Less Volume is More
Volume has become a marketing term, does it always actually help your surfing and how to prepare for a small board.
More what? More feeling, more performance, more learning, more everything. By taking a board with less volume, you will be able to feel more of the waves energy, it will respond more to your actions.
Watch Ant's revelation of riding a shorter board with less volume than he would normally. He was concerned he wouldn't catch waves but walked away with an amazing surf! Clay dives into the design of this Twin Fin as well!
SO HOW DOES THIS WORK?
Modern boards are going wider and thicker. With a wider and thicker board it takes more effort and more water needs to be displaced to put the board on rail. You lose the sensitivity of the board and it becomes dulled. It can become a glorified wave catching board.
The idea of a smaller board can be scary, I won't be able to surf it, I'll suck, what if I catch no waves? But also with a bigger board, what do you miss out on?
WHY SHOULD YOU DO IT
Because we want to learn and improve right? If you can't feel the waves energy, the effect of your movements etc, you have no easy feedback loop to tell you when something is right or wrong. It's therefore harder to improve, or improvement is slower.
That's not to say bigger boards are wrong, every board has a time and place to suit the conditions or what you are working on. Bigger boards are fun, great to cruise on etc. but in the context of learning and improving, they massively help stabilise the board and develop the foundations. Once you feel you can progress, your board needs to progress with you and what you want to work on.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A SMALLER BOARD
If a smaller board means your out of control, work on simplifying your movements, developing your neutral stance, understanding the power zones and taking off in the pocket. All of those will set you up for success when you go smaller. You'll have more control over your body and thus the board, be able to tap into the waves energy better and understand how to position yourself on a smaller board.
Have a think about your board, the waves it's designed to be surfed in, what you want to work on and what board would help you get there? Maybe less volume is the key, maybe its more volume and work on the foundations?
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