Competencies
Build your repertoire , one tick at a time. Each competency has 10 fundamentals — small, checkable things to nail. Add the ones you want to work on, tick them off as you get them, send a clip when you want feedback.
manoeuvre
Pop-up
The transition from prone to standing — the move every wave starts with.
01 Watch the wave 02 Neutral paddle position 03 Paddling 04 Last 2× paddles — long 05 Chest + chin 06 "Pause" + glide 07 Hands under chest 08 Small "twist" 09 Head high + hips on board 10 Jump to feet (not 2 stages) 11 Shoulders squared off 12 Back foot gives drive manoeuvre forehand
Bottom turn
Setting your line off the bottom of the wave on your toes.
01 Look where you want to go, not at the bottom of the wave 02 Lead with the front shoulder rotating up the face 03 Front arm extends toward the next section 04 Compress through the bottom — knees bent, hips low 05 Plant the back foot — pressure through heel-side rail 06 Fade slightly off the bottom to set the rail cleanly 07 Hold the line through the turn — no pumping mid-arc 08 Trailing arm stays tucked, doesn’t fly out behind 09 Drive through the toes for forward speed 10 manoeuvre backhand
Bottom turn
Setting your line on your heels — backhand bottom turn.
01 Look up the face — eyes lead the rotation 02 Trailing shoulder rotates down toward the wave first 03 Lower onto the back leg as you load the rail 04 Front hand reaches across the body for balance 05 Toes apply pressure to the rail — toe-side carve 06 Keep the back arm loose, not braced behind you 07 Compress deeper than forehand — backhand needs more bend 08 Project up off the bottom, don’t slide along it 09 Eyes set the line at the top — pick a target 10 manoeuvre forehand
Cutback
Carving back to the pocket on your toes.
01 Build speed across the flats first — don’t carve from a stall 02 Turn the head to look back over the shoulder toward the pocket 03 Front arm reaches across the body to lead rotation 04 Compress through the back leg as you pivot 05 Heel pressure on the back foot — fan spray off the trough 06 Hips rotate before the board does 07 Stay over the board — don’t lean back into the carve 08 Hit the soup pocket with the rebound, not the shoulder 09 Bring the front foot down to stomp the rebound 10 manoeuvre backhand
Cutback
Carving back to the pocket on your heels.
01 Set up wide — backhand cutbacks need more room 02 Rotate the head over the lead shoulder 03 Wrap the front arm low across the body 04 Bend deeper — backhand carves need more compression 05 Heel pressure through both feet on the carve 06 Don’t sit back — keep weight forward of the back foot 07 Drive the back hip down and around 08 Eyes lock onto the foam ball as you rebound 09 Front hand reaches for the rebound contact point 10 Spring out by extending both legs simultaneously manoeuvre forehand
Snap
A vertical, explosive redirect off the lip on your toes.
01 Hit the lip with speed — no slow snaps 02 Compress under the lip, not on the way up to it 03 Pop up explosively at the moment of impact 04 Throw the back hand toward the beach to drive rotation 05 Eyes lead the rotation back down the face 06 Front foot redirects the board, not the back foot 07 Stay above the board — head over the chest 08 Wrap the chin to the front shoulder for full rotation 09 Land flat, ready to absorb compression 10 manoeuvre backhand
Snap
A vertical, explosive redirect off the lip on your heels.
01 Approach with speed and a flat trim line 02 Lean into the wave on approach — not away 03 Wrap the trailing arm across the body before impact 04 Hit the lip with the toe-side rail engaged 05 Throw shoulders toward the beach to redirect 06 Compress aggressively at the top of the wave 07 Eyes spot the landing zone before initiating 08 Drive the rotation from the hips, not the arms 09 Re-engage the rail on the way down — don’t slide 10 manoeuvre forehand
Barrel riding
Getting in, staying in, and coming out the front.
01 Set the line wide — give yourself room to drop in 02 Drop in on a hard rail, don’t slide down the face 03 Tuck low immediately — head below the lip 04 Front hand stalls or grabs to slow into the pocket 05 Eyes lock on the exit, not the wall 06 Stay relaxed in the chest — tense shoulders kill flow 07 Foot pressure even — mid-stance through the tube 08 Trim by toe pressure, not body lean 09 Stay deep — closer to the foam means cleaner exit 10 manoeuvre backhand
Barrel riding
Pig-dog and stall the backhand tube.
01 Approach with extra speed — backhand barrels need momentum 02 Drop in with the back foot loaded 03 Pig-dog: front hand grabs the rail under the chest 04 Tuck under the lip — chest down, low stance 05 Eyes look out over the front shoulder 06 Stall with the back foot if you’re going too fast 07 Don’t lean into the wave — stay upright on the board 08 Trailing leg drives the line through the tube 09 Watch the lip throw, time the exit 10 line
Double pump
A two-pump line for generating speed across a soft section.
01 First pump compresses through the trough 02 Extend up through the line off the back foot 03 Second compression flows directly into the next pump 04 Both pumps come from leg drive, not torso swing 05 Head stays level, body bobs underneath 06 Front foot stays loose for redirection 07 Use the full top-to-bottom of the wave face 08 Don’t pump on the flat — pump on the slope 09 Each pump should add speed, not just hold it 10 Finish with a committed turn, not a third pump Sign in to add these to your dashboard.
Exit the turn pointing at the lip, not the shoulder
Exit driving up the face, not laterally across
Re-set the line by extending the front leg
Reconnect the rail immediately for the next section
Land in a low compressed stance ready for the next turn
Stand tall on the exit to finish with a turn
Stand up and project out before the section closes