Learning to Pop-up in the River by Mr. Mike

You might be wondering if you should learn how to pop-up for river surfing. After all, there are quite a few great river waves you can ride without ever having to, so it may not seem necessary. But I recommend that you do for the following reasons:

1. There are some key waves that require a pop-up
2. Some waves require a pop-up at certain levels (Benihana’s above 800cfs, for example, is much easier with a pop-up)
3. It’s a fun way to add variety to your day for waves that allow either entry
4. It prepares you for ocean surfing
5. It looks cool!

So, I actually decided to take up river surfing as a way to perfect my pop-up for ocean surfing. Turns out river surfing is pretty darn fun, so that worked out. And now I have a consistent river and ocean pop-up.

In order to master this skill, I took the following steps:

Step 1: Youtube Videos – These are great. I learned about several different styles and approaches, and I tried out a few of them until I found one that felt congruent with my natural tendency.

Step 2: Dry Land Practice – The beauty of dry land practice is that it removes all the variables that water and movement add to the situation. It allowed me to focus solely on my mechanics.

I built a bench that I could use for this practice. I designed it to match the dimensions of my surfboard, and I elevated it just a few inches from the ground, so there would be some punishment if I were to fall, but not enough to cause injury. I also angled it downward just a touch (you can also remove fins from a surfboard and place it on your bed, but it causes pressure dings).

Each time I practiced, I paid careful attention to my landing. Did my feet fall centered on the board? Was my back foot squarely on the tail and my front foot between my hands? Did I stay low and balanced? Did I breathe and keep my eyes forward? I also assessed whether the movement was smooth and efficient. If not, I tried again, and again, and again, and again, and so forth.

I would try to nail at least five in a row before ending my session. Also, I would discipline myself to do this practice during the off-season. It helps me to learn things, forget them, and then learn them again. This process leads to more autonomous mastery of the skill. So once the season hit and I went down to practice, I wasn’t learning, I was relearning.

Step 3: River Practice – I started my practice at Chiclets, and at first, there wasn’t nearly enough water. I found that I needed at least 90cfs to achieve any consistent success because my board needed to be a bit elevated in the water. In lower flows, my tail would sit in the mush, and my nose would angle upward in the trough. It’s very difficult to pop-up in that position.

My practice in the river wave closely resembled my practice on the bench. It was a lot of trial, error, reflection, and repetition. The nice thing was that when I did make it up, I could also enjoy a fun ride. It was definitely more rewarding than pretending to surf in my basement.

Step 4: Pop-up in Other Waves – I try to pop-up at every wave that I ride, whether or not it’s the easiest way to get in. The following are waves I’ve popped up in:

1. RRP’s Chiclets, Benihanna’s, and Sixx
2. Beaver Wave
3. 16th Street Wave
4. Dave’s Wave
5. Trestle Wave
6. Miracle Wave
7. Golden’s Bingo Wave
8. Glenwood’s shortboard and longboard waves
9. Pueblo Waves 3, 4, and 5
10. Montrose Waves 1,2,3, and 4
11. Gunnison’s 2nd Wave
12. Florence
13. Salida’s Office and Scout Waves
14. Buena Vista’s Staircase Wave
15. Durango’s Ponderosa Wave
16. Steamboat Springs’ B Wave
17. Lawson

Each one of these waves have given me different challenges that improve my pop-up and make it more versatile.

Pop-up tips:

Once you find a style that fits your natural tendencies, consider these tips that apply to all styles:

1. It’s a good idea to practice the motion with your toes on the tail of the board first, then with your toes hanging off the back. In the river, you’ll usually have your toes off the back of the board, and the pop-up is more difficult that way.
2. Your eyes need to be up. When you practice on dry land, pick a spot on the wall and train your eyes to stay focused on it while you pop-up. In the river, pick a tree, rock, bridge, or something than you can lock your eyes onto while you go through the motion. If you look down, you go down.
3. Breathe. If you’re holding your breath your mind is preparing to go underwater, so that’s probably what you’ll do.
4. Keep your hands on the board until your feet are placed. this will feel counterintuitive, and you can only do this if your eyes are up. Your hands are keeping you properly weighted in the wave. If you lift them before your front foot is placed, then you’ll likely be pushed out the back. It’s also important for balance. If you flail your arms upward, you’ll likely lose balance.
5. Stay low. This goes along with keeping your hands on the board. But in river surfing, it’s very important to stay low until you’ve achieved full balance and are ready to begin carving turns.

But Mr. Mike, I have a rad pop-up in the ocean and it ain’t working in the river, what’s the deal with that?

First of all, “ain’t” isn’t a word. Didn’t your kindergarten teacher tell you that? Secondly, there a few a adjustments you have to make from ocean to river surfing;

1. In the river your board won’t drop, and you usually don’t have forward movement.
2. In a river, you need to keep weight on the front of the board, right where you place your chest. this is why you want to keep your hands on the board until your front foot is in place. In the ocean, you may have been taught to set that back foot first. That can mess you up in the river.
3. In the river, stay low. Your tendency to stand up quickly in the ocean isn’t always helpful in the river. On the other hand, there’s no consequence to staying low in the river. You won’t miss your bottom turn like in the ocean.
4. Finally, in the river, your feet will hang off the back of the board no matter what length board you’re riding (except at Glenwood longboard side). So you have to learn a shortboard pop-up with feet off the tail.

Now go out and go out there and learn your pop-up. You’ll miss a few rides, but you’ll be so happy to have that skill in place. Take a look at this video link if you want to see my pop-up. It “ain’t” that pretty, but it works.

Comments are now open for any questions or ideas about river surfing pop-ups.