Pin and Rounded pin for use on your back hand

General Discussion
1

Hi Guys

This has come up as a result of another thread but thought it might be of substance for the rest of you below are my finding as best as I can explain. those of you that do the same let us know your findings and those interested in trying it out let us know how you get on.

I tend to slide out on my forhand when doing cutbacks using a rounded pin or pin tail. I find with the rounded pin I have more control over and can get more vertical on my backhand. My rounded pin has a bit less rocker than my Squash so I am forced to think and plan my moves better. Everyone that has used my rounded pin on there backhand has converted to rounded pins and pins for use on their backhand. More than that it just feels right. Try it out next time you will see what I mean.

Keep Well

2

If you can master it…

moving your rear foot from side to side in between turns will greatly aid your cutback on boards with wider tails.

All great backside tube riders move their rear foot over the inside rail fin - away from the center of the board. If you do nothing but ride steep backhands you will begin to do it too - perhaps without even knowing you are doing it.

Once you consciously accept that good backhand riding is just like good frontside IF you move your foot, you can play with shifting your foot side to side in between turns. Only a few inches (2-3, maybe) makes a huge difference. You have to be able to weight the inside rail fin on any turn (assuming you have an inside rail fin and you aren’t riding a single, tunnel, or bonzer).

3

hiya Swifty !

what are the dimensions of both boards and do you have a photo of them (top and bottom ), side by side , please ?

I would be keen to see the width of the tails , especially the pod measurements of the rounded square / squashtail , as I hadn’t thought of that for my next thruster . [Being a bit of a ‘pintail single fin fan’ myself , I am glad you brought this up , something to think about , in regards to a thruster’s tail shape].

Thanks mate , this could be an interesting thread , as people share their findings on this subject.

I know , personally , both my [single fin] rounded pins are flatter rockered than I would like …one is 6’4 , the other 7’ [and that one is chunky …2 7/8" !! thick railed , too…]

So, I’m thinking [as popeye and I are wanting to do at present with his 6’6 thruster]…

A single fin option , on a thinner , more rockered blank

… well , maybe THAT will be an option with my next thruster , thanks for putting this idea in my head , Swifty !

cheers mate

ben ,

west oz

when I ride “Popeye’'s 6’6” thruster [hopefully on Sunday in some decent waves north of here , IF it happens !] I will make sure to get some lefts , and take notice of what BOTH my feet are doing . Then , compare what goes on in rights …if the tail slides on cutties, as you’ve experienced . It’s been a while since I have ridden a thruster , so I hope we will get a fair few hours in …

4

Hi Blakestah

Thanks for your input

yes I do shift my backfoot around quite a bit. Yes I am a thruster man. I love surfing backhand and will ratehr paddle out in a backhand wave than a forhand wave. I have noticed that I tend to stay close to the hollow section of the wave with my pin than my squash.

5

Longboards are different, I know, but I find I have to use 2 different techniques for hard cutbacks from high in the wave. On squares & squashes, I have to stay centered over the board & crouch lower - think about how a snowboarder looks sliding down a hand railing with his back on the downhill side. Balanced, as you’re moving downhill to your back, but on your forehand. On a round pin, its totally different. There’s no tip-point, because the tail will give much more predictable hold. The downside is you have to crank it harder or your turn will be too wide-radius. So on a fronthand pintail high cutback, straighten your legs under you and get your body out over the downhill rail. Rather than the snowboard/handrail, visualize a pool skater sliding the coping with his body mostly below the skate and his toes moving forwards instead of his heels.

This doesn’t answer your backside comments - which I agree with too - but might help when you’re out on your ‘backhand board’ and a random frontside wave appears…