Question: I just started surfing and I'm having a hard time turning my long board. Is a 7'6" easier to turn ?
Answer: A shorter board won't matter if you don't learn the basics first.
Paddled, Popped Up and now ready to turn. But notice where her front arm is.
The front hand/arm should point to the direction you want to go and leads the turn. But here that leading arm is locked down to the hip. So unconsciouly, that back arm swings back ( which is the opposite direct of the turn )
With the front arm locked down to the body, it restricts the shoulders, torso, waist from twisting. No twist, No turn.
You might say she is turning, but no, she is leaning. Her weight is mainly on both heels. So much so you can see the splash of water coming off her front foot heel.
Again, when the front arm is locked down, there is no rotation of the upper body. So that will mean no rotation of the legs, knees and feet later to turn the board.
( also like the photo above, Look Down means Go Down )
Here her eyes are up and looking up out and to the left, which is good.
But what is not good is her "guarding" front arm. Like she is trying to block something.
( what it's really doing is blocking the body from turning the board )
Eyes good. Parallel stance bad. Front arm coming across the chest when it should be way far away from it, worse.
This is NOT perfect technique, but here his front arm is NOT locked down to the body. It is away from the body and helping to lead the turn.
All the photos are not of Newbies on their first surf lesson. All of them are beginners starting to learn how to turn.
The lock down of the front arm is a common bad habit for beginners. It is because they are scared to open up ( literally )
But once they learn to not do that and use the front are to lead the body/turn, then those basics of turning can later be transferred down to a shorter board.
Next week I will talk about the "Non-Turn".
Until then please check out Eason's surf photography, Matsunosuke Kugenuma on FB and http://starb.on.coocan.jp/daily/daily0.html to see more.