Surf Advice from Adam Knox, Kei Kobayashi, Jeremy Diasio, and Pepijn Tigges
This February was rich with tips on mindset in the water as well as mastering the fundamentals of surfing and training with intent. We spoke about the overall importance of letting go of the ego when it comes to progressing, dove into the intricacies of rail engagement and board tweaks, highlighted the significance of paddle power and conditioning, and wrapped up with the core concept of commitment in getting waves, as well as in training. Here’s a quick recap of our podcasts this month:
- Why Most Surfers Plateau And How To Fix it w/ Adam Knox
- How Elite Surfers Dial In Mindset, Technique, & Boards w/ Kei Kobayashi
- How This Northwest Surf Explorer Doubled His Surf Output w/ Jeremy Diasio
- Deep Dive on Take Off and Pop Up w/ Pepijn Tigges

Check out the podcast video below along with some of our favorite tips from our guest.
“As you're biting in, you have the waves energy, the energy that you're producing through your muscles and biomechanics. All the energy comes together and that push from the wave that wants to push you away, you push into that and then you're both pushing into each other and that's where the magic happens.”
“The only way you're going to get board skills is by going out there, not caring what anyone thinks and having fun trying three sixties, trying floaters, that kind of stuff.”
- Adam Knox
“I love to grab my rail even on a one foot wave, it's not because I'm going to slide out, maybe it's not necessary, but I just like it. It just one, it looks kind of cool. And two, I just feel like I'm able to get more vert.”
“How did I lose in a paddle battle to this guy to get priority? Priority is everything in surfing. Honestly, that's something I definitely need to get better at.”
- Kei Kobayashi
“The biggest game changer for me is not getting tired at all when I'm out surfing. Because once your arms start getting tired from paddling, then your mind starts to go. And if your mind starts to go, then you start moving slower. And then you spend more time going over the falls and then it's just a cycle that repeats. And so it's like just being able to literally improve my strength and endurance - a tenfold game changer.”
“I've doubled my length of time in the water and then extending out past that, I get cold before I get tired.”
- Jeremy Diasio
“I describe the takeoff as a seesaw effect. The moment the nose is down we actually generate speed because of gravity taking us down. When the nose is up, we brake, we have too much friction and we lose speed. And where that nose is horizontal, that's the moment where we kind of suspend our takeoff into the wave.”
“I think number one is, is it controlled? Can you stay in balance whenever you stand up? And then can you do it fast enough for the waves you're surfing? So what you see when people do front foot first is often it's on slower, weaker, softer waves where they have so much more time. But the moment that wave becomes a bit more critical, whole lot more powerful, then often you see it just automatically goes back foot, front foot. So that's what I would recommend.”
- Pepijn Tigges
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