Basis Surf Podcast

Eric Arakawa: On Shaping Surfboards for Jack Robinson, Andy Irons, and the Hos

Eric Arakawa (@arakawasurfboards), the shaper for over ten World Champions, including Andy Irons, Jack Robinsons, and Michael and Derek Ho, joined me in this week’s Basis Surf Podcast episode to share his insights on shaping boards for these world-class surfers and to discuss how each board was crafted to help them perform at their best.
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and the Impact of Small Changes in Surfboard Design
03:02 The Importance of Balance in Board Performance
05:27 Refining Board Designs Based on Surfer Feedback
09:08 Analyzing Performance and Making Improvements
12:04 The Joy of Seeing Surfers Excel on Arakawa Boards
30:10 The Art of Last-Minute Board Changes
33:23 Shaping Boards for Pros
39:37 The Challenges and Rewards of Shaping Boards for Surfers
45:27 Building a Quiver: Considerations for Everyday Surfers
48:58 Delivering an Experience: Tailoring Boards to Customer Needs
55:31 The Importance of Teamwork in Shaping Boards
 
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Surfer: @father._.sean
📸: @john_hook

Philippe Malvaux: On improving Kanoa Igarashi's carve and working with Julian WIlson

Philippe Malvaux ( @philippemalvaux_surfcoaching ) is a former ASP judge, coach, and the team manager for Hurley and during his time has worked with and coached an incredible list of pro surfers including Kanoa Igarashi, Julian Wilson, Carissa Moore and John John Florence to name a few. In this week’s episode of Basis Surf Podcast, we delve into what he does with the big names to get them surfing so good, his adventures as a team manager for Hurley, his tips and tricks to better carves, and how to efficiently generate speed on a wave.
 
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
13:37 The Importance of Building Relationships and Creating Good Memories
25:26 Improving the Forehand Carving Turn: Philippe's Work with Kanoa Igarashi
30:23 Analyzing Footage and Going Backward: Finding the Root Cause of Technical Issues
32:23 The Importance of Speed in Surfing
35:49 Generating Speed through Intention and Wave Usage
39:15 Body Positioning for Speed and Power
46:56 Coaching Approach: Video Analysis and Personalized Feedback
01:03:51 The Value of Sharing Knowledge in Surfing
 
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Hunter Jones: How to score surf in LA to Iceland

Surfing with icebergs in Iceland, dodging sharks at Trestles, and scoring double overhead waves at Manhattan Beach - in this episode of the Basis Podcast, pro surfer and filmmaker, Hunter Jones (@hunterjones), discusses all this and shares his experience with oxygen deprivation training with big wave legend Laird Hamilton.
 
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Chapters
00:00 The Journey of a Pro Surfer: From South Bay to the World
03:54 Transitioning from Longboarding to Shortboarding: A Surfer's Story
07:05 Inside the World of Surfing: Hunter Jones' Career and Experiences
23:12 From WSL to Branching Out: A Surfer's Journey
29:37 Unique Surfing Experiences: Iceland, Sharks, and More
42:30 The Power of Intentions: Catching Waves with Purpose
44:27 Inspiring Others: Sharing the Passion for Surfing
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Adam Knox: How to channel power through technique to enhance your surfing

Adam Knox ( @adamknox_ ) is a former pro that's the younger brother of legendary rail surfer Taylor Knox and has coached some of the best up and coming pro surfers like Caity Simmers, Kade Matson, Tia Blanco, and many more. With his expertise in kinesiology, we dive deep into technique, energy leaks, using surf skates as a tool, and how to improve your turns. 
 
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and the Importance of Technique
03:38 Adam's Background and Challenges
10:16 Surfing at 60% and Making Finals
14:29 Taylor Knox and Surfing Competitions
23:46 Using Surfskates as a Training Tool
25:07 Learning from Coaches and Studying Footage
26:05 The Challenges of Surfing
32:12 The Importance of Body Positioning and Weight Distribution
39:08 Mastering Paddling Technique
41:03 Coaching Professional Surfers to Success
43:47 Analyzing and Emulating Successful Surfers
 
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Duke Aipa: On radical innovations in surfboard design

In this week’s episode, Duke Aipa (@aipasurf), son of the legendary Hawaiian Shaper Ben Aipa, joins us to share the backstory of his father’s inventions, the "Swallow tail" and "The Sting" style boards and discusses how he continues his dad’s legacy by combining elements of past and present to create innovative boards like the Dark Twinn, the Modern Sting and the Wrecking Ball. 
 
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and the Legacy of Ben Aipa
05:38 The Invention of the Sting
13:19 Duke Aipa's Unique Designs: The Dark Twinn and the Wrecking Ball
28:49 Finding the Right Foot Position on a Twin Fin
39:18 The Wrecking Ball: A Super Groveler with Unique Design Characteristics
41:14 Conclusion and Future Innovations
 
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Leah Dawson: Finding the magic spots on your surfboard

In this week’s podcast episode, join me and Leah Dawson ( @leahloves ) as we dive deep about finding the magic spots on your board to improve your style in surfing and how to fix your stance for generating more speed.
 
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Chapters
00:00 The Art of Style: Becoming One with the Wave
04:42 The Progression of Women's Surfing: Opportunity and Experience
08:59 Studying Lineups: The Key to Catching More Waves
27:34 Mastering Paddling Skills and Efficiency
30:57 Unlocking Your Feet for Successful Surfing
36:44 Exploring Different Surf Craft
43:08 Developing Personal Style in Surfing
45:00 Finding Joy in Standing and Going Fast
50:15 Improving Posture and Maneuverability
51:14 Leah's Retreats and Courses
 
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Dan Mann: Secrets to shaping for Kelly Slater and everyday surfers

In this week's podcast, the shaper behind Kelly Slater’s magic boards, @dan__mann, joined me to talk about the secrets of making boards that are high performance enough for the pros but also super user friendly for the everyday surfer.
 
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:42 The Design Principles of the Dominator Boards
14:40 The Influence of High-Performance Shaping on User-Friendly Boards
26:09 The Role of Paddling Skills in Surfing
28:06 Finding the Right Balance: Volume and Planing Surface for Small Waves
39:03 Collaborating with Kelly Slater: Designing High-Performance Boards
53:09 The Importance of Physical Fitness and Paddle Speed in Surfing
55:53 Embracing the Process: Trying Different Boards for Optimal Performance
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Wooly TV Reviews: The surfboards that blew his mind

@wooly_macpherson_surf_coach of Wooly TV, a surfboard reviewer and surf coach shared with us the boards that blew his mind. He dove deep into the tips on how to get better at surfing and how to find the perfect board for you.
 
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:42 Story behind the Massive Wave
03:32 Early Surfing Experience
05:29 Growing Up in Mandurah
06:08 Free Diving and Surfing
06:31 Getting into Competitive Surfing
08:21 Struggles and Overcoming Hurdles
10:31 Mental Preparation for Competitions
13:44 Technique and Unlocking Potential
15:00 Importance of Paddling Technique
19:31 Takeaways from Paddling Technique
22:45 Choosing the Right Board
24:53 Importance of Volume in Boards
28:16 Bigger Framed Surfers and Board Recommendations
33:10 Performance Boards for Bigger Surfers
34:00 Favorite Mid-Length Boards
34:14 Surprising Boards: The Big Baron
38:15 The JS Baron Flyer Twin
40:15 The Slater Designs Flat Earth
50:04 Favorite Board for Small Waves: The Damn Animal
51:54 Most Popular Boards at the Surf Shop
55:25 Tips for Improving Surfing as You Get Older
59:02 Surfing One Wave for the Rest of Your Life: Snapper Rocks
 
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Antoine Allain: How to explode into your turns

@antoineallain, a former competitive surfer and coach shared valuable tips with us on how to approach your bottom turns like a tiger and to explode into your top turns and many other interesting topics.
 
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Anton's Surfing Style
08:40 Transitioning from Beach Breaks to Point Breaks
15:19 Mastering Airs and Competition Success
30:25 The Importance of a Good Bottom Turn
37:07 Etiquette in Crowded Lineups
45:39 The Role of Coaches in Surfing
 
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Thomye Surfs: The surfboards that changed his life

In this week’s podcast, I had the chance to talk to surfboard reviewer Thomye of @thomyesurfs who probably surfs waves that are the smaller everyday mushy beach breaks that a lot of us surf regularly. We talked about the surfboards that changed his life, how he optimizes his boards, and a ton of other helpful tips.
 
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Chapters
00:00 Getting Started in Surfing
04:51 The Importance of Consistency in Surfing Progression
08:09 The Impact of Equipment on Surfing Performance
12:31 Plateaus in Surfing Progression
13:26 Choosing the Right Surfboard
14:52 Surfing Small Waves
19:38 The Impact of Volume on Surfing Performance
27:21 Finding the Right Volume for Your Surfing
29:47 Favorite Boards for Small Waves
31:13 The Mashup and Baked Potato Boards
31:42 Comparison between the Mashup and Baked Potato
34:07 Preference for the Mashup over the Baked Potato
35:01 Preference for the FT over the Baked Potato
36:27 Preference for the Quad Setup on the FT
38:16 The Benefits of Experimenting with Different Boards
39:13 The Negative Impact of Riding a Bad Board
40:12 The Influence of Kelly Slater on Surfing
43:02 The Importance of Filming and Analyzing Surfing Footage
46:23 Overcoming Fear and Learning to Do Airs
50:14 Tips for Older Surfers
54:04 Favorite Mid-Length Boards
57:24 The Positive and Negative Impact of Kelly Slater on Surfing
01:01:15 Dream Wave and Surfing with Friends
 
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