So the waves I surf are usually choppy. Not typically this size though. In my case it comes down to being very opportunistic and lowering your expectations.

What I often find where I live is that 80 percent of people are sitting too far outside because they don't want to take a set on the head or feel uncomfortable in the more chaotic sections. It might be worth sitting a bit more inside then you think you need to be. You'll probably end up getting a hell of a duckdive workout though.

I can't really tell from the video so ignore this if it doesn't make sense. Where are you looking when approaching one of the banks? Looking some way above the coping of the banks rather than at the coping has helped me het higher in the past.

Some good input by Graham. I would also suggest to have a look at your right shoulder. If you want to create a tighter arc you will also need to pull that back (twist) a lot more so you are not blocking the rotation. At the moment a lot of your turn happens when you're already back on flat ground.

Try to incrementally take a straighter line into the wall and try to get the full twist at the top of the arc.

Don't expect to het there straight away. Trust (and try to enjoy :-) ) the process.

Do you really need one? Probably not. But it’s your board, you can do whatever you like.

Your back foot will move. And once you start going more vertical it might move fully back on pivot style turns. Will a tail pad help you then? Maybe, but consider Mason Ho does all his surfing without one. And he’s basically nuts, and so is his surfing.

It's a bit of a masterclass. Those legs are so busy.

I've recently gotten into the habit of doing yoga every day. Let's say I actually do it 5 out of 7 days every week. Nothing fancy, there are these 30 days of yoga routines on youtube. It's easy to fit into a busy life and helps with flexibility and some core work too. The basic philosophy being It's the little things you do every day day.

Try hitting the closeout section. Do a snap or foam climb for instance. It's a good habit to get into. Trying for floaters can also help you make it past closeout sections.

Probably one of the hardest skills to learn in surfing is to read waves well. You could probably spend a lifetime and still improve.

You will have to adapt your pop up to the wave but the basic technique remains the same. Depending on the shape of the wave it may for instance need to be quicker. The glide phase might be really long or virtually non existent etc. If you want to compare to complete opposite ends of the spectrum have a look at Batu Balong (know as the wave that never breaks) and something like Pipeline or Teahupo’o. The basic technique is the same but speed of execution is different. Also fast waves might require you to really knife the takeoff.

Adapting to what that specific wave needs is part of the learning process. And this is of course also why looking at the wave as it stands up and during your takeoff is so crucial. You will sort of adapt automatically.