Bodyboarding tips
TUBE
RIDING
The essence of all
styles of surfing is the tube ride. Bodyboarders all over the world spent
endless hours searching for the perfect ride and without a doubt the tube is
what they are chasing, this cannot be denied. We are going to try and help get
you there, with a basic tip on how to learn to ride a tube and hopefully, come
out.
The wave must be
hollow, but you can still find the odd one in smaller conditions, the bigger the
tube, the deeper you get and the better the feeling thereafter. Look for a wave
that is peeling along a shallow shelf, preferably a good solid sand- bank or
reef covered bottom. As is the case with all major moves in Bodyboarding, you
need speed, which will give you the momentum to ride the barrel/ tube. Having
mastered the bottom turn you will then be able to learn how to ride the barrel.
You want to come out of the bottom turn and stay on the upper half of the wave,
maintaining a good trim along the wave face. However, if the wave is hollow you
will need to trim lower on the face to avoid getting sucked up the face and
thrown through the lip.
It is important
that your board hugs to the face of the wave, make sure your body is primarily
distributing weight over the inside rail of you board, don’t shift your weight
too far forward or you may nose dive. The more you practice, the more you will
learn to ride the barrel to get optimum speed, so don’t be afraid to move your
weight around on the board, as you will find the ‘sweet spot’ on you board
that suits your riding style. It is a good idea to watch the videos, the pros
obviously can tube ride the best, and you can learn that way. If you have some
good body boarders at your local break, watch the way they tube ride, it will
only help you progress. Practice riding closeouts and focus on the contour of
the tube, the more you understand the tube, the easier it is to know how to ride
them. Hold on and sooner or later you will come screaming out of the tube,
either out of the hollow exit or you be so deep that the shockwave will push you
so hard, you will be spat out onto the clean face and ready for the next one.
The El Rollo or
Barrel Roll, is when you roll with the contour of the wave, as the lip is
pitching you roll with the tube as it breaks. The Air Rollo is when you do the
same move, but do it in the air, using the projection you have received from
traversing up the face of the wave, to shoot you up into the air, this is the
advanced maneuver of the two.
Speed is essential
for this move, picking the right section to do the move is more important than
the execution of the move. Use the speed gain from the momentum you have from
the bottom turn to arch up to the pitching lip (90 degrees). Pick the spot of
impact, the section at which you are going to hit, to project you into the Roll.
It is important that your board hits the lip at the precise moment, other wise
you will not execute the move correctly. You must extend your arms as you hit
the lip, begin the move by arching over upside down, keeping your eyes on the
landing spot (180 degrees). Use the impact of the pitching lip to throw you
over, at this stage of the move, you will be spiralling and looking for you
landing spot. Pull the board back underneath your body to prepare for the
landing, your board should be centered under your body to insure the perfect
landing. On landing, position your elbows over the deck area, this will assist
in absorbing the impact as you land. Make sure you hold tight, as landing a Roll
of any kind can be tough, especially if you have got quite a bit of air. Once
you’ve landed, the move is executed and you’re ready to look for the next
section.
To complete a 360 or
belly spin, you have to execute it in the part of the wave in which you have
optimum speed, which is your bottom turn. As you are coming out of the bottom
turn, move your body up towards the nose of your board, directing your weight in
the direction you want to spin, forward or reverse spin, you must swing the
momentum of your body to begin the spin, the board will therefore follow. Make
sure your legs are out of the water, generally crossed, as it appears to be more
stylish, it also releases the tail and helps create the movement (180 degrees).
To complete the move, simply move your body back down the board, legs back down
to assist in tracking (remembering that your legs are an extension of your
board). The move is complete, now you are cruising along looking for the next
section. For beginners, start in smaller waves, eventually using the same
technique to do such moves as Belly Airs or Aerial 360’s.
BASIC
DROPKNEE-
The Stance
Getting up into the
dropknee stance is not always easy, but eventually you will get the knack and be
trimming along the face looking for a section to hit. Pick the type of wave you
want to start dropkneeing on, it is good to learn getting up on fatter waves, as
you will ultimately slide out if trying to get up dropknee in hollow tubing
waves. You will get to that stage one-day, but remember this is a basic tip.
Start getting up as
you have gain momentum from the wave, just as it is about to break. You will
quickly discover if you are a natural or goofy footer (Natural- Front foot is
left and back leg is the right, opposite for Goofy Footer). Make sure you knee
is firmly on the inside rail of the board, this helps hold you in the face of
the wave, and the front foot helps balance out the board. There is various style
of getting into the dropknee stance; you will find one that suits you by
watching others. You will know immediately if you are not distributing your
weight correctly, as the board will either bog, nosedive or you’ll fall off.
Use the same riding techniques as you do when riding prone, such as the bottom
turn, you will become aware of more sections, as you are looking down on the
wave not up. That is why Dropknee has different moves to prone, you approach the
wave from another angle. With Dropknee, the word, ‘PERSISTANCE’ is what you
will need to remember, as you will get frustrated with sliding out, but you will
get there. Manta riders, Paul Roach, Crispin Hughes and Ryan Spears are all good
examples of dropkneers who have used their original style to progress to where
they are today.
As you approach the
section that you want to execute the floater on, perform a slight turn up the
face to project you up and over the section of the wave. After completing this
turn and prior to riding up onto the lip, make your board as weightless as you
possibly can, so your board skims over the top of the wave with the least amount
of resistance. The best way to take the weight off your board is like an Ollie
on a skateboard, but just lifting the knee and foot off the board ever so
slightly. Once you reach the top of the wave, as it is about to throw out, you
choose the style of floater you wish to perform. At this point you can throw out
the tail or ride over the lip and prepare for your landing. As you are landing,
center your weight over the back half of the board for control and look for the
softest spot to land. This is critical part of the move, since one of the
hardest parts of completing a floater is making the landing. Use the exploding
whitewater to help break your fall. Once you make it through this part you
should be able to absorb the impact and pull the floater. Obviously the more
critical style floater you are going for, the harder the landing will become, as
your board will be in a more critical position.
Cutbacks are one of
the most advanced maneuvers in Bodyboarding and depending on your ability the
can be the most powerful move done on a board. You need a fair bit of speed
heading into the cutback, to get the power needed for the gauge. Imagine you are
coming off the bottom of the wave, heading up the face, you usually need to do a
cutback if the wave is shortening or you need to gain more speed to race across
the next section. (It is a good idea to watch surf videos and admire the likes
of Mike Stewart, Brian Wise or Adam 'Wingnut' Smith) they are excellent examples
of where and how to do a cutback. There are two common styles of cutback, the
"oldschool" double-handed (both hands at front of nose) or the new
school, more stylish way. You don't really adjust the position of your hands/
elbow/ forearm on the board, simply move you weight onto the inside edge of your
forearm (inside elbow, depending if you are going left or right). The hips are
very important when performing a cutback, as they push the bottom half of your
board through the turn. Once you are coming out of the initial stage of the
cutback, you are basically coming back into a bottom turn again and hopefully
trimming across a new section. Make sure you don't pull the nose of your board
up too quickly, as you won't get the style in the move, guide you board through
the turn. Remember work with the wave, not against it. Don't forget to watch
those videos, it will help you learn.
THE ARS (Air Roll Spin)
Michael “Eppo”
Epplestun invented the ARS (Air Roll Spin). The move is when you roll with the
contour of the wave, as the lip is pitching and you are rolling with projection
of the wave. To ARS is when you do the same move as a roll, but do it in the
air, using the projection you have received from traversing up the face of the
wave, to shoot you up into the air and when you are about to complete the roll
you go into a anti clockwise spin.