Intermediate Surfers Learn Carving and Maneuvering

Intermediate surfers learn carving and maneuvering after they are riding down the faces of real waves. When a surfer has learned to ride down the faces of real waves and then ride the foam wave to the beach without falling, they have the balance to begin advancing.

Carving and maneuvering go hand in hand. On the face of a wave a surfer makes a bottom turn to get into the pocket. This is a carve. On cut-backs, a surfer learns to reverse direction. This is also a carve.

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The Basics of Carving and Maneuvering

A regular footed surfer has his left foot in front on the surfboard. To make a carve to the right, he moves his upper torso beginning with the eyes and then the head, shoulders, and arms in the direction of the turn. It could be going face side or back side. Then if he is going face side he places slight to great pressure on his toes to dig the inside rail into the wave. The board will respond by turning.

Then the surfer on a short board introduces accelerating. He moves the nose of the surfboard up and down the wave to increase speed. Then he starts another maneuver which is a carve. If he wants to run up the face to rip the lip, he does another bottom turn. At the top, he does a cut-back which is turning his torso back towards the bottom of the wave and placing pressure on his heels.

If the surfer is accelerating down the pocket on face side and wants to do a cut-back, he once again reverses his upper torso toward the beach and places pressure on his heels. After he reverses, he can return to the power of the wave or do another quick reverse. These can be done to get back to the power, stall, or for style.

If the regular footed surfer goes back side, his butt is leaning into the pocket. To do a rip, he does a bottom turn pressuring his heels. To do a cut-back he will now be turning the front of his body toward the beach. Surfers usually accelerate two or three times between each maneuver or trick. Practice makes perfect.

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