A number of years ago, the air reverse saturated the surfing space.
Everyone was doing ‘em. And while surfers still are, and air reverses are by no means an easy maneuver to have in one’s bag of tricks, they have become somewhat…stale. And so, like fashion’s current resurgence of 90s trends, people began looking for something to mix it up, something like an old classic – the straight air.
Below, San Clemente’s own Pat Gudauskas walks us through the timeless trick.
There’s a couple main points for sticking a proper straight air, which Pat touches on in the video. Get out your notebooks, here’s the cheat sheet.
Approach…
“I like to have space,” says Pat. “I like to create speed. The faster you go, the higher you’re gonna get. You’re gonna need space to create speed.”
Wave type…
“If I’m looking for a frontside air section, the section has to be vertical. I like to think of it like I’m hitting a halfpipe or a skate ramp. That’s where you get that transition, that ollie into the air.”
Speed is key…
“Going fast is everything for this maneuver. You need speed, and you need power. You’re going to be pumping down the line, eyeing your section.”
Timing the section…
“If you’re going super low on the wave face, in the trough of the wave, you’re going to lose your speed, by the time you’re at the section. Your bottom turn starts in the middle [of the wave], you’re coiled up, and you’re timing the section with all your speed.”
Hitting the air section…
“When you’re hitting the section, it’s a lot about the angle of the board. If you’re too lateral, you travel more distance; if you’re too vertical, you’re gonna go higher. I think hitting it more vertical gives you more height and amplitude into the air.”
Amplitude…
“As you jump, by sucking your knees up, it’s almost like a skateboard ollie. That way you get that big, flat amplitude air.”
Landing…
“When I think about my landing, I’m thinking about absorbing. You don’t wanna be rigid, you don’t wanna be stiff. You wanna condense your body.”
Easy, right? Of course, there’s a lot of practice involved in having a frontside straight air on lock. But it always helps to hear a breakdown from a pro.
Stay tuned for more tutorial videos coming soon.
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