The beauty of functional cross stepping

[Tudeo]

Yesterday I had a very nice cross stepping experience. I use a Firewire Submoon 8'2", I weigh about 163lbs.

I was on a shoulder/waist high left, that's my backside. I came from a bottom turn and wanted to go as high as I could in the face, I'm working on going more vertical. But then I got stuck in the lip on re-entry, I must work on that some more. I almost lost the wave going off the back, but then it happened, on an impulse I did a quick cross stepping action of 4 or 5 steps until the front 1/3th of the board. Immediately the board accelerated and I turned it in a carving cut back.

Still in the carving turn, just before I hit the foam ball, I cross stepped back and did a turn bouncing off the white water back to down the line where I could do a couple of pumps before the wave ended.

I was surprised how effective, and easy, this cross stepping felt. I have done some steps before, but never to initiate a carving turn, I was surprised that worked standing in that forward position!

Also coming from a shortboard I was excited how much fun there's to be had on a weaker wave doing this combined shortboard/longboard style surfing. Stoked!

[oldmansurfer]

I move around on my funboards all the time and also moved around on shorter boards but I learned to surf on a shortboard and when I surf a longboard I try to surf it like a shortboard.. I recently had a similar experience where turned too high on the shoulder and got caught in danger of losing the wave then ran forward to make the board go down the face again and continued to make a nice carving cutback after that without moving my feet back. I was surprised it not only worked but felt good from that position. Now it wasn't a hard jamming cutback but still a carving one. But more to the point I used to throw my 9'6" longboard around like it was a shortboard I am just not a longboarder. Lots of people think you can't do some maneuver or ride some wave because you have the wrong board but for the most part you can learn to ride any board on any wave. Great to hear you are stoked. I am always stoked. Keep the stoke!

[BoMan]

I did a quick cross stepping action of 4 or 5 steps until the front 1/3th of the board. Immediately the board accelerated and I turned it in a carving cut back. Still in the carving turn, just before I hit the foam ball, I cross stepped back and did a turn bouncing off the white water back to down the line where I could do a couple of pumps before the wave ended.

Nice moves!

I'm working hard on cross stepping and can move forward most of the time but revert to old habits when going back. Shuffling gets the job done by moving weight around the board but it's klunky while walking is smooth, efficient....and just feels great.

Keep sharing your success!

[Tudeo]

I'm working hard on cross stepping and can move forward most of the time but revert to old habits when going back. Shuffling gets the job done by moving weight around the board but it's klunky while walking is smooth, efficient....and just feels great.

I did it on impulse in the moment, I was surprised later how well it went. It's like the several steps are just 1 quick move. Maybe when doing this intentionally you start thinking how to move your feet and every step becomes a laboured move?

I recently had a similar experience where turned too high on the shoulder and got caught in danger of losing the wave then ran forward to make the board go down the face again and continued to make a nice carving cutback after that without moving my feet back. I was surprised it not only worked but felt good from that position. Now it wasn't a hard jamming cutback but still a carving one.

Funny we had exactly the same experience and surprise by the nose carve. And yes, it felt just right.

[oldmansurfer]

I am trying to imagine why it worked so well. When I surf I rarely think about what I do but once I am on land I often think about what I did. My thought is this, that the wave was the right shape to allow a carve from the front of the board. I think perhaps it wouldn't have worked if the wave was steeper or flatter or smaller and perhaps bigger too. Anyway just my thought but let me know if you pull off another one or fail. It might be a long time before I attempt do that again since it was an accident.

[Tudeo]

It happened by accident for me too, cos just like you I was hung up in the lip and corrected by quickly stepping forward, and I was just as surprised the carving turn worked from that forward position and felt so good. But also I was surprised those quick sidesteps forward and backward worked and felt so good.

And yes the carve must have worked because the shape of the wave was just right for that. In a steeper wave it would have been a nosedive instead of a nosecarve , and in a fatter wave it would have lost speed and catch a rail.