July 21, 2026

How to progress SO Fast in Surfing it feels like Cheating (Part 2)

7 minutes

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In Part 2 of this series, Van Vu breaks down why some surfers seem to level up so much faster than others. He digs into the compounding relationship between paddle power and wave-reading ability, showing how catching more waves builds a mental "memory bank" that changes what you perceive as a makeable wave. Using a side-by-side comparison of two surfers with different conversion ratios, he reveals how that gap widens dramatically over just a few weeks, and explains the key shift in strategy every surfer needs to make as they progress. If you've ever watched a more advanced surfer effortlessly find speed and power on waves you'd have let pass by, this video explains exactly why, and what to focus on to close that gap yourself.

Chapters

0:00 Recap & Building on Part One

0:39 Why Pros Look Like They're Playing a Different Sport

1:24 The Limited Opportunity Problem in Surfing (vs. Basketball)

2:03 How the Skill Gap Compounds Over Time

2:39 Building Your Wave-Reading Memory Bank

3:21 Surfer A: Taking Waves & Expanding Opportunity

3:56 Surfer B: Tentative Choices, Slower Growth

4:45 The Compounding Results After Weeks of Training

5:37 Beginners: Why You Should Prioritize Wave Count

6:17 Advanced Surfers: Shifting From Quantity to Quality

Subscribe for more interviews with pro surfers, coaches, shapers, and everyday surfers like Tom Carroll, Zeke Lau, Victor Bernardo, Matt Parker of Album Surf, Matt Meola, Ryan Lovelace, Eric Arakawa, Noel Salas of Surf n Show, Parker Coffin, Dane Gudauskas, Kassia Meador, Clayton of Ombe Surf, Dylan Lightfoot, Derek Dunfee, Magnum Martinez, and more!

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