Mr. Dirk and I were surfing together a while back, and as I was paddling back after a ride, he executed a virtually perfect glide-in mat take off. It was a delight to behold!
Not limited to conventional surfboards by any means, a glide-in take off is well within the grasp of mat riders. Here's how it works...
The rider aggressively kicks/paddles into position to catch a wave. As the wave approaches, he/she takes a few hard strokes towards shore, then stops paddling just before the wave reaches them. At that moment, they slide forward on the mat, into riding position. As the wave picks them up, their positioning relative to the cresting wave and their forward momentum due to the nose-ward slide allows them to catch the swell....and off they go, already in the right spot on the deck of the mat.
After you practice this move, it's possible to catch waves further and further out before they break.
Great fun!
