Basis Surf Podcast

🔥 Get your FREE personalized 2-4X wavecount training plan in under 30 seconds. https://surfbasis.com/pages/trainingplan

Taylor Jensen (@taylorjensentj) is a four-time World Longboard Champion who is equally comfortable noseriding as he is throwing down powerful carves. He also collaborates with Firewire Surfboards, making longboards, and more recently, alternative twinzer models. In this episode, we get into what makes a good turn on a longer board, why elite athletes never stop training fundamentals, and how land training can benefit your surfing in ways that surfing alone cannot. We discuss paddling, which Taylor considers one of the most important pillars of surfing, and why neglecting it can stifle your progression. He also gives a detailed breakdown of the twinzer model, why it sits in its own category between a twin and a quad, and what makes it such a fun setup coming off a longboard. 

Sign up for our free surfboard guide for sizing down volume, video library and newsletter

Chapters
01:23 Welcome & Intro to Taylor Jensen 
02:05 The Secret to Throwing Buckets (Dad Bod & Big Feet) 
02:49 Longboard Philosophy & Rail Surfing 
04:28 Traditional vs. High Performance Longboarding 
06:34 What Makes High Performance Longboarding Look Great 
08:39 How to Carve on Longer Boards: Patience, Placement & Rails 
11:03 Reading Waves on Mid-Lengths & Longboards 
13:31 The Internal Battle: Switching Between Traditional & HP Longboarding 
15:58 Training for World Titles: Physical & Mental Game 
17:38 Drilling Fundamentals on Dry Land (Cross-Stepping & Footwork) 
22:58 Why Paddle Power is Non-Negotiable 
28:06 How Longboarding Changes the Way You Read Waves 
32:42 The Twinzer Explained 
37:27 Board Design Deep Dive: TJ Pro Mid vs. Twinzer Mid-Length 
41:44 Closing Advice: Diversify Your Equipment & Surf with Intention

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!

Join our community of over 140k followers across IG, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube:

Basis Instagram

Basis TikTok

Basis Facebook

🔥 Get your FREE personalized 2-4X wavecount training plan in under 30 seconds. https://surfbasis.com/pages/trainingplan

Garazi Sánchez (@garazisanchezsurf)  is a two-time Spanish national champion from the Basque Country who built her career competing on the world stage before finding a whole new relationship with surfing through twin fins and board shaping. In this episode, she opens up about what it truly takes to surf at a high level; from how a serious back injury became the turning point that led to her best results, to why paddle fitness is the foundation that most surfers overlook. She breaks down the mental side of competing, what it feels like to lose the joy of surfing and how she got it back, and shares her honest take on riding twin fins including the one mistake most surfers make when they first get on one. 

Sign up for our free surfboard guide for sizing down volume, video library and newsletter

Chapters
00:01:20 Introduction: Meet Garazi Sánchez
00:02:13 Growing Up Surfing in the Basque Country
00:03:30 How the Basque Culture Shaped Her Surfing
00:05:10 The Adventure Mindset: Surfing in Unlikely Places
00:08:04 The Joy of Watching Beginners Fall in Love with Surfing
00:08:52 Competition as a Path to Self-Knowledge
00:11:17 Starting Out: Competing in the Basque Country
00:16:36 Plateaus, Confidence & Finding Her Footing Internationally
00:18:35 Overcoming the Fear of Not Belonging in the Lineup
00:22:40 The Back Injury That Changed Everything
00:27:39 Training on Land: How It Unlocked Her Best Results
00:31:10 The Overlooked Fundamentals: Positioning, Paddling & Pop-Up
00:39:28 Coaching Maneuvers: Reading Wave Energy
00:45:25 The Shift to Twin Fins & Rediscovering Joy
00:52:22 Tips for Riding Twin Fins & Board Design with Lemon Surfboards

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!

Join our community of over 140k followers across IG, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube:

Basis Instagram

Basis TikTok

Basis Facebook

🔥 Get your FREE personalized 2-4X wavecount training plan in under 30 seconds. https://surfbasis.com/pages/trainingplan

Kuio Young is a Hawaiian competitive surfer and coach who works closely with everyday surfers, and professionals like Carlos Muñoz and Imaikalani Devault. His approach to surfing is simple; he sees it as a ‘dance’, where you work on specific pieces without losing the flow of the whole wave. We also get into why paddle strength and wave-reading is essential and how even high-level surfers benefit from guidance especially when it comes to mindset and board selection. Kuio also shares how his own mindset has shifted away from chasing clips, and more toward surfing as a way to feel free and stay connected to that true sense of glide.

Sign up for our free surfboard guide for sizing down volume, video library and newsletter

Chapters
02:05: Introduction: Who Is Kuio Young?
02:26: The Secret Behind Throwing Massive Spray
03:24: How Riding Longer Boards Changed Everything
04:17: Board Design Deep Dive: Knifey Outlines & Low Volume
08:15: Short Boards vs. Long Boards: Sensation & Creative Freedom
11:22: How Kuio Broke Through as a Surfer
13:25: Hip Surgery, Physical Limitations & the Road to Recovery
17:32: Foundation Training & Taking Care of Your Body
19:43: Coaching Philosophy: Compartmentalization vs. the Full Dance
21:40: How to Read the Ocean & Build a Better Bottom Turn
26:01: Coaching Carlos Munoz & Imai: What Elite Surfers Actually Need
34:15: Common Mistakes & Instant Game-Changers for Developing Surfers
36:42: The Doug Silva Relationship: Coaching Styles Compared
44:07: Style, Watching Old Surf Footage & Finding Your Glide
47:36: Closing Wisdom & Intentions

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!

Join our community of over 140k followers across IG, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube:

Basis Instagram

Basis TikTok

Basis Facebook

🔥 Get your FREE personalized 2-4X wavecount training plan in under 30 seconds. https://surfbasis.com/pages/trainingplan

New York–based shaper, Saint Christoper is pushing the envelope on Edge board design. We discuss how and why his boards create such a noticeable difference in performance. We start with the core question, “What is the Edge?” and break down the design principles behind concaves, reduced planing surfaces, and dual rockers that lead to effortless speed generation and the ability to hold a higher line for longer. We get into how to harness and design for speed through fin innovation, tail rocker, and experimental asymmetrical outlines. We also discuss Christopher’s experience not surfing for months before a trip to Nicaragua, used only the Basis Paddle Trainer in preparation, was able to surf for 5-6 hrs a day, and why building your ‘engine’ is just as important as dialing in your equipment. Tune in to learn about design, speed, and how to manipulate these elements to make the most out of your time in the water. 

Sign up for our free surfboard guide for sizing down volume, video library and newsletter

Chapters
02:05 Meet Edge Board Shaper Saint Christopher
03:01 The First Time Seeing an Edge Board Fly
04:38 The Origin of Edge Boards George Greenough
06:21 Convex vs Concave Surfboard Bottoms Explained
09:22 Why Edge Boards Are So Fast
11:36 How Edge Boards Hold a Higher Line
13:12 ASYM Edge Boards Toe vs Heel Design
16:15 Why Edge Boards Work in Fast Beach Breaks
18:53 Surface Area Drag and Speed
21:03 What Riding an Edge Board Feels Like
24:42 How to Control Edge Board Speed
27:04 New Fin Designs That Change Everything
31:09 Outline Design Short Boards Fish and Simmons
37:10 Designing Surfboards Around Your Stance
41:05 Training Paddle Power for Surf Trips 

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!

Join our community of over 140k followers across IG, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube:

Basis Instagram

Basis TikTok

Basis Facebook

🔥 Get your FREE personalized 2-4X wavecount training plan in under 30 seconds. https://surfbasis.com/pages/trainingplan

In this episode, 52-year-old Aaron Buckner shares how he went from 365 pounds, morbidly obese, and barely able to surf, to logging two-hour sessions in overhead waves and quadrupling his wave count. A few years ago at Kaisers in Waikiki, he paddled out, caught one wave, and was so gassed he couldn’t surf again for two days. Landlocked in Idaho and frustrated by “one wave and done” sessions, he was skeptical when he first saw the Basis Paddle Trainer. But after finally giving it a shot, and barely lasting five minutes on his first workout, he committed to structured training three to four days a week. Eight months later, he’s surfing seven days straight, holding his own in overhead C-Street, double-overhead South Bay, and even the North Shore, catching 2–4x more waves per session. By improving his paddle power and positioning, he’s getting into waves earlier, fixing his pop-up timing, and progressing again instead of just surviving sessions, proving that with the right foundation, decline isn’t inevitable.

Sign up for our free surfboard guide for sizing down volume, video library and newsletter

Chapters
01:39 Introduction to Aaron Buckner
02:17 Aaron’s Background and Move to Idaho
02:27 From 365 Pounds to a New Surfing Goal
04:25 Why Paddle Training Became Essential
06:21 The Hawaii Paddle Out Wake Up Call
08:02 Returning to Kaisers With Real Paddle Power
09:39 Initial Skepticism About the Paddle Trainer
11:04 The Moment He Decided to Buy
12:10 First Workout Reality Check
14:18 Building a Paddle Training Routine
15:13 From 5 Minutes to 30 Minute Paddle Sessions
17:45 Surfing Bigger Waves With Confidence
19:27 Surf Trips That Were Once Impossible
22:36 Technique Feedback and Community

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!

Join our community of over 140k followers across IG, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube:

Basis Instagram

Basis TikTok

Basis Facebook