Tag archive for "skimboard"

Skimboarding

How to Skimboard Part 2

No Comments 19 December 2008

So in the first part of my how to skimboard series I talked about all the beginner stuff, dropping your board and other basics. In this part were going to focus on actually wrapping the wave which involves turning on the wave and riding it back onto the beach.

First off your going to have to find waves that are actually rideable because some beaches and spots just don’t work at certain tides. Ideally you want the waves to be breaking close to to the shore so you can reach them. When there’s a lot of dead water in front of the breaking wave its going to be really tough to get to the wave especially if your a beginner. Choosing the right wave is crucial to skimboarding and its just something you’ll slowly begin to figure out over time.

Secondly you need to run really really fast and get on your board quickly. I can’t stress speed enough when it comes to skimboarding, you have to really push it because it makes wrapping much easier. A lot of beginners will start their run and pickup speed and then slow down to drop. You can’t slow down, try to just picture yourself running onto the board. You run onto it back foot first and then bring your front foot on, all in the same motion of your run. Remember if its windy to kick some wet sand onto the nose of your board to keep it from flying away and busting your shin.

Another important point is getting comfortable with shifting your weight. Remember to put some weight on that backfoot on the transition from the shore to the wave, it’ll keep you afloat. You also want to bend your knees and remember to look at where you want to go. Before you hit the wave your going to want to shift some weight to the inside rail while keeping those knees bent.

At this point you should now be heading up the face of the wave going into a turn and finishing at the top by “slashing” it. This is done through shifting your hips and looking the direction you want to go. Of course timing is crucial but with some practice you should get it.

So get out there and start wrapping some waves. Once you get that first one you’ll be hooked for sure.

Photo: Brad Evers

Featured, Skimboarding

How to Skimboard Part 3: Getting Some Air

No Comments 07 December 2008

So at this point you should be wrapping waves no problem. Now its time to try and boost off the wave and get some air. Doing a good aerial involves a couple things: you need lots and lots of speed; you need to pick the right wave; and your timing needs to be spot on.

Your going to want to approach the wave at an angle to make it easier to land back on the wave. Also you need to time it so that you reach the wave a split second before it breaks. Once going towards the wave begin to turn so your hitting the wave from the side rather than head on. You need to be in a crouched position at the bottom of the wave like your ready to jump because thats what you have to do.

Your going to want to time your jump right at the lip of the wave and don’t jump as hard as you can. It has to be a fluid controlled movement, very similar to a skateboard ollie. You need to jump mainly with your back foot and it helps to drag your front foot up the board at the same time to keep it underneath your feet.

It’s really important to keep your knees bent at the top of the movement to keep the board close to your body, which helps with absorbing the landing. I dont recommend dropping onto the sand because you can get seriously hurt and break your board which is a definite stoke killer. The one thing I found super important to doing aerials is speed and more speed. Once I worked on my speed a lot I found it so much easier to do them. Just check out this photo by Aaron Peluso of Morgan Just boosting off of one at 10th St.

Morgan Just Aerial at 10th st

Morgan Just Aerial at 10th st

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