getting stuck behind on take off

[eldonpace]

Hello,

Even though I have been surfing for some time now, every now and then I see myself in this pathetic situation, where I paddle for the wave (usually when it's hollow), but the board seems to get "stuck" on top of the wave, eventually behind the lip. I see other guys paddling for the same waves, and it's like their board "sink" enough on the wave that they can take off just slightly before the wave breaks (did I mention this happens when it's hollow?).
On this situation it feels that if I resume taking off, I will go over the falls, because the board didn't slide on the wave early enough. on these days I see at least a dozen surfers paddling and perfectly taking off on most waves, while I get stuck behind, which sucks. What am I doing wrong? I already checked the tips for paddling, very helpful btw, just wandering what else might be the problem.

Any help will be apprecited.

I didn't find the right solution from the Internet.

References:
http://forum.realsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19224
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Thank you.

[ElementFish]

I guess you heard a few of the tipps already and please don't see it the way I might think you don't know what you are doing while you are surfing.
1. Correct your position on the board. Maybe you think you lie on the sweet spot of your board, but sometimes you need to lie a bit further up to the nose. Especially when you surf smaller boards 1-2 centimeters will help you a lot.
2. When you paddle for the wave and you are almost on the perfect position that the wave will take you, you need to lean forward to push the nose further to the surface of the wave.
3. When you surf longer boards, maybe you can lift your legs while you are paddling for the wave. That has the same effect like leaning forward on a shortboard and the wave takes you more often.
4. Make sure that your whole body is tensed while you paddle for the wave. Keep your legs together lift your lower back. Then you have more power, because the dipping angle of your arms is way better.
5. Sometimes it is helpful to change to a longer board. The longer the board, the more volume it has and the more buoyancy it has and it is easier to gain speed.

I hope I could help you a bit.
Cheers Tobi
www.elementfish.com