hey guys… just started riding a longboard and was havin some trouble cross-steppin to and from the nose on my 9’5" log. I seem to either run right off the nose, or shoot the board out on the off chance that I am coming back from the nose. I can shuffle there and back, but style is everything. Are there any tricks of the trade so to speak, or am I juss gonna have to take my licks like everyone else?
practice makes perfect. it’s just something you’ve got to get a feel for. as you step across the board, your varying weight distribution over the board can cause a rapid increase in speed (which is what probably makes you walk right off the end in an attempt to match this speed, and fall backwards as you step back). just make certain to keep your weight centered and your knees bent. you’ll get it.
oh, yeah…and cross-step everywhere. when you wake up at 3am to take a piss, cross-step to the bathroom. when the game goes to commercial and you need another beer, cross-step to the fridge. when you see a hot girl at the other end of the club…okay, scratch that last one…unless you don’t care if she thinks you’re some freak loser. but you get what i’m sayin’…it’s all technique.
hey KB - I’m def no expert, but during my brief foray into logging, I found that a longskateboard (at least 4’) helped me crack the cross stepping thang -.
When I started learning in the 1960’s I had the same problem until i got a skateboard.Once you master the skateboard it’s a snap.Now I do my crosstepping on a parkbench in the lineup parking lot.Lot’s of us old geezers have the bench totally wired and put on great shows.It is dangerous though…my old buddy was showing the Groms how to do a drop knee backside turn and fell backwards resulting in a fractured tail bone.Beer anyone?
Ditto on all of the above. A few more tips:
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If you don’t have to wear a leash (low crowds, smaller surf), lose it. Aside from the obvious pain of getting caught up in it, you’ll soon learn an appreciation for the finer aspects of trim, style and control. Yeah, you’ll swim a fair deal, but once you’ve mastered it, you won’t go back.
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Try taking smaller steps. Its tempting at first to get up on the nose as soon as it is possible. Resist the temptation. The beauty of cross-stepping is the gracefulness. At first you might need to follow the stringer, but try to work on not looking down and paying attention to the wave. Let your feet do the talking.
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Plan on cross-stepping every session you have. Even in crappy surf. I told myself I would practice cross-stepping for an entire summer until it felt comfortable. The more you do it, the more routine it becomes.
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Watch and learn from the masters. Study the classic films, like the Bruce Brown flicks (especially the segment of Lance Carson at the ‘Bu in Endless Summer). Also the contemporary loggin’ films like Siestas and Olas, Seedling, Fineflow, Longer, etc. Anything with Tudor, Wegener, Gamboa will do. There’s an amazing piece of filming in Longer where the camera focuses in on Joel’s footwork while riding a 9’8" Model T. Man, he really makes it look easy…
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Experiment with fins. Its amazing how a deeper, more pronounced fin will smooth out your style. Not to mention add stability to your performance on smaller waves.
Heres some tips:
1. Get a Longboard skateboard it will dramatically improve your cross-stepping,
2. Cross-step all over the place,
3. DONT bend your waiste only bend your knees (this is probably the most important…Thats why its in a unreadible colour…DOH!)
4. It will come to you, one day you will have a supersession where it all comes together, after that you will not forget how to cross-step, In the end it all comes natually.
Happy Surfing,
Josh.
Why is it that cross-stepping looks so cool on a longboard in the water yet so geeky when you practice it on land? (unless you’re Fred Astaire!)
cuz we’re all geeks in the water…so there’s a whole new hierarchy of ‘cool’ that we’re dealing with.
Taking this a step farther… is noseriding made possible by particular waves or possible only with certain longboards.
here is my dilemma. I find the perfect peeling wave/stall/ come up under the curl and then make my way to the nose only to have the board pearl- everytime!!! i only weigh 175/180 and ride a 9’6 but its not one of those rather wider longboards. is it me ,the waves, or the board…thanks
it’s all technique, but different boards and fin setups will facilitate noseriding in different waves. just keep practicing…you’ll get it. and watch lots of longboard videos. notice how guys like joel and wingnut really set the tail in the wave before steppin’ to the top.
What waves are u surfing?
But best recomendations are small steps, on gutters and videos.
Don’t forget the Beaver Tail wetsuit! I heard it helps with your overall balance. I think it should be black. Hope that helps.
Roger
And it is improved by growing those elbow looking bumps below your knee-caps from knee-paddling. Mike
ha!..you should see me ride a long board !! i more or less go from tail to nose in three dumb jumps…i tell myself walk or something,then i jump…i just dont understand longboards. they are so big, , i cant figure out what the hell to do with them…some people can …
kba05, Cross stepping smoothly is something that takes time and practice. In a lot of cases it done in, or approaching a critical part of the wave. When riding a longboard everything is slowed down. Manoeuvres take longer so they have to be started earlier than you would if you were riding a short board. I ride a traditional /old school board but the process is basically the same for a modern board. Cross stepping forward and backward is done to keep the board in trim, and to get around the board.
So this is what I do. I normally do a fade take off and bottom turn, that is paddling into the wave in the opposite direction to the way you are going to go. This makes you bottom turn late, and you hit the critical part of the wave as your board is still rising up the face of the wave.
When doing a late bottom turn, as you come out of the turn you will naturally feel the need to move forward to get the board into trim. This may be one or two steps or three or four to get to the nose straight away.
It helps to look at your feet when you are learning to cross step. It helps to stop you from tripping over them. Wear a knee leg rope, you will get tangled up in an ankle legrope. Especially when walking backward. Better still don’t wear a legrope and enjoy the occasional swim. Hope this helps, stick with it. It will happen. hope this helps.platty.
…and another thing…not to sound like a Nike ad, but just do it…force yourself. i know what goes through your head… you get a nice walled up section that’s just begging for a noseride, and it looks so perfect that you don’t want to risk the cross-step and fuck it all up, so you shuffle to the top. funny thing about waves, though, is that the next one generally isn’t too far off. so no matter how good the section looks, cross your way to the top. if (and when) you fall off (let’s not beat around the bush…it’s gonna happen), go fetch your board, and by the time you get back to the lineup the next set should be just comin’ through. THEN YOU GET TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!!! and before long, you’ll have it down perfect.
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oh, yeah…and cross-step everywhere. when you wake up at 3am to take a piss, cross-step to the bathroom. when the game goes to commercial and you need another beer, cross-step to the fridge. when you see a hot girl at the other end of the club…okay, scratch that last one…unless you don’t care if she thinks you’re some freak loser. but you get what i’m sayin’…it’s all technique.
You forgot that one : cross-step while you shape that longboard …
More seriously, I learnt to cross-step last winter, practising with a longboard skate. First on flat, then downhill then forward AND backward going downhill. When I got back in the water it just came naturally, instinctively. I do not have to think about wether I should cross step or not and where I should put my feet, it just happens …
Skateboarding is truly the best way to learn this. When I was windsurfing as a teen , I learnt how to duck jibe and do 360° on a parking lot with a sail set on a skateboard. It’s so much easier.
Next winter I’ll try to learn drop knee turns using the same approach.
So are you guys trying to tell me that I don’t look cool when I shuffle up sideways to the nose of my board, looking like Chef from South Park?
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So are you guys trying to tell me that I don’t look cool when I shuffle up sideways to the nose of my board, looking like Chef from South Park?
Unless you’re into contests, my opinion is that it doesn’t really matter whether you look cool or not. To me, cross-stepping is just a more efficient way to walk the board. Your move is faster and more precise than with shuffling. Regarding drop-knee turns, they seem such a weird way of turning to me that I really want to learn and understand how it works.
I’d love to learn how to ride switch foot as well (I guess I’ll pratice on a skateboard once again)…
I learned by only taking 2 steps, one with each foot. If you’re trying to get straight to the nose, or walk the whole length, you’re going to be overthinking it. Just do your pop-up, bottom turn, and as the board is rising up the face, “1” “2”. Stop there. Go backwards “1” “2”. That’s it. Once you can do that, 3, 4, 5 etc come really easily.