KookCast: Surf Education

In this episode of KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Evan are taking a look at a wave where both Coach Chris and a student are taking off. Check out the video on our membership site at: https://thesurfcontinuum.com/podcast-videos/press-ups-and-rail-sets/ Thanks to our sponsors:  Crooked Surf SurfEars Freaks of Nature

In this episode of KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Evan are joined by their four students who came on the 2025 La Misión surf trip. This recording was completed after three days of focused sitting turn practice and drilling. Time Stamps: (01:58) - Introductions and shoutouts (02:42) - Episode Topic - “Sitting Turns” (04:02) - Stephen's thoughts (06:10) - Acknowledging Stephen's reference to The Surf Continuum (06:36) - Andy's thoughts (08:25) - Coach Ev (09:03) - Billy's thoughts - The board responds to “Oh shit” (11:43) - Coach Chris: Purpose & Composure (13:10) - Billy on missing waves (14:07) - Kristin's thoughts - Being a dynamic surfer (15:15) - Including the steps before and after a sitting turn in your practice (16:00) - Sitting turns used in other scenarios (16:50) - Harnessing the power of your board (18:00) - Mental focus on good technique (18:21) - Sitting Turn mistakes (24:45) - Timing the tail release of a sitting turn (26:40) - Tapping a deeper power in the wave (28:54) - The scenarios when you use the sitting turn (31:45) - Catching waves without paddling (36:23) - Using the correct hand (42:10) - The relationship between paddling position and sitting turn position (46:40) - Corking (49:56) - A way to practice corking KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on through their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com www.surfears.com www.freaksofnature.com

250 episodes later and we're still here! In this episode, Coach Chris and Coach Ev sit down to reflect on their recent trip to La Misión with four of their students, share with you some of the highlights, and remind ourselves what this trip is all about.

This episode is a recap of the annual surf trips Coach Chris and Coach Ev organize to La Misión in Baja. It begins with an introduction from Coach Chris, moves into a discussion between him and Coach Ev debriefing on important takeaways and key lessons, and finishes with some clips drawn from the raw recordings of both group one and group two at our final dinner of the week.  Time Stamps: (03:14) - Observing before you hit the water (04:12) - How far away are the walls of your vision? (05:28) - Physical requirements (09:07) - Are you obsessed with your nose ? (11:15) - What you say with your eye-line (12:48) - See better while you set up waves (19:12) - Why you keep getting pitched (21:08) - How to overcome getting pitched (22:40) - Simplify the take-off (26:33) - Looking without seeing (28:57) - Look for details KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on through their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com www.surfears.com www.freaksofnature.com

For the first episode of 2025, Coach Chris and Coach Evan reunited over Zoom with four other friends to record one of the greatest adventures of their life attempting to score a pumping Mexican point break only accessible by boat.  This one will not disappoint, and for an even better experience head over to www.thesurfcontinuum.com/undergunned to watch the video version of this episode along with the photos and videos we share from this day none of us will ever forget.  Special thanks to Cole Olson, Corey Senese, Gavin Krug, and Chance Whalen for making time to record this episode with us during the holidays. KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on through their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com www.surfears.com www.freaksofnature.com  

In this episode, Coach Chris and Coach Evan are joined by a few members of the Crooked Surf Team to talk about some of the tricks they have up their wetsuit sleeve for keeping warm in the coldest of sessions.  Timestamps: (04:48) - Guest introductions (28:27) - Ken's wetsuit history (33:00) - How Cate shoots with gloves on (36:21) - Tricks and tips for staying warm KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com https://surfears.com/ https://freaksofnature.com/  

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are chatting about respect and how to earn it from other surfers, especially the old heads and long time locals.  Timestamps: (02:33) - How you show up to the beach (05:29) - How you get in and out of the water (07:42) - Check your pace (10:12) - How you show up to the line-up (11:38) - Surfing inside and wide (13:41) - Smile ! (16:30) - Coach Ev's story about following the rules (18:37) - Coach Chris' story about a friend who did not follow the rules KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com

This week on KookCast, Catherina Duval de Navarre jumps on a Zoom call with Coach Chris to share screens and talk us through a clip she shared of herself getting absolutely burned during a session of a lifetime. If you're a member of thesurfcontinuum.com, be sure to login and watch it over there so you can see the clips we're discussing.  Time Stamps: (03:10) - How Cat started surfing (08:05) - The Crime (21:30) - What could Cat have done? (27:26) - Cat's Kooky story (32:26) - Cat's wetsuit brand - Naluka KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on through their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com

In this episode of KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are talking about their approach to surfing, specifically speaking on the dynamic of how they move through the line-up. Time Stamps: (03:39) - The Surf Continuum and surfing in circles (05:54) - Connection to your equipment (06:35) - Staying on the move and in circular patterns (07:53) - Circles, to spirals, to rhythm with the ocean. (09:01) - Circumferences of circles (09:56) - Seeing this principle in the micro and macro (10:53) - Circular vs Linear surfing (15:09) - Why surfing leashless helps you surf circles KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on through their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com

This week on KookCast, Sid Abruzzi joins Coach Chris to discuss his new documentary with the Kinnane Brothers, Water Brother: The Sid Abruzzi Story. The world premier is July 26th at the Angelika Theater in NYC. Details for other premier locations below. Premier or not, make sure you watch this film. It was epic. Asbury Park, NJ - August 8 House of Independents Narragansett, RI - August 9 Narragansett Casino New Smyrna, FL - August 17 FLA Surf Film Fest Nantucket, MA - August 21 Dreamland Theater

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev got Adam Davenport back on the phone after he was dropped halfway through the first call with Kris Carlow in part one of this now two part series. Time Stamps: (01:41) - Adam's family and beach life growing up (03:47) - How Adam came to be a shaper (06:47) - The basic foundation of a good longboard for novices (08:41) - Mastering the importance of mastering the basics (15:11) - Innovation vs. Tried and True (18:31) - Elements of traditional design (23:01) - Coach Chris' Hobie story (24:51) - Hobie Cat background from Adam (26:43) - Coach Ev shows an old Hobie to Adam (29:38) - Adam's kooky story (32:43) - Ordering a Hobie surfboard KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on through their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Evan are joined by Kris Carlow and Adam Davenport of Hobie Surfboards to celebrate the brands 70th anniversary. We're first introduced to them through their surfing background before Kris, the brand manager at Hobie, takes us through the life of Hobie Alter and how the Hobie brand came to be.  Next week in part 2, Adam describes his job of lead shaper and how we has a passion for preserving Hobie's standards and many of the traditional elements of surfboard building. Time Stamps: (02:23) - Kris Carlow's Surf Background (09:45) - Adam Davenport's Background (13:18) - Hobie Alter and the Hobie Brand history KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on through their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com

Emma Bukowski, creator of Nose Rider Surf Club, joins Coach Chris to talk not only about her surfing journey, but the effort it took to reach the starting line of that journey. Coming from Wisconsin, it might not have seemed like surfing was in the cards for Emma. Tune in to hear how Emma played her hand and now gets to live her dream. The discussion eventually turns a little more serious as we hear Emma's perspective on being a woman surfer and shares her worst experience while surfing. Stick around to hear the one thing that gave her surf confidence a huge boost and how a homemade bathing suit that stayed in place during wipeouts was the start of her brand, Nose Rider Surf Club. Time Stamps: (02:13) - Emma's surfing background (10:30) - Being a woman in surfing (14:06) - Her worst experience ever as a woman in the water (34:45) - Emma's confidence boosting challenge (38:04) - Noserider Surf Club (43:13) - Emma's Kooky Story KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on through their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com

This episode is a recap of the annual surf trips Coach Chris and Coach Ev organize to La Misión in Baja. It begins with an introduction from Coach Chris, moves into a discussion between him and Coach Ev debriefing on important takeaways and key lessons, and finishes with some clips drawn from the raw recordings of both group one and group two at our final dinner of the week.  Time Stamps: (00:00) - Coach Chris' Introduction (02:15) - Coach Chris and Coach Ev debrief (39:57) - Audio clips from group one's last dinner (43:06) - Audio clips from group two's last dinner KookCast is brought to you by Coach Chris and Coach Evan of The Surf Continuum. Find unedited pre and unreleased episodes on through their membership website: thesurfcontinuum.com Sponsored by: www.crookedsurf.com

This week on KookCast, Erin LaVallee joins Coach Chris to share her story on fulfilling a lifelong dream to surf, the mistakes and successes on the journey, and of course her kooky story.

This week on KookCast, Alek Rockrise joins Coach Chris to talk surf education, sharing your surf knowledge, and the personal battles that come with it. Thank you to our sponsor Crooked Wetsuits for helping us stay warm in the water. Episode timestamps: (02:01) - Alek's surfing background (07:15) - The grom mentality (08:49) - Teaching “how to read waves” (13:06) - Surf etiquette (16:08) - How we learned to surf (18:58) - Paddling technique (24:15) - Catching waves (27:25) - Why do surfers hate instructors/student surfers? (37:45) - The importance of surf history (41:02) - Surfboard talk (57:00) - The California Surf Academy (59:20) - Alek's kooky story (1:03:54) - Alek asks a personal question Episode links: The California Surf Academy - Website Alek's personal instagram - @arockrise The California Surf Academy instagram - @thecaliforniasurfacademy

In this episode, Coach Chris and Coach Evan are sitting down to discuss 7 pillars upon which they've built their brand of surf education on. Head over to the membership site and check out the video version of this episode to see pillar #8, which they forgot to include in this recording.  (02:04) - What makes surfing special (03:31) - #1. No touching, stabilizing, or pushing students (08:39) - #2. Fundamentals are the foundation (10:27) - #3. Good surfing is simple (12:03) - #4. Create Space (17:53) - #5. Unconditional surfing (20:17) - #6. Slow is fast (link to deeper discussion about this topic) (23:43) -  #7 - The joy is in the journey (26:46) -  Members Bonus #8 

Coach Chris and Coach Ev are taking you back to the boogie board! One of the most overlooked crafts in helping beginner surfers progress is the boogie board, and in this episode we're telling you a few reasons why. (01:28) Come to La Misión with us (email: info@thesurfcontinuum.com) (01:49) Why Coach Chris gets self conscious about the boogie episodes (03:15) Why the "grom mentality" is so important (05:16) The Values of the Boogie: Timing: Getting Through Waves (11:12) The Values of the Boogie: Catching Waves (14:08) The Values of the Boogie: Setting Your Rail (19:02) The Values of the Boogie: Paddling (20:16) The Values of the Boogie: Release, Corking & Sitting Up (24:54) The Values of the Boogie: Getting Your Feet off the Bottom (27:29) The Values of the Boogie: Getting Your First Tube (28:52) The hardest aspect of this episode

FINALLY! Rob Case has entered the chat. With KookCast over 200 episodes in, it's safe to say this episode is late. Rob is a paddle technique coach and one of our personal favorite surfers to talk shop with. Check out his website, subscribed to his newsletter, and see the timestamps below to find key moments in our chat together.  https://www.surfingpaddling.com/ (01:08) - How I discovered Rob (06:21) - Moving the needle: New board vs Fundamentals (08:23) - The importance of technique (14:17) - Corking technique (22:00) - Finding the sweet spot = control (30:31) - Personal feelings towards copy cats (40:10) - At home workouts & training for paddling (49:37) - How to learn more with Rob (53:26) - Optimizing your surf energy (1:02:04) - Rob's kooky story

This week on KookCast, we're happy to have Matt Warshaw back on the show. The premier historian and archivist of surfing, the value of this man's work isn't lost on us, and it shouldn't be lost on you either! Subscribe to the Encyclopedia of Surfing and consider making a donation to make help make sure Matt continues his good work. Here's a link to The New Yorker article we discuss at the beginning of the episode: "Can't Tell an A-frame from a Poo Stance? Try the Encyclopedia of Surfing"

It's in the title! Take care of that thing and don't be a wetsuit kook! Booking spots on our La Misión surf trip 2024. E-mail us: info@thesurfcontinuum.com to learn more.

Coach Chris sits down with Matt George to discuss his book In Deep, a highly recommended read, which is a compilation of his life's work as a surf writer and journalist. The book covers some serious ground in the surf world, but it's only on KookCast you'll get to hear some of the insights you won't find anywhere else.  Watch our video call with extra content on TSC membership site: https://thesurfcontinuum.com/podcast-videos/interview-with-matt-george/ Buy the book: https://www.diangelopublications.com/shop/p/in-deep    

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are discussing a surfer characteristic you should develop, but exercise wisdom with how you wield it.

Do you feel like "it all happens so fast" ? When taking off, or while surfing and suddenly realizing there's a person in your way ? In this episode, Coach Chris and Coach Evan are speaking on a few ways to create time and feel more at ease with the things you need to do in the line-up.

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are discussing 10 surfer instincts that separate the experienced surfers from the rest of the pack. 

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Evan are discussing the difference between surfers who paddle hard to catch waves and surfers who slide effortlessly into wave after wave. 

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are discussing three of the most important aspects to catching waves. Position, position, position.

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are exploring a topic intern Sophie brought to the table. 

Following up on last week's episode, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are back with the second half of their list on the unwritten rules of surfing. Tune in and listen up.

Surfing is unique in the way that a lot of the educational process and lessons learned are unwritten. You figure it out as you go, make mistakes you don't realize are mistakes only to be corrected by an elder. In this episode, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are listing off a bunch of those unspoken and unwritten rules of surfing they can think of. 

This week on KookCast, intern Sophie is on the line with this week's episode que'd up for Coach Chris and Coach Ev regarding the recent headlines from Byron Bay, "leash-less surfing is illegal". Let's talk more about that.

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are hitting you with a list of three kooky things you can stop doing today. 

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are talking about 2 things that hold beginners back in their surfing.

This week on KookCast, Fernando Navarro owner of El Chante Surf House joins Coach Chris on a washed up log on Playa Hermosa to talk about his story building his vision for El Chante Surf House, how he learned to surf, and of course his kooky story among other things. Close your eyes and be there on the beach, in the shade of the palm trees with us. El Chante Surf House website El Chante Surf House instagram The Surf Continuum

Even non-surfers have heard these wise words: "don't turn your back to the ocean", but in this week's episode Coach Chris and Coach Evan are putting their own spin on that advice and it has to do with catching waves. Tune in to hear how you can catch more waves with proficiency by not turning your back to the sea.  

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris, Coach Ev, and a group of students who joined them on this years La Misión surf trip are recording and remembering another massively successful surf trip to Baja, California.

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev offer some words of advice and encouragement to a young surfer who is getting hassled by some of the local groms. This might be one of those things everyone is going to deal with at least once in their life, and you can either let it beat you down, or make you a stronger person. 

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are talking about some of the common ways beginner surfers delude themselves and aim to help those lost souls find their way back to a realistic path to better surfing. 

Happy 2023. In this episode Coach Chris and Coach Ev are talking about the number one way (that's probably also the most overlooked way) to improve yourself as a surfer. Yeew !

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are diving a little deeper into a concept that came up in the last episode in regards to having good style.  Head to https://thesurfcontinuum.com/longevity for a look at our latest project !

Style is a common topic in surf conversation. We all want to have good style. This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are talking about some of the lesser considered ways of exhibiting good style. 

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are briefly recapping a member's question they answered in detail on the membership site. The full and in-depth video can be found here on the membership site.  

Controlling your wipeout? Isn't that an oxymoron? How can you control a wipeout, if wiping out is losing control? In this episode we're discussing a recent member video we created on this very topic, where Coach Ev grabs his board in the middle of a wipeout and salvages what's left. Check it out here!

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are discussing their take on what makes a good beginner board. No, they aren't giving specific dimensions or favorite brands. Rather, they're drawing on their years of experience teaching to give you some food for thought on picking the right beginner board.    New on the membership site is two answer videos to some member questions that came through regarding paddling fitness and duck diving. 

Coach Chris and Coach Ev just finished evaluating a few waves, specifically the finishes, of themselves and their students for a new video on the membership site which was inspired by a question from one of the members. This episode is the continued inspiration of the topic on controlling the end of your ride with a kick-out or dismount in order to be a better surfer.

This week on KookCast, Coach Chris and Coach Ev are back to their coaching style episodes! This episode was inspired by a video analysis we recorded of our friend John surfing. You can find that video on the membership site at: https://thesurfcontinuum.com/video-lessons/3-ways-to-be-a-better-surfer/

It's been said a family that surfs together, stays together. If you don't believe it, please tune into the the Menen's to prove it. If a board to the head can't break them apart, nothing will. In this episode of KookCast, Chase and Jenna are sharing a story about one of their first surf dates. Bonus alert, their 3 year old has a story of her own to share and a couple choice words for Uncle Coach Ev.

Not that any episodes of KookCast could be considered "formal", this is one of those especially informal episodes where the coaches are just rapping about a recent swell event. In this case, it's Hurricane Fiona.

A guest so close yet so far, Brother Chase has long known he's been requested to make his voice heard on KookCast. The day has finally come and in this episode 204, he tells the story of how he lost his board far from home at a heavy beach break and called upon his brother, Coach Evan to help him get in. When things don't go well, Plan B is executed and we all come away with a valuable lesson.

This week on KookCast, Coach Ev's got long time friend Chris Palmer on the show and they're talking about the value of riding bigger boards, how not to splat with your board when you're amping on the surf and running down the beach, and the consequences of paddling past the pack to pick off waves from the top. After we hear from Chris P., Coach Ev and Coach Chris reflect on the recording. 

This week on Kookcast, the big grom Phil is telling his kooky story about how making an assumption about another surfer got him into a bit of hot water, or perhaps we should call it rocky water. Tune in and hear Phil tell his story about how he learned the hard and hilarious way not to write another surfer off when you're taking off on a wave.