Introduction

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Page 21

Surfer Tips Number Thirty-Eight Let Your Mind Run ... by Nat Young

Lots of things run through my mind when I think about a surfing "tip."
One of the first things that occurs to me is that I don't believe anyone is capable of giving specific instructions on how to turn or make any maneuver on a surfboard.
And if anyone was capable of telling me where to put my feet or when to throw my body weight in a certain direction, I am sure I would lose my enthusiasm for surfing.

In the same way, I believe the word "surfboard" is an inadequate description, and "form" more appropriate.
I consider "way of life" far more suitable as a description of surfing than just the word "sport."
Unlike "sports," surfing can have no list of instructions; I used to believe a parallel could he drawn between surfing and skiing, but now I know differently.
The only time the comparison seems valid is when you close your eyes and ski.
But this happens so rarely, due to hang-ups with trees and people, it is surely not justifiable.

Surfing now represents freedom.
Skiing is a beautiful sport.
I love to ski.
But I live to surf.

I wish I could say that by placing your right foot on point A and your left on point B and hurling your body weight up the wave, that this would improve that particular turn.
Nothing that specific can be said.
This doesn't rule out the prerogatives of just being a kid in the sport.
Surely, all kids have the right to imitate; at least until they reach a stage of competence when they are capable of breaking it off and following their own tracks.
I think this is a problem no one realizes: an example was described to me once as two trains on the same track, one leading, one following.
The one behind can never pass until he gets off and finds his own track.
There's no point in pushing this time.
Being a kid and picking things up from one particular person, or a lot of people, is a groove.
It comes down to natural evolution.
It may happen just on one wave: you'll bury the edge for a turn, subconsciously knowing the angle you'll be taking out of it, and then, due to a bump in the wave's surface, or some other phenomenon, you'll find the track has changed.
You may be heading straight back up the wave over the track you've made on the way down, instinctively realizing you're going to blast straight through the lip.
You jam a turn in the last two foot of vertical area, and you're plummeting straight back down again on a new track!
These are the things that happen.
You have no control over them.
It's evolution.

My equipment is my medium of contact.
I believe the more I can improve my surfboard, the more I will improve my surfing.
And constantly, through the help of photographs (both movie and still), I try to observe the way my surfboard and I travel over and in the water.

These are several small points which I am willing to give to anyone who cares to listen: I believe to think about the specific turn you're making is completely ludicrous; your mind should be at least two or three steps ahead of your body reaction.
Man is an animal; I am an animal.
I respond naturally to a situation.
This natural response is not intuitive; it is conditioned.
It's conditioned by the number of times I've been in a situation, and what I've learned from thousands of mistakes, and a few sucesses.
I no longer have any power over my conditioned reactions.
I simply let my mind run.
My body and surfboard can only follow.

I realize the problems of getting to this stage of capability.
I've already told you about learning from watching other people; and I understand the problem of being yourself, along with two hundred other people, and all I can say is "perseverance."
Try not to be one of those people who only enters the water when it's six foot, hot, and glassy.
Disregard surface conditions if possible, just groove on what you have.
Two-foot slop can be fun if appreciated for exactly what it is.
Personally, I find slop gives me rhythm.
The number of angles on a sloppy wave make it a lot easier to bounce from one turn to the next.
From then on, when it is six foot, hot and glassy, I move in perpetual motion.

Page 56 Stylistic Evolution By Keith Paull Current Australian champion Keith Paull brings to the pages SURFER his personal thoughts on the evolution of geographic styles in surfing. Keith also includes some comments on the influence of style on surfboards. Departing from the belief that boards determine style, Paull believes style is the determining factor in the directions surfboards will pursue.

If you read the two articles on short boards that appeared in SURFER Magazine, you might have become aware of a question left un­answered.
The articles failed to relate the reasons for the short-board revo­lution.
To me, it's only logical that it's the surfer who is changing, and the boards only follow.
The evolu­tion is really in the surfer and in his surfing, which is his style.
The styles of the surfers determine the designs of the boards they ride.
Basically when we look back at the beginning of surfing on short balsa and foam boards, the characteristics and basics of style were the same for different geographical areas, because everyone followed California: new board de­signs all came out of California.
They were the only ones that were creat­ing.
However, national figures began to emerge out of the masses.
Drawn from their experience and knowledge, they started to design boards for their specific geographical areas.
Thus, surfing its first stages of specialization.

The evolution from there was to become more and more specialized  own geographical area and field of performance, up to the Page 57 point where we see it today, branched into four major areas of style, with many specialized styles within these areas. The four major areas are Ha­waii, East Coast-Puerto Rico, Aus­tralia-South Africa, and California. The styles of the Hawaiians were developed around speed and power because of the surf conditions in Ha­waii. The styles of Australians are much more flexible, designed around a variety of Australian waves that vary from fast rolling and slow curling, to big powerful surf and junk surf similar to the East Coast. All the extremes are combined in a moderate way in Australia. The California surf style is based around slow rolling, fast peeling waves with generally glassier conditions than anywhere else in the world. The East Coast style is based around small, sloppy and largely powerless waves.

Page 56 Russell Hughes, World Contest Finals.

The styles of the Hawaiians were developed around speed and power because of the surf conditions in Ha­waii.
The styles of Australians are much more flexible, designed around a variety of Australian waves that vary from fast rolling and slow curling, to big powerful surf and junk surf similar to the East Coast.
All the extremes are combined in a moderate way in Australia.
The California surf style is based around slow rolling, fast peeling waves with generally glassier conditions than anywhere else in the world.
The East Coast style is based around small, sloppy and largely powerless waves.

With the World Championships just ended, one had the chance to see all these styles acting in a limited area and assess their flexibility in a varying surf condition.
The outcome of this is seen by the six finalists, and the flexibility of their respective geo­graphical areas can be judged there­by.

The Hawaiian style is perhaps the newest to myself because I've never seen their approach before.
The Hawaiians are riding boards based around the principle of Island waves: speed and power.
I thought they looked as if the Puerto Riean waves had insufficent power.
How­ever, their smaller riders seemed to surf quite well, though they were still somewhat limited in the Puerto Rican surf.
The Hawaiians had too much speed in their boards and lit­tle maneuverability.
Fred Hemmings was the only Hawaiian who was equipped for Puerto Rico.

The East Coast boards, being more of a platform, must be surfed more than the waves.
On the last day when the surf came up, they seemed to be outgunned due to their full, blunter, flatter lines.
The East Coast boards had too little speed, though they had plenty of maneuverability.

The Australian boards were de­signed for speed waves, but also for the slow peeling curls of Australia.
They were much more flexible boards for the surf sizes in Puerto Rico, hav­ing speed for the bigger waves of the last day, but the manouverabiliy for the elimination heats.

Rolf Arness (California)

Ted Spencer (Australia)

Garry Propper (East Coast)

Page 5
SPECIAL REPORT page 76    Duke Invitational. Makaha - Drew Kampion, Ron Sinner
FEATURES
39    Roots - Drew Kampion
46    Aftermath— World Contest. Puerto Rico
49    Why I Lost The World Contest - Johnny Fain
52    People - Nat Young
56    Stylistic Evolution - Keith Paull
59    What I Did During The World Contest - Dale Dobson
60    World Contest Facts and Figures
62    Santa Cruz Pro Am - Drew Kampion
66    The Speed Line - Steve Bigler
74    Africa - Albert Falzon
84    Surfing Hydrodynamics. Part II - Terry Hendricks. Ph.D.
90    SURFER Poll Ballot—Your Vote Counts!
92    Tasmania - Dave Roberts
FICTION - HUMOR - POETRY
71    Refractions - Bruce Baird
73    Buster's New Board - John Severson
88   Surftoons
PHOTOGRAPHY
99    SURFER Photography
105   SURFER Extra
DEPARTMENTS
9    Surf Post
21    SURFER Tips - Nat Young
25    SURFER Interview— "Man Goes To The Ocean" - Midget Farrelly
33    Editorial—Antisurfing Legislation
36    Backwash
94    Pipeline
COVER: The electric cover design features Roger Adams at Santa Cruz and was designed by John Severson

Performance Fin Phase I: 10" x 10" rake - Area: 33 square inches Low Area Fin Phase II: 9" x 8.5" rake - Area: 27 square inches Page 20 Surfboards Hawaii Hawaii and California Vari-Set System by Fins Unlimited