This tutorial provides twenty quick tips to immediately improve your barrel riding, arguing that success is mostly inside your head. The guide covers critical elements of positioning, posture, and line choice, showing both good and bad examples to help surfers commit to getting in and out of more barrels.
Key Takeaways & Tips
The Lift and Positioning
When paddling into a wave that’s about to barrel, you must feel the wave’s lift as the water draws up. The more lift, the safer and wider the barrel is. When you feel the lift, you are in the perfect deep spot to get barreled, even though most people pull back thinking they are in the wrong spot [1:02].
Commitment and Line
Success is about commitment. Don’t worry about the steep drop; instead, look across the drop at your intended line and commit to that line to make the barrel. Looking across the drop makes the section look less steep [1:46].
Posture and Stability
Keep your head closer to the wave face to feel where the barrel is and be stable, as the wave will support you. Avoid bending your back and sticking your rear out, which causes you to wobble [2:27].
Safe Spot
The safest place to be in the barrel is having your head closer to the wave face, away from the breaking lip. Being at the bottom of the barrel where the lip is breaking is the worst place to be [2:59].
Controlling Acceleration
Due to the immense acceleration (suck-up and throw-down), you must anticipate speed. Keep your head over your hips and head up to control the acceleration. You should constantly be aware of “lift and compress,” which is called pumping inside a barrel [9:24].
The “Shopping Cart” Stance
Adopt a “fight stance” with knees slightly bent. Keep your hands up where you can touch the water and move around. Mick Fanning advises to “push the shopping cart” through the barrel to set your intention and line [11:12].
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Focusing on Risk
Being overly focused on the risks (too steep, too powerful, too fast) is the main thing holding people back. You must commit to the right line.
Pulling Back on Lift
When you feel the big lift as the wave draws up, don’t pull back thinking you are in the wrong spot; you are in the perfect spot to get barreled.
Low Head/High Rear
Expectation of getting hurt leads to bad posture (head low, rear high). This makes you heavy, pushes your head into the water, and directs you toward the imploding part of the wave [3:50].
Starting Too Small
Practicing on small waves is discouraged because you don’t fit in the barrel, which causes you to hit the sand/reef and creates trauma. Bigger waves break in deeper water, making them safer for learning the move [6:14].