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Surfing is one of the best ways to celebrate freedom, challenging the powers of nature. Tricks are tempting. But like with every sport: train well and go from level to level. Improve your basic surfing skills, learn to read the waves, train your footwork, timing and balance. Try, try more, don’t be afraid of wipe-outs and always be focused. Here’s our top ten in different levels.
Bottom turn
Let’s start with the one where surfing starts. Being the first turn you make after dropping in, the bottom turn is the most essential movement in surfing. The perfect moment to channel the speed and momentum towards the open face ahead of you.
Carve
To carve, is to put your weight and power on the surfboard's rail. Carving is ‘steering’ your board to change your line and direction in open sections of the waves. Bury the rail in the water, draw an arc and stay in the curl.
Cutback
When you go too fast over the shoulder of the wave, a cutback brings you back in the centre of the wave. You reduce the speed to reposition yourself in the energy zone, looking for your next manoeuvre.
The snap
Control your board and body well with the three above? You’re good to go for the more intermediate tricks. Like the snap, also known as slash. To snap is to make a radical change of trajectory on the top or in the pocket of the wave. Treat your spectators on the beach with flashy buckets of spray above you.
Off-the-Lip
This is a move followed by attacking a steep slope. Here are the phases:
- project half of your board off the wave's lip.
- Make an abrupt vertical twist.Â
- Drive it dramatically down towards the bottom of the wave and stay in the flow of that wave.
Noseriding
Looks cool, is cool, needs balance and practice. Like the name already gave away: this great longboard surfing move means riding on the nose of the board challenging a wave.
360
When you make a 360 you’ll complete full rotation on the face of the wave.
You perform it either by reversing or carving. In both cases, you spins down the wave.
The kickflip
Surfing and skateboarding, in a way are close family. The kickflip is a good example of a skateboarding inspired manoeuvre. You’ll flips your surfboard 360 degrees along the axis (from the nose to the tail of the board). Zoltan Torkos was the first surfer to perform it.
Tube Ride
Nailed the first 8? You’re on your way to be a pro. On to the last two – advanced – tricks. Probably visually the most epic trick is the tube ride or barrel-ride. The ultimate manoeuvre in surfing and most memorable moment you will ever experience as a surfer. Basically you ride the hollow part of the wave, fully covered by the curl's lip. Mind you: tubular waves are very, very rare.
Superman
Also related to skateboarding is the Superman. An aerial manoeuvre in which you drive your surfboard down the line, go up, kick the board, project it to the beach, grab the rail, and reconnect before landing.
Nightwatch joins your rides
One more tip: eat well and stay hydrated. And if you want some extra Focus and Power, you might try Nightwatch Extreme Energy Drink for Focus & Power. We know surfers take their environment and body serious, so be informed that Nightwatch is 100% biological and plant based. Even the caffeine comes from natural guayusa, giving you long lasting energy from the first to the final trick of the day. Enjoy the waves!
