This One Fix Can Change Your Surfing

The Key to Unlocking Your Surfing: Eyeline

There’s one simple concept that gets repeated a lot in surfing: "Look where you want to go."

Most surfers have heard this before but most don’t actually do it. This leads to small errors that build into major issues in your surfing—especially in your bottom turn and top turn.

This week, we break down what really happens when you stop leading with your eyes.

Watch this quick clip of George Pittar that shows what correct head movement looks like:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFXCEBbhNaC/?hl=en

Your Eyes Lead Everything

There’s a saying: “Where your eyes go, your head will go. Your shoulders follow. Then your hips, knees, and legs.” Your body follows your eyes. If your eyes aren’t in the right place, your whole movement falls apart.

Here’s where most surfers go wrong:

• Bottom Turns: You’re probably just looking down the line, not up at the lip. This flattens your turn and kills your vertical approach.
  
• Top Turns: You’re not twisting your head and looking all the way back toward the whitewater. Your turns get cut short or look incomplete.
  
• Takeoffs: A lot of surfers stare straight down at the bottom of the wave. That sends them into the flats instead of projecting down the line.
  

How to Fix It

Next time you surf, focus only on this:

• On your bottom turn, look up at the steepest part of the wave—not just down the line.
  
• On your top turn, twist your head and look all the way back to the whitewater.
  
• When taking off, keep your eyes down the line rather than looking at the bottom of the wave.
  

It’s simple advice, but it’s hard to apply. Especially when the wave starts throwing surprises at you. But when you do get it right, your surfing starts to connect more naturally.

Final Thought

It’s not about forcing your body to do something new. It’s about starting with your eyes. That one change leads everything else.

Next session, test it. Don’t think about anything else—just lead with your eyes. Everything else will follow.

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