Frontside Bottom Turn
The bottom turn is the most important move in surfing. It is used every time
you catch a wave, and every time you do a maneuver. Having a solid bottom turn
is essential to improving other areas of your surfing.
The first thing you need
to do is catch a frontside wave, stand up, and ride down the wave face with all
the speed that you can. Ride to the bottom of the wave until you reach the
flats, the area in front of the wave with no transition.
Right when you reach
the flats start your bottom turn so you don't loose any speed. Bend your
knees slightly, and lean on to your toe side edge to initiate the bottom turn.
Be careful not to lean too far because you will bury your feet under water,
loose all your speed, and fall off your board. Your weight should be evenly
distributed between your front foot and your back foot, and you should be
focused on the part of the wave where you want your bottom turn to end.
Hold your line, keep your knees bent, and when you come off the flats on to the
transition shift most of your weight to your back leg. Push on your back foot
in order to gain as much speed as possible while driving up the wave.
To finish
off a good bottom turn hit the lip hard, or do a powerful cutback. Once you've
completed a maneuver at the top of the wave continue down the line and start
your next bottom turn. After some practice your bottom turns will be wired, and
you can start leaning into them by putting your trailing hand in the water.
As you can see there isn't that much to a good bottom turn, but attention to detail
will give you a little bit of extra speed. This will allow you to make all your maneuvers faster
and more radical.
KEYS:
- Start your bottom turn as soon as you get to the flats.
- Do Not bury your feet under water during the bottom turn.
- Carry your speed up the wave by bending your knees, and putting pressure on your back foot.
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