the pocket—the wave’s steepest, fastest, and most powerful part. This is a zone of low entropy, where the energy is highly organized and concentrated.
• High entropy (chaos): As you drift farther from the pocket toward the shoulder, the energy becomes more scattered and less useful for surfing. The water is more chaotic, and you lose momentum.

To maximize your ride, you want to stay in the low-entropy zone—close to the pocket, where the wave’s energy is organized and powerful, allowing you to harness its full potential.

2. Finding the Fastest Line: The Brachistochrone Curve and Gravity’s Pull

Once you’ve caught a wave, the key to building speed is finding the most efficient line down the face. This is where the brachistochrone curve comes into play—the fastest path between two points is not a straight line, but a curve that lets gravity work for you.

• Dropping in: As you drop down the face of the wave, you want to curve your path, following a line that maximizes your acceleration. By letting gravity pull you down while the wave’s forward energy pushes you, you can build speed effortlessly.
• Speed through efficiency: The brachistochrone curve allows you to combine the wave’s power with gravity’s pull, resulting in a fast, smooth ride that prepares you for the bottom turn.

3. The Bottom Turn: The Coandă Effect and Rail Control

The bottom turn is your opportunity to use the wave’s energy to set up for the next maneuver, and it’s where control and precision are key. When you lean into the bottom turn and set your rail into the water, you’re tapping into the Coandă effect, which is what allows you to maintain grip and avoid sliding out.

• Setting the rail: As you engage the rail, the Coandă effect causes the water to cling to the curved surface of your board, creating a low-pressure zone that locks your board into the wave. This gives you hold and stability during the turn, even at high speeds.
• Leaning vs. flat: If you attempt a bottom turn without engaging the rail—keeping the board flat—you’re relying only on the fins for control. The risk here is that you can easily overpower the fin, causing the board to slide out. The rail gives you that extra grip, ensuring your turn is both tight and controlled.

4. The Hohmann Principle: Moving Effortlessly and Efficiently

As you come out of the bottom turn, here’s where the Hohmann principle kicks in. In orbital mechanics, the Hohmann principle describes the most energy-efficient path between two points, and the same principle applies to surfing. The idea is to move in the most efficient line possible, using the least amount of energy while maintaining speed and flow.

• Maintaining speed: After completing your bottom turn, you want to project up the wave face in the most efficient way possible. The key here is to keep your movement smooth and curved, ensuring that you’re harnessing the wave’s energy without scrubbing off speed.
• Using the wave’s energy: Just like a spacecraft taking the optimal route between two orbits, you want to transition from the bottom turn to the top of the wave without wasting energy. The curve of your trajectory should be fluid, allowing gravity and the wave’s energy to continue working in your favor, so you’re not expending extra effort to maintain speed.

5. The Top Turn: Turning with Power and Precision

As you reach the top of the wave after coming out of the bottom turn, your board is moving fast, and you’re about to engage in a top turn. This is where understanding the mechanics of the board’s movement and controlling your twist becomes crucial.

• Twisting the board: At the top of the wave, a vertical ascent means you’re going to collide with the lip if you don’t pivot the board. Here, you execute a twist rather than a lean. A twist allows you to rotate the board sharply on its tail, changing direction without losing too much speed.
• The Coandă effect in action: Even during the top turn, the Coandă effect plays a role. As you twist the board, water flows past the widest part of the board and creates a slight push inward, further assisting the board in completing the turn. This natural adhesion of the water to the board allows you to return smoothly to the wave face without scrubbing off speed or losing control.
• Speed and power in the pocket: After the top turn, you’re either going to re-enter the pocket (the low-entropy zone with concentrated energy) or race down the line depending on the wave. By choosing the right path, you maximize your speed while conserving energy.

6. Resonance: Moving in Sync with the Wave’s Rhythm

To truly surf efficiently, you need to sync your movements with the wave’s natural oscillations. This is where resonance comes into play: when your body movements align with the wave’s up-and-down rhythm, you’re not just riding the wave—you’re amplifying its energy.

• Compression and extension: As the wave lifts you up, you should extend your body (stand taller) to lighten your load and flow with the upward energy. When the wave falls, you compress (lower your center of gravity) to harness the downward force and speed up.
• Staying in rhythm: By matching your movements to the wave’s natural oscillation, you’re moving in harmony with the wave’s energy. This allows you to maintain speed effortlessly, increasing your flow and control.

7. Cognitive Efficiency and Flow: Automaticity in Surfing

At the highest level, surfing becomes automatic. The best surfers don’t think about every movement—they’ve trained their bodies to react instinctively to the wave. This concept is known as automaticity.

• Pattern recognition: By recognizing the patterns in how a wave forms and moves, your brain automatically knows what to do without conscious effort. This frees up mental space to focus on reading the wave and anticipating its next move.
• Flow state: When you’re in sync with the wave and your movements become automatic, you enter a flow state—that sweet spot where everything feels effortless, and you’re riding the wave as if time has slowed down. This is the ultimate goal of surfing: to be in such perfect harmony with the ocean that every move feels instinctual.

Conclusion: Effortless, Efficient, and Fluid Surfing

Surfing isn’t just about catching waves—it’s about learning to move with the ocean’s energy in the most efficient, fluid way possible. By understanding the Hohmann principle and using it to navigate from the bottom to the top of the wave, by mastering the Coandă effect to control your board, and by syncing your body’s movements with the wave’s natural rhythm, you become a part of the ocean’s flow.

The true art of surfing lies in understanding the science that underpins it. When you align your movements with the wave’s energy, follow the fastest line, and make the most efficient turns, you’re not just riding a wave—you’re dancing with the ocean, moving as one with its power and flow.

1\. The Fastest Line: The Brachistochrone Curve

What it is:
The Brachistochrone curve is a mathematical concept that shows the fastest path between two points isn’t always a straight line—it’s a curve. In surfing, this means the fastest and most efficient way to ride a wave isn’t simply going straight down the face; it’s following a curved line that takes full advantage of gravity and the wave’s energy.

Surfing takeaway:
When you follow this natural curve, you’re letting gravity pull you down the wave while gaining speed, just like a rollercoaster. The trick is to use the wave’s energy to find the path that makes you go faster with less effort. This is what we call the fastest line, and it’s all about flowing with the wave’s shape.

Why it matters:
By following the wave’s natural curve, you’ll be able to surf faster and with more control. It’s the difference between fighting the wave and flowing with it.

2\. The Vortex: Where the Wave’s Energy Lives

What it is:
When a wave breaks, it creates a vortex—a spiraling motion of water, like a whirlpool. The closer you are to this vortex, the more energy you can tap into. The vortex is the wave’s power source, where all the energy is concentrated.

Surfing takeaway:
Think of the wave’s energy like the center of a whirlpool: the closer you are to it, the more power you can use to stay fast and in control. Riding near the pocket of the wave (close to the vortex) keeps you connected to this energy, allowing you to surf longer and make sharper turns.

Why it matters:
Staying near the wave’s vortex helps you maintain speed and power throughout the ride. If you stray too far from it, you lose the wave’s energy, which means you slow down or even fall off the wave.

3\. The Coanda Effect: Water Sticking to the Surfboard

What it is:
The Coanda effect is a principle in fluid dynamics that explains how water (or any fluid) likes to stick to curved surfaces. In surfing, this means that when you put your surfboard on rail (tilting the board so one side digs into the water), the water sticks to the side of your board, allowing it to flow smoothly along the wave.

Surfing takeaway:
When your board’s edge (the rail) stays connected to the water, you reduce drag and tap into the wave’s energy more efficiently. This is what helps you make smooth turns and maintain speed while riding the wave’s face.

Why it matters:
Using the Coanda effect allows you to stick to the wave, ride it more efficiently, and make sharper, cleaner turns with less resistance. It’s what helps you stay in control, even when you’re surfing fast.

4\. The Hohmann Transfer Orbit: Energy-Efficient Trajectories

What it is:
In space, a Hohmann transfer orbit is the most energy-efficient way to move between two orbits. In surfing, we can think of this as a metaphor for moving between two key parts of the wave: the bottom and the top. To surf efficiently, you need to move between these two parts using as little energy as possible while still gaining speed.

Surfing takeaway:
Picture surfing in a figure-eight pattern. When you turn at the bottom of the wave, you gain lift (like a slingshot) to help you prepare for the next move. Then, when you turn off the top, you use gravity to pull you back down with speed. These movements keep you in sync with the wave, letting the wave’s energy do most of the work.

Why it matters:
By transitioning smoothly between the bottom turn and top turn, you can maintain flow and stay in the wave’s most powerful zones. This helps you borrow energy from the wave to keep your ride going, without wasting your own energy.

How These Principles Work Together

• The Brachistochrone curve shows you the fastest path to take on a wave—not straight down, but following the wave’s natural curve.
• The vortex is where the wave’s energy is strongest, and staying close to it helps you tap into that power.
• The Coanda effect keeps water flowing smoothly along your surfboard, letting you ride the wave’s energy with less resistance and sharper turns.
• The Hohmann transfer orbit concept helps you move efficiently between the bottom and top of the wave, using gravity and lift to maintain speed.

When you combine these principles, you’re not just riding the wave—you’re working with the wave’s energy in the most efficient, powerful way possible. This means faster rides, smoother turns, and using the wave’s natural forces to your advantage.

Why It’s Important for Surfers

Understanding these concepts helps you realize that surfing isn’t just about physical strength or forcing your way through the wave. It’s about learning how to tap into the energy already present in the wave and using it to your advantage. The more you understand the wave, the more you can flow with it, making your surfing feel effortless.

This is what OMBE’s 4Line Program is all about: teaching you to harness the wave’s power through smart, efficient movement. It’s surfing with nature, not against it—using science to become a better, faster, and more confident surfer.

Find the path of least resistance

Gold Coast winter evenings

Stock of OMBE boards at our Currumbin Hq suited to the 4 lines we surf.