Tips by David Ngiam
Video : Tom Fooshee
Photo : Ryan Siow
Once you’re comfortable with boardslides, its time to add some spin variations!
Try to spin 180s first which should be pretty straight forward. To do a 360 spin, don’t rush it at first. Get into a boardslide with your handle close to your hip, knees bent and your body a little more crouched. Again, the key to the spin is really to lock your posture because you want to keep your board flat throughout the trick, unlike a surface 360 on the water where you have to keep changing edges.
Initiate the spin by keeping your handle low and pulling it to your back hip (for a frontside spin) or front hip (for a backside spin). As you do this, you want to turn your whole body in unison. That is, make sure your shoulders, knees and board remained in lined. Leading too much with your head or shoulders may throw your axis off balance.
You need to feel that your weight is evenly distributed over your heel and toes as you spin. Keeping the handle close to your hip, reach around for the handle pass. Once you’ve got the handle, just hold on to that posture and the line tension will help pull you around.
The key is really to keep the momentum going once you start the spin. Don’t hesitate and focus on keeping your weight evenly distributed over the board. Unlike surface spins on the water, there is no edge to catch on the rail, so you don’t have to worry about shifting your weight from one edge to another. Just keep it flat!
For more steeze, press over one foot as you spin around it while poking out the other foot.