Turning and speed · 5 min read · Board: A mini-mal or a shortboard. Easier with a thruster than a longboard.
The turn at the bottom of the wave that sets up everything else: speed, direction and where you go next.
You have dropped in, you are at the bottom of the face, and you need to turn along the wave. The bottom turn redirects the speed of the drop into speed along the wave.
Compress. As you reach the bottom, bend your knees and lower your body so your weight presses into the board.
Look where you want to go, along the wave, at the section ahead of you, not at the board.
Lean into the turn on the rail closer to the wave. On your frontside that means pressing with your toes, on your backside with your heels.
Draw a curve, not a corner. The arc should climb back up the face.
Extend as you exit the turn: your legs straighten and your arms and head lead along the wave.
Mistakes
Turning too early, so you are still on the flat part and have no speed. Go deeper before you turn.
Standing up in the middle. Staying low is what makes the board turn.
Looking at your feet. Where the head goes, the board follows.
Leaning back. It stalls the board; keep your weight over the front foot through the turn.
Drills
On a small, clean wave, do three bottom turns before you do anything else. Feel the arc.
A surfskate or a skateboard teaches the same low compression and carving on land.
A guide is not a coach. If you can, take a lesson or surf with someone better than you.