108 Catching Waves - The Foundation Of Good Surfing
Is your biggest frustration in surfing simply not catching enough waves? You’re not alone—and it’s more fixable than you think.
In this solo episode, surf coach Michael Frampton shares the raw truth behind why catching waves is the foundation of great surfing—and how most people are doing it wrong. From surf anxiety to breakthroughs, this episode is packed with personal lessons, powerful mindset shifts, and the practical steps that changed everything for him.
Learn why catching waves is 80% positioning and confidence—and how to master both.
Discover how small tweaks in your technique and body language lead to more waves and more respect in the lineup.
Understand how even one key insight can unlock barreling waves, faster surfing, and a more joyful experience in the water.
Hit play now to learn the exact steps Michael used to transform from anxious surfer to confident charger—and how you can do the same with less time and effort than you think.
https://learn.surfmastery.com/wave-catching-academy-1
For more surfing tips visit www.surfmastery.com
Key Points
Introduction of the Surf Mastery Podcast and the addition of weekly episodes focusing on various surfing topics.
Discussion on the difficulty of catching waves and the importance of reading the ocean and positioning correctly.
Personal anecdote about Michael's experience of moving to the east coast of Australia, realizing his below-average surfing skills, and the resulting anxiety.
Explanation of the competence and confidence hierarchy in surfing, where confident and competent surfers catch more waves.
Story of Michael's encounter with an 11-year-old surfer who inspired him to improve his own surfing skills.
Michael's journey of seeking surf coaching, undergoing video analysis, and discovering the key to catching waves.
The transformation in Michael's surfing experience after gaining confidence and improving his techniques.
Introduction of the Wave Catching Academy, a program designed to help surfers catch waves with confidence and skill.
Offer of a free one-on-one session with video analysis for the next 10 people who join the Wave Catching Academy.
Outline
Introduction to the Surf Mastery Podcast
Michael welcomes listeners back to the Surf Mastery Podcast, a platform aimed at helping surfers improve their skills and enjoy surfing more.
The podcast format includes long-form interviews conducted monthly, with the addition of weekly episodes.
This particular episode focuses on the topic of catching waves, which Michael describes as the hardest part of surfing.
Personal Experience with Surfing
Michael shares a personal anecdote about moving to the east coast of Australia, where the waves were consistently good and the level of surfing was high.
Despite having surfed for 15 years and considering themselves a good surfer, Michael felt below average in this new environment.
The feelings of shame and embarrassment led to crippling surfing anxiety, affecting body language and performance.
Competence and Confidence in Surfing
There is a competence and confidence hierarchy in surfing where confident and competent surfers catch more waves.
Waves are a limited resource, and to get a share, one must know how to catch them.
Good surfers can sense fear and uncertainty, leading to being 'snaked' or dropped in on.
Turning Point in Surfing
Michael recounts a specific incident where an 11-year-old surfer outperformed them at a barreling reef wave called the Slack.
This experience served as a rock bottom moment, inspiring Michael to seek surf coaching and video analysis.
Through coaching, Michael identified what they were doing wrong and developed strategies to correct it, leading to rapid improvement.
Impact of Improved Surfing Skills
As Michael's skills and confidence improved, their body language changed, leading to more respect from other surfers and catching more waves.
Michael started surfing bigger, faster waves and getting barreled, which significantly enhanced their surfing experience.
This transformation inspired Michael to become a surf coach.
Importance of Catching Waves
Catching the wave with good timing is essential for surfing the entire wave with good timing.
Simple realizations can lead to significant breakthroughs in surfing ability and open up new types of waves to surf.
Frustrations of Inexperienced Surfers
Michael empathizes with surfers who feel ashamed of their surfing abilities and struggle to catch waves.
There is a sense of frustration when less experienced surfers seem to know what they are doing.
Simplicity of Catching Waves
Michael believes that catching lots of waves and enjoying surfing is simpler than commonly thought.
Much of the advice available online is overcomplicated and incorrect.
Simple fixes, when identified correctly, can make a significant difference.
Wave Catching Academy
Michael has condensed the tips and strategies learned over the years into a program called the Wave Catching Academy.
The program aims to help surfers become confident, catch waves effortlessly, and surf with speed and style within 90 days or as little as 14 days.
The first 10 people to join will receive a free one-on-one session with video analysis.
Interested individuals can join by clicking the link in the description or visiting surfmastery.com.
Transcription
Welcome back to the Surf Mastery Podcast. This is a podcast that helps surfers to not only be better surfers, but to enjoy surfing more, to get more out of surfing, to become wiser surfers. The format for this podcast has mostly been long-form interviews at around about a monthly basis, and that will continue, but we're going to add some weekly episodes in the mix as well. This episode in particular is about catching waves. Catching waves is—I'd say—the hardest part of surfing.
Like, to catch the wave in the right spot, pop up in the right position on the wave—no matter what level of surfer you are—that's always the hardest part. It's like reading the ocean and getting in the right spot and catching the wave. I remember when I first moved to the east coast of Australia, and it was the first time that I'd lived in a place where the waves were good, like really good. Consistently good. And the level of surfing was right up there. The surfers were so good, and at this point in my life, I'd been surfing for, yeah, 15 years. I thought I was a good surfer, but, you know, I was a late starter—I didn’t start till I was 17—and I was 100% self-taught, but I loved surfing so much.
But as soon as I lived in this area, which was riddled with good waves and good surfers, I quickly realized just how below average I was. And gosh, I remember the feelings of shame and embarrassment were just so overwhelming. It gave me crippling surfing anxiety every time I surfed. Gosh, it would affect my body language. I would come across as very unconfident and actually surf below my own surfing abilities. Because good surfers, they can smell that fear and that uncertainty. And they just snake you, and they drop in on you and... it's fair enough too. There's a competence and confidence hierarchy in surfing. Confident and competent surfers do catch more waves. Waves are a limited resource, you know, and if you want to get your share, then... you better know how, and you better learn.
I remember surfing the Slack, like a barreling reef wave on a small day. And it's a wave that I'd watched for six months before even surfing it once. And it was so intimidating. And then I'd been surfing it every day for about three months. And I was out there by myself one day—it was in the middle of the day, was only about three foot—and I was sitting on the shoulder dodging the barrel. And I was about 34 years old and surfing for 16 years. And this 11-year-old kid from out of town paddled out. He'd never surfed the place. And he was just taking off deep under the lip and just playing with it, getting these crazy barrels. And... I just felt like giving up. Instead, I didn’t. I let it inspire me, and I was like, what is he doing? What does he see in the wave that I'm missing? I had to find out.
So it was definitely like a rock bottom point in my surfing life. Back then—this was like 2016—surf coaching definitely was not cool back then, but there were plenty of surf coaches around. And I got some surf coaching done. I actually had multiple lessons from a bunch of different surf coaches just to get some different perspectives and got some video analysis done, and finally something clicked, and I knew what I was doing wrong. I had strategies that I needed to correct and stuff to work on. And I just started catching my waves, started taking off deeper, and just started to improve real quickly. And everything stacked upon each other because as I sort of became more confident and more self-aware, my body language changed. I was catching more waves. Partly because I knew what I was doing, I was reading the ocean better and had the right perspectives and techniques, but it just affected my body language and my confidence in the water.
So good surfers weren't second guessing my ability and snaking me, and they were actually starting to sort of let me take my turn. Once I discovered the secret to catching waves, it sparked a whole different journey in my surfing progression and, more importantly, like my experience of surfing. I started surfing bigger waves, faster waves. I was getting barreled. And all simply just because of a few simple realizations that became the foundation for not only my own surfing, but inspired me to become a surf coach. Because surfing is kind of like singing. If you don't hit that first note, then the rest of the song is off.
So catching the wave with good timing is essential for surfing the entire wave with good timing.
So sometimes it just takes a couple of little things, if they're the right things, and it can change everything. Like I broke through a huge plateau in my ability, and it just opened up, you know, the types of waves I could surf. I ended up booking a trip to Indo with confidence. Something I hadn't done before. And, cause you know, there is nothing more frustrating than being a surfer and just feeling ashamed of the way you surf, and not being able to catch waves, and just having less experienced surfers around you just knowing what they're doing. That's the worst feeling, and I know that firsthand. Catching lots of waves and really fully enjoying surfing is so much simpler than we think. I find a lot of the advice out there on the YouTube videos and stuff is actually—they're just overcomplicated. It's wrong. Because when I first started taking surf coaching lessons, I was shocked at how simple the fixes were, really. And that's, you know, because I'd spent years overthinking and struggling to figure things out on my own. All I needed was a bit of guidance, you know. I don't want you to. There's no need to waste years stuck in that same cycle that I was stuck in. Those simple concepts I learned back then that became the foundation of the next part of my surfing journey—they've been built upon and simplified since then because I've had... Not only have I been on multiple surf trips, I've used a lot more different coaches from around the world, and I've been coaching hundreds of people along the way since then. And 10 years on, I've simplified those tips and condensed them into a nice simple program called the Wave Catching Academy. And it's a program that I wish I had back then.
So if you're struggling to catch waves and you're feeling frustrated and shame when you go surfing, then this program is for you. Because in less than 90 days, in as little as 14 days, you can become a confident surfer who gets respect, catches waves effortlessly, and surfs with speed and style. No more hesitating. You know how to position yourself, how to read the waves properly, and catch them with confidence. There'll be no more getting snaked or dropped in on. You'll surf with competent and confident body language and skills that will signal that you know what you're doing. And you get more waves. And for the next 10 people that join, I'll give you a free one-on-one session where we can do some video analysis—absolutely free.
So if you're serious about transforming your surfing and finally feeling like a surfer instead of a kook, then click the link in the description or go to surfmastery.com to join the Wave Catching Academy. Spots are limited. So click the link now.
108 Catching Waves - The Foundation of Good Surfing
For the passionate surfer—whether you're a weekend warrior, a surf dad, or an older surfer—this podcast is all about better surfing and deeper stoke. With expert surf coaching, surf training, and surfing tips, we’ll help you catch more waves, refine your paddling technique, and perfect your pop up on a surfboard. From surf workouts to handling wipeouts, chasing bigger waves, and mastering surf technique, we’re here to make sure you not only improve but truly enjoy surfing more—so you can get more out of every session and become a wiser surfer