WHAT IS NOSE-RIDING?

Nose riding is the art of riding a longboard right at the very front - the nose. 

In it's most rudimentary form, it's simply the act of riding along around the nose of the board, however done well, nose-riding will see the surfer hang their toes, heels and god-knows what else over the nose of the board.

Very technical, yes, but achievable for sure.


WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

To really begin mastering the art of longboarding you need to be learn how to nose-ride.

Without doubt nose-riding is the hardest part of the sport and requires the rider to have expert skills, balance, and control.

As with anything, nose-riding will take time to master, but damn it's fun once you get the hang of it.

WHAT ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF NOSE RIDING 

HOW TO

We've been working up to this point throughout this entire course.

To start with, we're just going to be attempting a cheater-five. 

A cheater-five is the same as a hang-five, but without the need to be quite so extreme with the toes hanging over the nose.

With a cheater-five you'll be putting the majority of your weight - roughly 80-90% on your back foot.

The reason for this is to keep as much of your weight as far back as possible to avoid nosediving.

So, lets bring everything we've learned up until this point together:

  • STEP 1: Paddle into the wave nice and early, pop to your feet, wipe off speed, and set your line in zone 1 of the wave. 
  • STEP 2: Wipe off speed and create an imbalance in your board as you transition into zone 1 of the wave.
  • STEP 3: Once in zone 1, wait to feel the centre-point of your board change, then set your line.
  • STEP 4: With your line set, it's now time to cross-step your way to the nose of the board.
  • STEP 5: Once at the nose of the board, put one foot further to the nose than the other, put 80-90% of your weight over your back foot, and crouch down low for balance.
  • STEP 6: Stay at the nose of the board for as long as the balance point feels right.
  • STEP 7: Once the balance point switches, begin cross-stepping back towards the tail of the board to readjust, then repeat the process. 

WRAPPING IT UP

We've covered a whole lot of ground during this course.

And by now, hopefully you understand the process of how to cross-step, and nose-ride too.

As with everything, it'll take time to master, but stick with it. You now have all the knowledge, it's now all about application and repetition.

 Mark lesson complete