EP 92 | This Wild Idea Might Be the Future of Surfing | Pinch My Salt

Aloha, core-lords! In this episode, Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan pitch a wild, actually-workable future for surfing: Surf Dojos + a Jiu-Jitsu-style belt system (white → blue → purple → brown → black, with degrees for airs, big waves, and riding any board). We roast soft-tops, salute the Herbie/Nathan/Christian Fletcher lineage and Astrodeck, debate WSL reform (END the endless qualifying grind, merge storylines, boost media), and ask the hard question: Is pickleball bigger than surfing—and why? We break down style vs. tricks, longboarding at size, and what makes true black belts like John John Florence, Joel Parkinson, Griffin Colapinto, Italo Ferreira, Nathan Florence, Kai Lenny (and yes, Kelly) different. Expect Mavericks walls, Snapper Rocks frontside/backside confusion, Pipeline/Tahiti/Jaws talk, Gen Z “training” on land, and classic Pinch My Clips chaos—plus the “Core-Lord vs. Soft-Top” cage match you didn’t know you needed. This is surfing culture, comedy, and progression—skate brain meets ocean dojo, built for surf/skate/comedy podcast fans who still chase style, respect the lineup, and want real community. Like, comment, subscribe, and enter the 12th Dimension with us. 🤙


What’s Inside

The Surf Dojo & Belt System: clear paths from white → black; degrees for Airs / All Boards / Big Waves / Wave-Riding Mastery

WSL Reboot Idea: ditch the zombie qualifying tour, add popular surfers + ISA standouts, compact events, bigger stories

Core-Lord vs Soft-Top: how many soft-toppers to drop a true cor-lord? (Our math is… emphatic.)

 Why Taylor Steele era style still matters; how to actually progress today

Icons & Spots: Astrodeck, Herbie Fletcher, Bruce Irons, Machado, Tom Curren, Rasta, Mason Ho; Mavericks, Pipe, Tahiti, Jaws, Snapper Rocks

Boards & Skills: longboard nose rides at size, twin fins, singles, soft-tops (and why they melt), frontside/backside sanity

Gen Z Training (on land?) and the myth of “I surf because Instagram says so”

surf dojo, surfing belt system, surfing jiu-jitsu, WSL reform, big wave surfing, longboard nose ride, twin fin vs thruster, Snapper Rocks, Pipeline, Tahiti, Jaws, Mavericks, Astrodeck, Herbie Fletcher, Kelly Slater, John John Florence, Griffin Colapinto, Italo Ferreira, Kai Lenny, core-lord, soft-top debate, surf comedy podcast, surf culture, skate culture, style surfing, Taylor Steele era, surf progression, surf community, wave pool training.

#surfpodcast   #Surfing #SkateCulture #SurfComedy #CoreLord #SoftTop #WSL #BigWaves #Longboarding #Astrodeck #KellySlater #JohnJohnFlorence #GriffinColapinto #ItaloFerreira #KaiLenny #Mavericks #Pipeline #Tahiti #Jaws #SnapperRocks #SurfDojo #SurfingJiuJitsu #SurfProgression #SurfStyle