The frontside bottom turn holds significant importance in surfing, serving as the fundamental maneuver that sets the groundwork for all subsequent turns.
1. Position yourself at the bottom of the wave.
- To do this, you need to be aware of the wave’s shape and power. You want to be at the bottom of the wave, but not too far down.
- If you are too far down, you will not have enough speed to generate power. If you are too far up, you will not be able to dig your rail into the water.
2. Compress your body.
- This will help you to lower your center of gravity and make it easier to turn the board.
- To compress your body, bend your knees and lean forward, placing your weight on your toes.
3. Dig your inside rail into the water.
This is the most important step in the bottom turn. To dig your rail in, rotate your hips and chest so that your weight is on your inside foot.
Then, push down on your inside rail with your foot.
4. Look in the direction you want to go.
- As you are turning, keep your eyes focused on where you want to go.
5. Rotate your hips and chest.
- This is how you will turn the board. To do this, simply rotate your hips and chest in the direction you want to go.
6. Push down on your back foot.
- As you are coming out of the turn, push down on your back foot to generate power and project forward.
7. Come out of the turn with your weight on your toes.
- This will help you to maintain your speed. As you are coming out of the turn, shift your weight back to your toes so that you can project forward and maintain your speed.
Once you have mastered the basic frontside bottom turn, you can start to experiment with different variations.
