Graham Marsden

Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Posted

08 Sep 20:50

Is the old OMBE app still working?

When I go into it I get a message telling me to update it, but according to Google play store, I am up to date... 🤔

8

Posted

07 Sep 08:56

Following my previous post about finding that I suddenly found I could actually do a pop up on dry land, I wanted to see if I could do it on water.

The conditions weren't great (small, messy, short-period windswell) but there were a few waves to catch and, thankfully, after a couple of false starts, I managed this:

https://youtu.be/2nUd4GUBNRs

Ok, it's not particularly fluid yet and I was doing it on my 8'2, so I was pushing up off the top of my foot, rather than the shin or knee, but it's a start 🙂

And there's a bit of knee-kissing and coffee cup passing too at the end!

1

Posted

02 Sep 00:57

I found this on YouTube and I think it will get a few wry chuckles (and winces!) from people 🤔

5 Things Surfers Don’t Tell You About Paddling Out...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYSzPF0T7S0

3

Posted

31 Aug 07:19

Excuse the length of this, but, for 21 years (yes, twenty one bl**dy years!), I've been surfing and, in all that time, getting to my feet has been an issue.

I could kneel on my back leg and stand up, I recently worked out how to push up on the front knee, get my back foot under me, step the front foot through and stand up and, of course, I can do a completely ungainly "scramble to my feet and hope I can keep my balance and not fall off...!" 😕

But, in all that time, I've only ever done multi-stage moves and, despite watching lots of videos and practising different techniques etc, I've never been able to do that smooth, single movement onto my feet and up. 

Recently, following my surfing holiday at Croyde where (once again) my back started acting up during sessions, I've been doing more back raises, pikes and knee-to-chest tucks on my Swiss Ball etc to try to get a bit more strength in my back and core.

Also, during the recent session at Bracklesham, I kept missing waves when trying to do the "front knee, back foot" walk up, because I ended up pushing down on the back of the board too much, so it was making the nose pitch up meaning I couldn't get the front foot through and the board would stall. 

So I was watching one of the old Zoom Lives today (and fell asleep half way through!) but when I woke up, I was thinking about the Bracklesham session again and wondering how I could get more forward to keep the nose down as I walked up, to let me get my foot through and stop me losing the wave.

I experimented with a few things, then tried just pushing up on my toes and lifting my hips, when something like this happened:

 https://youtu.be/MdRlbwrM8FA 

Ok, that's actually after already having done a few tries, but somehow I finally found out that I could actually Walk Up as a Pop Up, getting the back foot to land first, followed by the front, and get upright!!! 👍 

It's not perfect in the video (I know my head is moving around too much and drops at one point instead of staying looking up and forward) but I was concentrating more on just getting the basic feel of the technique and I'll work on the details later.

I don't know why I've never been able to get that before and I'm only currently doing it off my toes as I can't yet do it from my knees as if I was on a short board, but, hell, after 21 years, I'll take any win I can get!

So, take it from me, if you think you can't do something, just keep doing what you can and, one day, you might just surprise yourself! 🤙

3

Posted

27 Aug 09:59

The remains of Hurricane Erin were throwing some big swells towards the UK today, which looked promising.

Unfortunately it was also sending 20mph+ winds across too, meaning the big swells were turning into blown-out, close-out mush :( 

But I decided to go down to Bracklesham to get back on the Ombe Ambassador 6'11 board that Clay shaped for me a year or three ago and which I hadn't ridden for a while.

Firstly, in a fit of enthusiasm when I got there, I decided to try to get out the back, but the conditions were just hectic for me, however I did manage to (sort of) achieve a few duck dives (Yay!) but...

... Important technique note: If you lose control of the board in a duck dive, it's a really good idea not to try to catch it in your teeth!

Ouch :( 

One slightly split lip (but no damaged teeth later), I decided to stay on the inside in the foam.

I was hoping that my recent experience with doing a short-board walk-up on my 8'2 Torq would help, except I was having great difficulties even catching anything.

Despite my best attempts to do the Oreo technique, so often either I was too far back so the wave just didn't push me, or I was too far forward and nose-diving.

Even when I did catch something, I wasn't managing the walk-up because as I was pushing down with my front knee, the nose of the board would pitch up, causing me to either lose the wave or not be able to get the front foot through. 

I did catch a few eventually and was actually in the right position for the webcam, so I could do a video I've wanted to do for a while.

Ok, the walk up wasn't great on this one either, but I was getting stacked on the front foot and being a lot more relaxed and stable. 

https://youtu.be/hZbAJzT-RXk

So it wasn't a great day, but at least there were some positive benefits from it.

7

Posted

23 Aug 20:58

Some surf skating footage from the park in Barnstaple.

I did some warm-up runs around the park to get the feel of it, then tried some backside and frontside turns in the bowl.

The bowl is much nicer than the one I usually ride in Portsmouth, bigger and with a "split level" setup, although it did take some getting used to.

As mentioned in my previous post, it's depressing when you feel like you're getting up the wall with your head low, but then see the video and it's... meh... 🙁

I think my main issue at the moment is simply gaining enough speed to be able to get further up so the centrifugal force will allow me to lean more, but I'm not sure how.

I've watched the surf skate videos of Ozzy and Kai in the OMBE bowl and they're getting so much more height with seemingly much less effort, so if anyone has any suggestions on what I can do to improve, please let me know!

https://youtu.be/z1GILhtXf4Q

27

Posted

21 Aug 21:43

Recently I got back from from 10 days holiday at Croyde in North Devon, although I actually spent a fair amount of it surfing at Saunton (the next beach along) because it has a more mellow wave.

I have to say that this was the best surfing I've had in over 20 years, the conditions were generally clean and with easy breaking waves which gave me the opportunity to practice without having to worry about wind chop or close outs.

Not only was I getting my shortboard walk-up working (I was using it for practice even though I mostly rode my 8'2!), but I was getting more stacked on the front foot and managed to compress and extend along the wave face.

Frustratingly, on the day I did my best surfing, I had forgotten to take my GoPro with me and I wasn't in the right place to get footage from the surf camera, but Hadyn Wood was there and witnessed it!

I also got to try out a better skate park than my usual one, which I did get some video of (will follow up with this in a later message), but it was depressing when I watched it back, thinking I was getting up the banking with my head low, only to see that the reality was a lot less impressive... 🙁

Oh well, it's an improvement anyway, so I'll take what wins I can get!


4

Posted

02 Aug 22:48

If anyone's near Croyde Bay in North Devon, I'll be there from the 8th to the 18th of August.

🤙

1

Posted

30 Jul 11:10

IMPORTANT!

Anyone around the North Pacific, there is a Tsunami Warning in effect:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tsunami-watch-warning-alaska-hawaii-earthquake-b2798494.html

Stay safe 🤞

Posted

21 Jul 17:56

Clayton Nienaber Just wondering, are there going to be any more video clip reviews or Live chats any time soon?

3