Have you ever been surfing a wave and been compelled to start dancing on your board? If so, know that you are not alone. There is an entire surfing discipline dedicated to “dancing” on your longboard through a footwork sequence called “cross-stepping”.
This functional movement allows us to generate speed by shifting our weight toward the front of the board, and get’s us into position for the most coveted longboarding technique: noseriding!
Check out this video, and take note of these essential tips to get you cross-stepping with ease and fluidity.
Practice on Land
To get the movement of cross-stepping ingrained into your brain and body, set your longboard down on the sand for reference, and next to it draw a practice board that is the same length as your board.
Then begin from your normal surf stance, and practice turning your hips towards the nose of the board, and placing one foot in front of the other, keeping over top of the center or ‘stringer’ line of the board. Do this a few times and you should be able to know how many, and the size of steps to take to reach the nose of your board.
In the water, place your board in the top 3rd of the wave.
The top section of the wave is where you want to do your cross-stepping. Once you have it set up there, start practicing with 2 cross steps forward, then cross-stepping back into your surf stance to control the board.
Once you get comfortable taking two steps, you can build to 4, and then you're at the nose!!
Avoid shuffling!
This is a common habit and we all do it sometimes. Smooth cross-stepping is about being able to ‘walk’ forward AND backwards on your board, to manipulate it on the wave. Once you get it dialled, it will feel way smoother than your shuffling!
For good balance, keep your head up (don’t look at your feet!)
Remember to keep your head up and your eyes looking at the wave ahead. This will keep you balanced, as well as let you see what else the wave will do so that you can decide your next maneuver.
Blog Written By Adam Tory
Video Shot + Edited by Craig Lugsden