Your Cheatcode to Surf Progression w/ Van Vu
Train your paddling anywhere, anytime so you can catch more waves and have more fun with the Basis Paddle Trainer. Shipping globally now at https://www.surfbasis.com/
In this episode, Van Vu—founder of the Basis Surf Podcast and the Basis Paddle Trainer—talks about his journey as an adult surfer obsessed with improving his surfing. He shares how rushing to shortboards stalled his progress, and how returning to longer boards, focusing on fundamentals, and building paddle fitness transformed his surfing. Van also explains why paddle power is the biggest bottleneck for most surfers and how more reps—not flashy turns—are the real key to progression. The conversation dives deep into technique, board choice, coaching perspectives, and why catching more waves is the fastest way to improve.
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Chapters
02:23 Earliest Surfing Memory
05:37 First Time Shortboarding
09:00 Don’t Size Down Too Quickly
13:25 Sizing Down in a Thoughtful Manner
16:00 From Riding a Pickup Truck to an F1 Car
19:30 Inspiration for Starting the Basis Surf Podcast
22:13 Lessons Learned from Starting the Podcast
27:28 Surf Coaching is Still at Its Infancy
30:14 Learn through Brute Volume
33:24 You Need to Catch More Waves
36:00 Inspiration for the Basis Paddle Trainer
38:00 Maintaining the Arched Prone Position While Paddling
41:00 The Biggest Resource Is Your Time
43:15 2x-8x Your Wave Count
47:30 Surfing as a Pyramid
49:10 Paddle Power of Pro Surfers vs Beginners
51:45 It’s a Game of Years
54:12 Discount Code
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