Kneeboard Surfing USA Community Forum

Hi im new to kneeboards from stand up surfing ive got bottom turns fairly solid but when i go onto full rail topturns i struggle to get back over the board any advice please?

Grab the rail and follow threw. Maybe shorten the turn

Cool I'll give it a whirl.

Hello welcome to kneeboarding

ah, there is a whole school of thought that says don't touch your rail so that's a choice to make.

One way of doing things on a kneeboard is to turn with the opposite shoulder over inside rail (so on a top turn it would be the rail nearest the beach).

Drive down over this point and you will drive the board down the wave and be able to wind up your turns better.

Also when you come out of a turn make sure that your hands are in front of you to get ready for the next turn - it might only be for an instant or be part of the flow between turns, but something like this makes all the difference when you are learning your style,

So lean forward in your turns, get that opposite shoulder over the inside rail. If you catch a rail because you are leaning forward just kneel back a bit more.

hope this helps, and it's just one way of doing things

One thing that will keep you from getting hung up at the lip is your board. Some boards track more than others! I've always ridden twins because they snap a turn at the lip easier! What you can do for now is to move back on the baord more, that will help lossen it up!

Pick a spot in the pocket and let er rip! Aim or project to a spot you want to be and good things can happen. Your board will make a big difference in how you turn. I called it fantasizing when I was in my teens and twenties... I think they call it mind surfing now...hah! See yourself blasting off the top and carving your way back to the curl. I'm still trying to perfect it after many, many years, but I sure enjoy a good one every now and then. Stoked to be kneeboarding.

Typically, newer kneelos sit in the middle of the board (up a bit too far), which is not too much of a problem in bottom turning and the trim is fine, but then the board hangs up on the top turns because the weight is not far enough to the rear to really lift and pivot the nose for the snap. If you watch experienced kneeboarders in videos (such as www.legless.tv) you'll see they sit back rather far on the board, really leaning forward when they need to trim the board and go fast. However, at that rear position they can suddenly lean back hard when doing their big snaps and pivots. Perhaps you're already sitting back far enough, but if not, give this some consideration. Almost everyone has to go through this learning stage of moving back on the board.

I've also increased my boards' abilities to come off the lip more easily by going with small fins.

Good luck!