Let’s go straight to the point: you just HAVE TO cross-step on a longboard.
This post aims to encourage beginner longboarders to walk up to the nose of their board by cross-stepping.
HOW to cross-step is easy… and difficult at the same time, since another key factor comes into play at this point: WHEN to cross-step (i.e. when and in what section of a wave).
If you’ve followed our Free Online Surfing Course, you know that to gain speed and momentum (and to walk up to the nose) you have to move forward on your board, to slow down (or execute a maneuver) you move back. Cross-stepping is easy (in theory): bring your back foot in front of your front foot and cross-step over it (or bring your front foot behind your back foot – if you want to walk backwards), as if you were stepping over your front foot, maintaining your feet angled, then swing your front foot around the back of your back foot (heelside) and into your normal stance.
Basically to (literally) take your first baby steps, it’s very useful to slightly turn your front foot toward the nose of your board: it will make it much easier for you to take your first steps. You’ll find out that cross-stepping forward is pretty easy, while walking backwards is a bit more complicated!! (In fact even good surfers sometimes ‘hop’ their way back in critical situations).
Once you gain experience and you get used to it, you’ll see that there is a huge difference in terms of performance between, for example, four short steps and two long steps. But what matters is that you put your mind to it. Try to practice cross-stepping on the ground (at home) first, to familiarize with it.
Surfers generally hate rules. Why get obsessed with this then? First of all, it’s a question of style and who loves longboarding knows style’s key. Otherwise he’d use a shortboard.
Secondly, because there’s no feeling like cross-stepping and feeling your board gradually, smoothly but definitely gaining momentum.
Any other way to walk up and down your board will inevitably affect the board’s trim and gliding.
Cross-stepping, on the other hand, doesn’t. In no way does it affect the way water flows under your board nor does it break the spell of a longboard gliding smoothly. That’s why you should cross-step, no matter what.
Green Ocean Surfing
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento