It has been six months since I last paddled out into the water, and my quickly aching muscles remind me of how much work it takes to paddle out into the lineup. But the ocean feels so familiar, so much like home, that the aches and pain are easily set aside in lieu of the rush. My paddling is tired and weak right now, as my muscles attempt to recall their memorized movements, and my pop-up is labored and stiff. In my head, I recall the countless articles and advice on paddling and pop-up, and I smile … for in the end, the mechanics of surfing can still be broken down into the basics!

I once read that the movements involved in the surfing pop-up is similar to that of an explosive push up. I also read somewhere that the pop-up should be broken down into simple steps in order to build muscle memory. I have read a great number of things about surfing’s elusive pop-up, and although all of them analyze one aspect or another of this critical maneuver, they do agree on one thing: The popup should be a single fluid motion!

And so, on this day of my return to surfing I am focusing on making my pop-ups one single fluid motion. A slight push up and an arched back (which always reminds me of yoga’s cobra pose), a quick look in either direction for good measure, and in one motion I swing my legs forward and a bit sideways as my arms create a slight pendulum for my body. The mechanics are always there in my head, but six months of land locked living needs a bit of a refresher to get back into the sing of things.

I tire way too quickly, an obvious lack of conditioning in my paddling … a far cry from surfing two to three hour sessions 5 days a week. And as I sat on the beach exhausted and elated, I began to list the surfing pop-up tips I have amassed over the years:

• Try not to end up on your knees. This is a tough habit to break!
• Grabbing the rails makes it easier to slip off and give yourself a fat lip!
• The popup should be a single fluid motion
• When you first start off on a longboard, you use your toes to prop yourself up and hop to a standing position … short board pop-ups are exactly the same except your knees take the place of your toes
• Hold the arched-back push-up position for a second or two to be sure you have caught the wave before completing the pop-up
• Practicing your pop-ups on dry land is one of the best things you can do to improve your surfing
• Think paddle, paddle, paddle, bang – you’re up!
• Be fast, be smooth, be explosive!
• When you push up on your board, you are also twisting your torso and jumping into a standing position

None of these are a good substitute for getting out on a moving wave and practicing your pop-ups, but they do have merit. In the end, it is all about your on personal style and preference that dictates what works for you.