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WAVE RIDING
A practical example One of the best examples of someone trimming their board is watching a good SUP Surfer . They will be trimming their board almost constantly as they manage the conditions and the waves they ride .
If we follow a surfer along their ride right from catching the wave to when they finish , it will show us just how many times they trim their board .
Catching a wave As the surfer gets into position , they will control the board with their feet and paddle , which might be choppy from the previous wave or the conditions . As they begin to paddle , they might adjust their feet to keep the board stablised , and just before take-off , they will have made further adjustments , potentially even weighting the front foot to push the board into the wave .
Take off As they pick up speed , a surfer will want to angle their take off more often than not . They are usually done with the feet placing pressure on their heels or toes to set their line , which keeps them in the right place to start manoeuvres .
The first turn The paddle now comes into play as they lean on it or even drag it to control the board better . While this also has stability elements , the paddle is an effective tool to help control a board ’ s speed and angle . As they begin their first turn , the surfer will have already trimmed the board up and down the wave to set their line , and now they are set to turn as they need .
Finishing the ride Once all the turns are done , the paddler will try to exit cleanly , staying on the board . Again the paddle and foot pressure will help control the board with shifts in weight to help guide the board out of the wave . As the momentum stalls , the surfer will again trim the board to begin paddling back out , which may include going over broken waves . This will also need trimming skills to set the board up to climb the wave , and the surfer can continue paddling out before starting all over again .
Summing it up As you can see , a surfer is constantly trimming the board to set their line , make turns and control the board as they catch , ride and finish their wave . Trimming , though , isn ’ t just limited to the extremes such as surfing , so next , we will explore other areas where trimming can help you .
Choppy conditions Paddling in chop , be it boat wake , wind chop , or just messy water , can be a real challenge , especially if you plough on through it and remain standing in the same place on your board . What you can do here is stand slightly further back than normal to lift the board ’ s nose slightly ; this is especially effective with flatwater boards . This only needs to be six inches or so , and you will find a sweet spot for your board where it almost starts to skim over the bumps rather than bash into them . As the bumps get bigger , standing a little further back still or even adopting a split stance with one foot slightly further back than the other will help you trim the board as it moves up and down .
PADDLE THROUGH CHOP