Sticking late takeoffs with consistency represents a hallmark moment in every surfer’s progression. There’s a day when you’re putting yourself behind the peak and missing that first section or, more often, falling flat on your face. It’s frustrating. If it weren’t for the occasional successful airdrop and pulling off a takeoff or two you never thought you’d make, who knows how long you’d actually stick it through to the other side?
Then things change. You’re taking off behind the peak, under the lip, making that first section, and riding out airdrops like nobody’s business. Confidence is in supply and suddenly the world is your oyster.
Well, here’s Brett Barley breaking it all down to an art form. Or maybe more of a concrete science. And it’s not just one cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all glossing over of the topic. Barley dives in for nearly a half hour of four major scenarios involved in the late takeoff, three of them being different types of late takeoffs — backdooring the peak, airdopping, and taking off directly under the lip — as well as where to position yourself and areas of the wave to paddle toward. There are even different approaches to taking off behind the peak on small waves versus heavy waves and how your initial burst of speed will either increase or completely squash your time in the barrel. This is actually an incredibly interesting breakdown of technique from an individual well-qualified to help us geek out over the finer points of surfing.
As the guy says himself, “This isn’t something you can learn in five minutes.”
Also from Barley, “Get more barreled.”
