AERIAL DRILL


AIM:

To practice the technique of the aerial.


PREPARATION: 

Explain the situations when an aerial could be performed. Demonstrate how to perform a quality aerial and ask the surfers to simulate the action on the beach. Explain how the scoring for this drill is allocated.


DRILL: 

  • Send the surfers out into the surf for 20 minutes. Score each wave normally out of 10 points. 
  • Award 3 bonus points for every successfully completed aerial. These additional bonus points are to encourage the surfers to attempt the target manoeuvre.

NOTES TO THE COACH

This advanced manoeuvre can be trained for just like all the preceding base manoeuvres. A word of warning, make sure the surfer is appropriately skilled in the base manoeuvres so that this high risk manoeuvre doesn’t become the main focus of their surfing, as this has resulted in the poor development of many surfers in the recent past. The technique for performing an aerial is:

  • Perform a quality bottom turn off the bottom of the wave
  • Just before hitting the lip or foam, forcefully lift your arms above your
    head to create a “lift” force
  • When in the air, try to keep your chest close to your knees. Grab the rail if
    you find it necessary
  • Land in a low stance to handle the impact forces on landing
 Mark lesson complete