The Takeoff Tip That Changes Everything

What Happens When You Rush Your Takeoff? 

Most mistakes in surfing happen before you even stand up. Think about your last few sessions. How many waves did you miss because you hesitated? How many times did you go over the falls, or paddled too hard and ended up out in front while the wave broke on top of you? A lot of surfers rush the takeoff. It feels like you only have a split second, so you panic and try to do everything at once, and that’s usually where things fall apart. But, the takeoff itself isn’t the problem, it’s the way you approach it.

The takeoff feels fast, but most surfers make it faster than it actually is. They paddle, feel the wave lift them, and immediately try to jump to their feet without any control or adjustment. They’re just reacting. That’s why you see late drops that nose dive, early pop-ups where the wave passes underneath, and surfers getting stuck in the impact zone. It all comes from rushing instead of feeling what the wave is actually doing.

The Fix: The Seesaw Effect

A better way to think about the takeoff is something called the “seesaw effect.” I learned about this concept from a recent interview with surf coach Pepijn Tigges. 

The seesaw effect is about balancing your weight between the front and back of the board as you catch the wave. When you paddle into a wave, your board is reacting to the wave lifting you up and gravity pulling you down the face. If you lean too far forward, the nose drops and you nose dive, if you lean too far back, you stall and the wave rolls under you. The sweet spot is right in between, and that’s what you’re learning to feel and control with the seesaw effect. 

When you get this right, the board starts to glide along the face of the wave, and you actually don’t need to pop-up to keep that momentum going - you’ll keep gliding as long as you angle your board and react and adjust to the seesaw effect. Achieving this will expand your takeoff window, and give you way more time to pop-up than most people think is possible. 

Learning the Range

To really improve, you need to learn the range of your balance. Pay attention to how much pressure you’re putting on the front of the board through your chest and later your front foot, and how much is on the back through your hips and back foot. Don’t be afraid to push it a little. Lean forward slightly more than usual and see what happens, or shift back and feel when the board starts to slow down. 

You’re not trying to be perfect, you’re trying to understand where too far forward is, where too far back is, and where the middle sweet spot of suspension is. 

You Have More Time Than You Think

Once you start to understand this, the takeoff begins to slow down. Not because the wave changes, but because you stop panicking. Instead of one rushed movement, you’re making small adjustments, you feel the board engage, you feel the drop begin, and then you stand up. Now your pop up is controlled instead of rushed, and you’re setting your feet with awareness instead of just trying to survive the drop.

Why This Changes Everything

Most surfers think the key to a better takeoff is speed, like paddling harder or popping up faster. But speed without control leads to more mistakes, and the real skill is balance. 

When you can control your weight on the board during the takeoff, you stop nose diving, you stop missing waves, and you stop getting caught in bad positions. You also give yourself time to feel the wave, to place your feet, and to choose your line and read the rest of the wave. 

Next Session

On your next surf, don’t try to fix everything at once, just focus on this. As you catch the wave, don’t rush to your feet. Stay low for a moment and feel where your weight is. Angle and adjust slightly forward or back until the board starts to glide, then stand up. That small pause is where the control will come from. Once you feel it, the takeoff stops being chaotic and starts becoming something you can manage.

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