Free guide · Dave "Postie" Post

The Stuck Surfer Fix

The 5 reasons adult surfers stop improving, how to spot each one on film, and the 10-minute land drill that fixes it.

Dave Post boosting an air Dave Post10-year Volcom pro · 20+ years coaching · national champions to weekend surfers
real talk from Postie:

I've coached groms, national champions and pro tour surfers. The adults I coach have usually been surfing for 10 or 20 years, and most of them surf exactly the way they did 10 years ago.

It's almost never age, fitness or the board. It's one habit they can't see from inside their own body. Below are the five I see most. Read them, then film yourself and find yours.

  1. Your eyes aren't leading the turn
  2. You're turning standing tall
  3. Your arms are doing your shoulders' job
  4. Your back foot is in the wrong place
  5. You're surfing too far from the pocket
01

Your eyes aren't leading the turn

Your board goes where your head goes, and your head goes where your eyes go. Most stuck surfers look at their board or the whitewater right in front of them, so the turn comes out flat and late.

Spot it on filmFreeze the clip at the start of your bottom turn. Is your chin pointed down at your board instead of up at the lip?
What it costs youShort, shallow turns. You never reach the top of the wave with any speed.
The cueEyes on the target, then turn.
Land drill · 10 minutes

Eyes-first pivots

  1. Stand in your surf stance on a towel, knees bent.
  2. Pick a spot on the wall behind your shoulder. Turn your eyes to it first, then your head, then shoulders, then hips.
  3. Do 10 each way. Then do it on a surfskate if you have one.
02

You're turning standing tall

Power comes from compressing low and then extending through the turn. Most adults ride with straight legs, so there's nothing to push with and no way to absorb the wave.

Spot it on filmAt the bottom of the wave, is your back knee bent deeper than 90 degrees? If your hips are higher than your hands, you're too tall.
What it costs youBogging, sliding out and turns with no drive.
The cueGet low before you turn. Stand up through it.
Land drill · 10 minutes

Stance squats

  1. Take your surf stance, feet as wide as on your board.
  2. Squat down slowly until your back knee drops toward your front heel. Hold 2 seconds, then drive up.
  3. 3 sets of 10. Keep your chest up and your weight centered.
03

Your arms are doing your shoulders' job

Rail-to-rail turns come from rotating your shoulders and hips, not from waving your arms. Flailing arms look busy but don't turn the board.

Spot it on filmDuring a cutback, do your shoulders stay pointed down the line while your arms swing around?
What it costs youTurns that stall halfway and feel off-balance.
The cueLead with your shoulders. The board follows.
Land drill · 10 minutes

Broomstick rotations

  1. Hold a broomstick across your shoulders in your surf stance.
  2. Rotate your shoulders as far as you can toward your back foot, then toward your front foot, keeping your knees bent.
  3. 3 sets of 12 each way, slow and controlled.
04

Your back foot is in the wrong place

If your back foot lands too far up the board, you can't put pressure on the tail. The fins don't engage and the board won't pivot.

Spot it on filmPause right after your pop-up. Is your back foot on the traction pad, over the fins?
What it costs youWide, slow turns, and no snap at the top.
The cueBack foot on the pad, every pop-up.
Land drill · 10 minutes

Taped pop-ups

  1. Lay your board (or draw its outline) on the floor and tape where your back foot belongs.
  2. Pop up from lying flat and land with your back foot on the tape.
  3. 20 reps. Film a few with your phone to check.
05

You're surfing too far from the pocket

The steep part of the wave near the curl is where the speed is. Stuck surfers drift out onto the flat shoulder, run out of speed, then have nothing left for a turn.

Spot it on filmPause at each turn and check how far you are from the breaking part. More than a board length away? You're too far out.
What it costs youShort rides and turns that die on the flats.
The cueTurn back to the curl before you need to.
Film drill · 10 minutes

The pause-and-mark review

  1. Take your last 5 waves on video.
  2. Pause at every turn and note: close to the curl, or out on the shoulder?
  3. Next session, aim to turn earlier and tighter to the curl. Re-film and compare.

How to film yourself (so you can actually see it)

Next step

Can't tell which one is yours?

That's normal. You can't see your own habits, and that's my job. Send me a clip and I'll tell you which fix to start with, for free. Want me in your corner for 90 days, in Orange County or remote from anywhere? Apply for the Breakthrough.

DM "WAVE" + your clip → 90-Day Breakthrough →