How to take a FrontSide Snap 🏄‍♂️

How to do a frontside vertical turn?

Today we are going to try to implement the technique of our surfing using shadows out of the water. As we have mentioned repeatedly, simulating movements on dry land is essential for improving our surfing technique.

Step 1: Bottom

It is very important to do a proper bottom turn, not only before a vertical turn, but a correct bottom turn will help us with any maneuver so that we can perform it smoothly and with control. Depending on whether we are regular or goofy, we should bend our knees and try to get as close to the water as possible with our forearm, in the case of regular surfers, the right arm, and in the case of goofy surfers, the left arm.

IMPORTANT!

• Try to keep your back straight, staying compact at all times and controlling the movement.
• The arm that you are not bending should remain relaxed, accompanying the movement of your shoulders.
• Your shoulders and gaze should accompany the movement, turning progressively upwards to look for the impact zone.

Step 2: Impact zone

We are talking about a “vertical” turn, which means that we will try to give it an angle as close to 90º as possible, a right angle, trying to put our board perpendicular to the wave.

IMPORTANT!

• Timing: As I rise from the bottom, I need to know where to perform the maneuver, as we are often unable to do so due to poor timing. Typical mistakes include trying to turn too quickly when the wall of the wave is still flat, or, conversely, trying to turn too late when the wave has already broken completely. It is therefore very important to time it right. Depending on the type of maneuver, I will have to look for one area or another. In this case, we look for the vertical part.
• When we reach the impact zone and position our board perpendicular, we have to start turning.

Step 3: How to turn? Gaze and arms

Once we have reached the correct impact zone to turn and we have the board positioned vertically.

IMPORTANT!

• Keep your front leg straight and not bent, trying to create space between your leg and torso to facilitate rotation, as this can interfere with the movement and is a very common mistake to keep in mind.
• Next, anchor your left arm (regular) or right arm (goofy), trying to keep it down, along with your gaze, anchored down.
• Rotate your torso, but always keep your arm anchored and your gaze down until the movement is complete.

Step 4: Use of weights

We have found that it is very important to use the weights correctly so that the maneuvers come out the way we expect. In principle, whenever we start a wave and stand up, it is important to start with a lot of weight in front, starting each wave compact and confidently. As we turn, preparing the bottom to perform the first maneuver, in this case a vertical turn, I will try to shift my weight towards the tips of my feet so that the edge of the board enters the water properly. I will rise, rotating with my shoulders and my gaze, When I reach the impact zone, I have my board perfectly positioned, I shift my weight back to start turning, and as I turn, it is very important to keep shifting my weight until it is all forward to come out with power and try to perform a quality maneuver.

As I turn and shift my weight forward, it is important to try to stretch my back leg, thus releasing all the weight.