Shrug. 20-some years ago I spent 2 months surfing nearly every day at San O. I talked about cross-stepping with some of the old-time surfers, and one of them said "I dunno, I just run up to the front of the board". Has worked ever since for me.
That’s how I feel mostly anything is. Can watch videos all day but the reality is the more you surf/ski/play music/woodwork, etc, the more muscle memory you develop and the easier it gets.
As a beginner, I surf at Rockaway Beach often. Small waves except when there's a hurricane in FL. I step accross my 8'4" board instinctively, just trying not to fall. I haven't watched or learned any particular technique. It just feels like the natural way to surf for me. I'm not into doing tricks, I just enjoy the ride and squeeze the fun out of a wave for as long as I can manage. It would be nice to learn to do it in a more structured way.
Those first two lines. Such a try-hard. Instead of trying to sound impressive in the comments why don't you just appreciate this quality content. Shrug.
Some great advice my friend. I’m a 57 year old former short boarder and my cross stepping is pretty similar to the way I walk home from the pub after a couple of beers too many. Will definitely focus on respecting every step from now on.
I am in similar situation as you. I have been an avid shortboarder for decades. I wanted to add classic style of riding a longboard to my surfing where much to my surprise it is way harder than i thought. In fact, I think riding a traditional longboard with cross stepping and all the tricks *with style* is much harder than riding a shortboard. I have made every single mistake and wrong assumption you mention in the video and haven’t cracked the code honestly. Thank you for the videos and I look forward to putting it to practice.
Enjoyed your summary of the "walk". Grew up in S. Calif. moved to Maui in 96 took only long boards. Finally had Ole shape my real long boards and spent 20+ years refining my craft. It is an art form for sure. So much muscle memory I guess, but gorgeous to watch those who have mastered it. Looks like a thick wetsuit there. I live on Bainbridge Island now an only do SUP. Sold all my boards moving here!
Thanks!! Yes It all comes down to experience and muscle memory. If we all had a perfect point break that had waves everyday, it wouldn't be so hard haha Yes it's a 5/4! Water is still freezing cold here in NJ! Can't wait for it to warm up
Very nice video. Same as you, longboarding is really fun the older I get, especially at the right spots. I go back and forth but high performance longbaording is respectable and super fun. Rock on!
Thx bro. I like your style and stoke. Štarted surfing in the 60s with my older stepbrother on a board 3x as heavy (probably pretty close) and definitely 3x as long as I was. Had to drag it out backwards cause I couldn’t turn it around. Ran the gamut from pins to twins to thrusters and HP mids and longboards. At 65 I’m so stoked to be on my 9/6 triple stringer, nose block tail block, heavy volan classic. It’s about the the day, the ocean and soaking up what the want offers. Keep it up and if you’re ever in ask Csl I hope we share a few waves together. All the best, 1st Point Tony
Well said! Where are you located? Looks like a typo, or I just don't understand the abbreviation😂 I bet that 9'6" is so fun to ride. I tried out a heavier (older) board recently and it was awesome on a smaller day. The extra weight helps a bit in certain situations. No leash plug.. the thing would be a death trap on bigger days! I can't beleive some of the footage from the endless summer at pipeline.. guys wiping out on these heavy boards. I imagine there we're many concussions in those days
Found your channel a few months ago. Grew up spending summers in South Jersey (Avalon/ Stone Harbor), and started riding longboards before the renaissance. Your videos have inspired me to force myself to learn cross stepping! It may be a challenge, as I have 40 some years of shuffling to correct!
Oh awesome! Yea shuffling may be a hard habit to break, but cross stepping is actually much easier than shuffling. Once you feel that aspect, you’ll never shuffle again haha
Really great insights! That first step is always a bit awkward for many of us with limited external hip range of motion (how deep can we bend our knees while cross stepped without lifting our heels? For many, not much). Being one of those people, I always get through that first step as I feel like I can't bend my knees enough to stabilize, but this video shows it's doing a disservice more than anything. Next session I'm just gonna try to trim with a single cross step and STAY there.
Very interesting. Well I would say that the majority of longboarders do bend their knees quite a bit while cross stepping. However, some keep pretty straight legs. I think you can adapt things to make it work for you as we are all built differently. I think if you try to stay in that cross stepped position you'll work out the correct body position for yourself. Let me know how it goes!
I am too heavy to surf anymore, but I used to compete in longboard and you are on point. I never even thought about what you are saying here. Very cool!
@@LongboardSessions I saw this clip first and then a few others. You are very talented for someone who only recently made the switch from short board to Malibu. I think Joel Tudor and Alex Knost might be worried their secrets are being shared. Excellent analysis in each clip! 🤙
The flow is coming great to see,,,, Don't forget to feel the wave & your board under your feet gets in sync,,, try not to over think it,,, feel it more,,, watch your creative style your own unique style, really accelerate... That's the beauty of longboarding "Style" so good to see the froth...
Brother! The quality of this video is a level up! Great graphics, sound, and edits. Nice work my friend. -- as to the content: Very meaningful. I can use those lessons and reminders. Thank you. -- side note: your fade at 1:47 is the best you've ever done! (made a little bobble after, but thats not the point) you went deep right, then cut into the perfect position! Well done.
thanks so much Billy! yea I spent quite a bit of time on this video haha. I felt like I was in a pocket finding groove that day… the fades were working real well!
I’m a hodad from way back, and this is what I see; You seem to be late on your first step. Don’t wait to complete your bottom or top turn to begin walking. If you are waiting for your nose to be pointing in the direction you want to travel then you’re already late. Your board will “automatically “ find trim if you begin walking during the second half of your turn. A good analogy is stepping on the accelerator when driving your car out of a turn. You’re welcome.
Great advice tommy! I think you're especially correct when talking about waves like the one I ride. Fast beach breaks require getting to the nose ASAP.. can't do that unless your already start your steps in the middle of the bottom turn. Gotta keep working on that
Solid video. Like you, I started out short boarding. A big hurdle I had to overcome was a mental one. I'd long assumed long boarding was easy. Or easier than short boarding. And indeed most aspects are easier. But like you found, cross stepping and nose riding are extremely difficult. And the body memory from short boarding is not helpful or even detrimental to cross stepping. Your "first step" advise is fantastic. You start that step off balance and it's all down hill from there.
Gotta be another Aussie below me and yeah just add nine years with a huge gap: when 12 my grandparents bought me my first and totally wrong board to learn on which I had no idea of at the time, add no leg ropes so you/we back then did a lot of swimming which ended up with me on an invalid stick coz I could wear fins, years later a seven foot Hot Stuff (thick and heavy dinosaur) is still the best I’ve ever ridden... bar the 9’6” pop out I now have (it was marketed as hi tech all done by computers) funny looking back, everyone hated on pop outs but the were fast and so many hated on the comp boys for selling out... anyway, my point is, you need to know where you are on the board and most importantly to read the wave while paddling which you pretty much mentioned and put those feet in the right spot when you get up and be ready to put that reading into action... I thought the transition to long boards would be easy but kept forgetting there was around 4’ more up front (no prize for figuring that one) Great vid and clear as.
Wow very cool! Yea that extra 4' makes quite a difference haha. I have a similar story.. started out with a terrible board for beginners. It was a 5'10" thin shortboard. I stuck with it and ended up learning with it, but I coulda learned 5 times faster if I had the right board lol
This is a great video for those of us who are trying to progress in cross stepping and nose riding. Well most of your vids are but this one has some great detail and insight. Thanks! Definitely going to try this next when my new log arrives...frothing 🥳
@@LongboardSessions I got a 9'8" log shaped in a fairly classic shape with some modern additions. Got such a big shape to add volume cause I am a little taller and heavier than the average surfer (1.93cm and 92kg) Maybe on this board I can also paddle on my knees. Ha ha
I'll have to try and focus on that one day. My feet are typically not very parallel, but when I focus on pointing the hips towards the nose I always cross step way better
Very interesting. I started on a 9’8” Weber and by ‘72 was on nothing longer than a 7’4”. More action on a short board but I often longed for the days of copying David Nuuhiwa who could hang ten forever and so effortlessly. I’ve never been out over 15’ but I was convinced that to ride 18+ Waimea, I needed an 11 foot gun. Hell, they’re doing it on toothpicks today. Great vid. Thanks for the memories.
I’m just glad I started in the era of fiberglass boards and not Duke Kahanamoku’s time when Koa boards were 12’ long and weighed over a hundred pounds. As you say, as long as we’re having fun. Wish you endless summers.
Looks like you grew up in Kauai? But those perfect noseriding waves look like somewhere else. I can still feel the drop-in, stall and walk up to the nose after over 40 years. Jealous.
Every noseride is different. If I know for a fact that the wave is gonna peel I will run to the nose very quickly, leaving little time to get unbalanced. If the section backs off or doesn't cooperate I slowly work my way forward and keep my weight in the best place on the board for planing speed. Im still working on my spinners, but I'm able to walk forward, look back and recover but not a full spin yet.
Another great effort both surfing and vid work, its great to see your enjoying longboards rather than short boards (shark bait). The real value for me is the library of reference material to review after a session - thank you! How much rocker do you have on that board?
Thanks so much! I really gotta start categorizing my videos into playlists. The titles and thumbnails don't often give away what the video is about so it's tough to know what to watch if you're looking for a specific thing. I dont know how much rocker, but I know it's more than a usual traditional longboard. That's by design to fit into our NJ waves a bit better
@@noseridesnosedivessurfvlog8634 tight is what I was going for. Not easy sometimes as I get lost in all the writing and forget the point I’m trying to make haha
Tight… and legendary! Your communication skills are epic, and changing the clips almost every 3 seconds… I have seen it 3 times🤙🤙🤙 but I loved the message too. You have lifted the bar bro💪 kudos
I really enjoyed watching this video! It’s a 5minvideo but super detailed and very informative! I’ll keep watching your content and keep it up with your great work! :)
@@LongboardSessions hahah oh I can imagine . Bit m I find myself sometimes just aimlessly paddling for a wave with no idea what I am gonna do so these vids have helped me Not over think but I definitely be more mindful when paddling for a wave.
I'm in SoCal and ride up to double overhead. Also, often ride shortboard reef breaks here. Two suggestions: 1) perfect your angled takeoff. You can practice this on smaller waves if you take off from the peak (rather than the shoulder), 2) the power of larger waves allow you to get in much-much earlier. So, litterally way less steep than your smaller waves. Solves the nose dive issue. ...I'll leave a second message below as well.
I like to think of it like "The Trminator" movie its like how Arnold sees every thing with geometry and data analysis in is eyes. Normally, we catch waves at a 45% angle. With larger more powerful waves you can actually paddle it at 35%. Standing by 40%. Make sense?
Also, contrary to how it looks, the maneuvers and turns are much more drawn out and even seem slower on big waves. Because you are covering so much more real estate. Lastly, the only way to learn it is to paddle outside and do it! Remember, to breath and just go for it! Have fun!
Gorgeous video! Loved the explanation, music, structure, cinematography and the beginner friendly tips. I’m a new surfer and learning from someone two years ahead of me makes it much more relatable! Oh and the thumbnail was top notch as well, drew me right in, well done!
Thanks so much! So glad it helps. Not sure where you are in your surfing, but this thursdays video will be a very basic video about turning longboards. Might be helpful
Good advice! If I may ask, how tall are you? + what dimensions does your board have? +Do you place your fin to the far back or far front of your finbox? Thanks in advance!
Thanks!! I'm 5'4" 130 lbs. Currently Im riding a 9'6" COS Chingona. It's technically a little big for me, but I did that on purpose to speed up the learning process. Ideally I'd be on a 9'2" or 9'4" I imagine. As for fin it depends. I'm currently using a greenough 4a and have it in the middle. If I have a super stable fin on I'll typically put it all the way forward to help turning and the setup for noserides.
@@LongboardSessions I ride a 9'6'' as well and this summer I realized that the further back I place my fin, the more stable my board becomes when crosstepping to the nose. I also place it further front when I want to add more turning action to my board. Nice to meet you! Greetings from Surfprivate Coaching, Greece! 🇬🇷
@@No1AgiSdik yea that’s the rule of thumb. Further back more stable, further forward looser board. What I find is that on our steep quick Nj waves, having the fin further forward makes quick noseride setups much easier.
This is so helpful, thank you! What skateboard do you recommend to practice cross stepping on land? I have a 29" carver now but I can probably do like one step
Awesome you got it! I would try and find the longest one you can... maybe try and get one used. Something that you can get atleast two steps on would be perfect
if you fall under the wave turn and runs to the tip you will have the best nose ride you can. Do not walk to the nose. Drop, turn hard and when the board is climbing the wave in its direction go to the nose. See Herbie Fletcher surfing, he almost do this when after paddle.
@@LongboardSessions, after a fade curve, when you board is climbing the wave run to the nose, the wave will accelerate you and because you are are the nose you will stay at the critical wave part. The wave will run over your board's tail and sustein you at the nose with some hard tendency to skid sideways. Check Herbie Fletcher surfing and you will get it easy.
@@LongboardSessions so I grew up in Hazlet, NJ. Went to Raritan high school up through my senior year, but moved down to Florida my last year of high school and graduated in 99. Joined the military right after from 99-2006, got out and moved back down to Florida where I still reside with my wife and kids. I grew up surfing everywhere from Sandy hook, seabright, Monmouth beach, long branch, asbury park, 8th-16th street in belmar, hung out at eastern lines surf shop where zappo used to work, and miss ALL of the jetty breaks up that way. Used to surf year round like you and as much as I miss the waves, I don’t miss putting on or taking off that 5mm, boots, gloves, and hood. I used to skateboard my entire life as well, and would always take NJ transit to either meet up with my peeps in long branch, or go the other way to Hoboken to cross over on the path train to get into downtown Manhattan - usually got off at the World Trade Center before the 9/11 attacks. Growing up that way in the 80’s and 90’s was a different world then it is now. Glad to see you switched from short boards to long boards as I made the same transition when I hit like 34-35. Waves down here are mooshy so I’ll still take out a retro fish from time to time snd break out the regular thruster short if it gets super gnarly, but for the most part, and since my kids are 4 and 7 and learning themselves now, it’s longboard sessions these days for the most part. Love your channel and have been a sub for a while, but I’m not always on TH-cam so I miss a lot of your vids. With that said, you are giving awesome advice through your own trial snd error. Growing up we didn’t have the advantage of being able to film ourselves surfing and go pros weren’t around until the latter 2000’s. Keep up the good work my friend and look forward to more of your videos. I just recently got back into shaping after a 10 year hiatus from that, but just love doing it as a hobby. Like I said, keep up the great work my friend and keep pumping these vids out! You’re helping a lot of people
One more thing, I don't know if you should obsess too much about the stringer. Yes, you need to stay balanced, but sometimes, especially when going backside, I noticed that in the critical sections, I have my front foot on the wave side of the stringer. (I didn't know I was doing this, found out when I made this video.) These waves are well overhead OBX hurricane surf from a few years ago. Look where my front foot is, and I'm right in the pocket, balanced. I move it in some, when things are less critical. th-cam.com/video/9elmvcI6yQQ/w-d-xo.html
You’re absolutely correct. What I really meant is getting your next step directly in front of your previous step. Often times this will be on the wave side of the stringer especially on steep sections
@@LongboardSessions definitely on that last wave. A couple of times I scooted my foot back towards the rail. Amazing what you learn about your surfing when you get to see it. That was a doozie of a day! It seemed like all the rides were pretty critical. My brother couldn't even make it out the back. I got lucky and punched through (with a little help from good timing).
@@jackquarantillo5192 nice! Yea video footage of yourself is huge when it comes to learning… I was considering making a video on that subject. I think drone footage is the best because it shows off your mistakes the most. GoPro is great for looking at your footwork
Great videos! Keep up the great content! Couple questions. What size is your long board and how do you make it over white water when padding out with a long board? I have a 9ft board myself and always struggle when paddling out over white water or crashing waves. Thanks
you can flip the board over and use your weight to hold the nose down and let the wave go over,then remount quickly.you can use your superior speed to try to charge out between sets
Not normally. I over compensate the step but don't look down. I than review the footage later and see if it was in line with the other foot. Trying to re train my muscles to do it correctly lol
You need to keep your head up and rotate your hips. When your board rotates up the wave because you are looking up and your hip is engaged. Uiur board will speed up. Thats whe. U Start your 1st step...after that cross step to the nose and you pau. Keep your head up the whole time
The problem isn't your cross-stepping, you step fine. The problem is that you're so focused ON doing cross-stepping that you are not listening to the wave.
That's a great question and maybe someone with a bit more knowledge can chime in. In my opinion, 1 fin creates a certain "feel" that you can't get if you have sidebites on. Turning is where it really shines. With three fins, you typically do a more "sweeping" turn. With a single fin, you're able to sweep or pivot the turn and can really whip the board around faster, even though you lose speed doing that. When it comes to noseriding, i'm not exactly sure how the two extra funs could hurt or help you, but they're definitely not needed. The best way I can describe it is that three fins feels restricting, a large single fin feels like I can make the board do anything I want
Your struggle is not the skills, they are fine, its that the water is way to cold for humans and not nearly crowded enough to inspire you not to make mistakes
That's when you have set the board up to where you're surfing the wave without doing much of anything. Once you set the board in the right direction and your surfing down the wave high up on the face, you're in trim. Kinda a hard thing to explain.
I surfer in Bolsa Chica, and maybe because the place or the people themselves. Most of them hardly ever improved. Even if they surfed for 10 or 20 years. They got to certain level, and that it for years and years. Surfing is hard and you have to be dedicated: Either you do it or you don't if you want to be good. No weekend warriors only if you just want to have fun. It's the truth.
Love it. Iv'e seen the same thing. People who have been surfing for years and never improve. I was one of them until I really decided to hyper focus on a specific thing each session
Feels so weird to see a vlog about cross stepping. Not trying to knock what you’re doing here. Just feels weird to me. An step by step empirical and technical breakdown feels like a contradiction to what logging subjectively represents.
Well, iv'e had a few comments similar to yours since I started my channel. I think surfers approach things differently. However, I surfed most of my life without thinking. It wasn't until I started getting technical that I really started to improve. If you step an inch left or right, it effects the board.. so it is quite technical. Just my opinion🤙
Too much psycho babble, it's called " future water " if your not looking down wave enough, your move is usually going late and that's the end of that ride!
SCIENCE!! lol. Well it's not like walking on a sidewalk. If you walked like that, you'd tip over. You have to open up your upper body while at the same time keep your feet in a surfing position. Then you have to step one foot in front of the other. Where your hips are make a huge difference, tilt of your upper body makes a huge difference, size of steps make a huge difference. What i'm getting at is that it's quite technical. However, every surfer approaches it differently and thats what's great about surfing
I just teach what I learn as I improve which is helpful to people who are in the same boat. Go watch Ben Considine's channel if you're looking for an expert 😉
Shrug. 20-some years ago I spent 2 months surfing nearly every day at San O. I talked about cross-stepping with some of the old-time surfers, and one of them said "I dunno, I just run up to the front of the board". Has worked ever since for me.
that does work for some people. I tried that and it was a disaster haha
That’s how I feel mostly anything is. Can watch videos all day but the reality is the more you surf/ski/play music/woodwork, etc, the more muscle memory you develop and the easier it gets.
San o …my break
As a beginner, I surf at Rockaway Beach often. Small waves except when there's a hurricane in FL. I step accross my 8'4" board instinctively, just trying not to fall. I haven't watched or learned any particular technique. It just feels like the natural way to surf for me. I'm not into doing tricks, I just enjoy the ride and squeeze the fun out of a wave for as long as I can manage. It would be nice to learn to do it in a more structured way.
Those first two lines. Such a try-hard. Instead of trying to sound impressive in the comments why don't you just appreciate this quality content. Shrug.
Some great advice my friend. I’m a 57 year old former short boarder and my cross stepping is pretty similar to the way I walk home from the pub after a couple of beers too many. Will definitely focus on respecting every step from now on.
Haha that’s hilarious! Yea try this method… pay attention to each step and it makes the whole process so much smoother and way more enjoyable
maybe the key is finding the right numbers of beers to walk home from the pub from. Enough so its enjoyable, and the time just flys by
hahaha
@@LongboardSessions what wetsuit do you use bro? you look nice and warm in those freezing watersr
Well in the spring/ summer / fall I typically use a 3/2. For winter I switch to the 5/4 with a hood
Yay! Another upload. Love your process man.
haha thanks!! glad you enjoy 😉
I am in similar situation as you. I have been an avid shortboarder for decades. I wanted to add classic style of riding a longboard to my surfing where much to my surprise it is way harder than i thought. In fact, I think riding a traditional longboard with cross stepping and all the tricks *with style* is much harder than riding a shortboard. I have made every single mistake and wrong assumption you mention in the video and haven’t cracked the code honestly. Thank you for the videos and I look forward to putting it to practice.
awesome! Yes, it's so much harder than it looks lol. However, that's what makes it fun IMO. Hopefully I'll have it all figured out soon enough haha
Enjoyed your summary of the "walk". Grew up in S. Calif. moved to Maui in 96 took only long boards. Finally had Ole shape my real long boards and spent 20+ years refining my craft. It is an art form for sure. So much muscle memory I guess, but gorgeous to watch those who have mastered it. Looks like a thick wetsuit there. I live on Bainbridge Island now an only do SUP. Sold all my boards moving here!
Thanks!! Yes It all comes down to experience and muscle memory. If we all had a perfect point break that had waves everyday, it wouldn't be so hard haha
Yes it's a 5/4! Water is still freezing cold here in NJ! Can't wait for it to warm up
Very nice video. Same as you, longboarding is really fun the older I get, especially at the right spots. I go back and forth but high performance longbaording is respectable and super fun. Rock on!
Thanks Eric! Yea it really is, even if you short board mostly. Always fun to get the longboard out on the right days
there’s a lot of people who can surf, but not many who can teach it. Keep it up!
Thanks so much!!
Going to have to re-watch this when I get my longboard made, such good advice in it.
awesome! Yea definitely try this method out!
Thx bro. I like your style and stoke. Štarted surfing in the 60s with my older stepbrother on a board 3x as heavy (probably pretty close) and definitely 3x as long as I was. Had to drag it out backwards cause I couldn’t turn it around. Ran the gamut from pins to twins to thrusters and HP mids and longboards. At 65 I’m so stoked to be on my 9/6 triple stringer, nose block tail block, heavy volan classic. It’s about the the day, the ocean and soaking up what the want offers.
Keep it up and if you’re ever in ask Csl I hope we share a few waves together.
All the best, 1st Point Tony
Well said! Where are you located? Looks like a typo, or I just don't understand the abbreviation😂
I bet that 9'6" is so fun to ride. I tried out a heavier (older) board recently and it was awesome on a smaller day. The extra weight helps a bit in certain situations. No leash plug.. the thing would be a death trap on bigger days! I can't beleive some of the footage from the endless summer at pipeline.. guys wiping out on these heavy boards. I imagine there we're many concussions in those days
Found your channel a few months ago. Grew up spending summers in South Jersey (Avalon/ Stone Harbor), and started riding longboards before the renaissance. Your videos have inspired me to force myself to learn cross stepping! It may be a challenge, as I have 40 some years of shuffling to correct!
Oh awesome! Yea shuffling may be a hard habit to break, but cross stepping is actually much easier than shuffling. Once you feel that aspect, you’ll never shuffle again haha
@@LongboardSessions now that its getting nicer out, I'm going to start with my skateboard.
@@jackquarantillo5192 great idea, that’s the best way
Really great insights! That first step is always a bit awkward for many of us with limited external hip range of motion (how deep can we bend our knees while cross stepped without lifting our heels? For many, not much). Being one of those people, I always get through that first step as I feel like I can't bend my knees enough to stabilize, but this video shows it's doing a disservice more than anything. Next session I'm just gonna try to trim with a single cross step and STAY there.
Very interesting. Well I would say that the majority of longboarders do bend their knees quite a bit while cross stepping. However, some keep pretty straight legs. I think you can adapt things to make it work for you as we are all built differently. I think if you try to stay in that cross stepped position you'll work out the correct body position for yourself. Let me know how it goes!
I am too heavy to surf anymore, but I used to compete in longboard and you are on point. I never even thought about what you are saying here. Very cool!
Awesome thanks! Yea this was a big realization in my surfing that's for sure!
@@LongboardSessions I saw this clip first and then a few others. You are very talented for someone who only recently made the switch from short board to Malibu. I think Joel Tudor and Alex Knost might be worried their secrets are being shared. Excellent analysis in each clip! 🤙
Love to see some quality Jersey Longboarding! Great info 👏🏽
Awesome thanks!!
The flow is coming great to see,,,, Don't forget to feel the wave & your board under your feet gets in sync,,, try not to over think it,,, feel it more,,, watch your creative style your own unique style, really accelerate... That's the beauty of longboarding "Style" so good to see the froth...
Thanks!! Yea it wil come with time… slowly but surely I’m feeling the wave a bit more!
Brother! The quality of this video is a level up! Great graphics, sound, and edits. Nice work my friend. -- as to the content: Very meaningful. I can use those lessons and reminders. Thank you. -- side note: your fade at 1:47 is the best you've ever done! (made a little bobble after, but thats not the point) you went deep right, then cut into the perfect position! Well done.
thanks so much Billy! yea I spent quite a bit of time on this video haha.
I felt like I was in a pocket finding groove that day… the fades were working real well!
Great video, and series. I'm really enjoying them. also love the Liverpool scarf in the background, that alone must make you a good bloke...
Thanks Chris! Glad you're enjoying it. YNWA
I’m a hodad from way back, and this is what I see; You seem to be late on your first step. Don’t wait to complete your bottom or top turn to begin walking. If you are waiting for your nose to be pointing in the direction you want to travel then you’re already late. Your board will “automatically “ find trim if you begin walking during the second half of your turn. A good analogy is stepping on the accelerator when driving your car out of a turn. You’re welcome.
Great advice tommy! I think you're especially correct when talking about waves like the one I ride. Fast beach breaks require getting to the nose ASAP.. can't do that unless your already start your steps in the middle of the bottom turn. Gotta keep working on that
Solid video. Like you, I started out short boarding. A big hurdle I had to overcome was a mental one. I'd long assumed long boarding was easy. Or easier than short boarding. And indeed most aspects are easier. But like you found, cross stepping and nose riding are extremely difficult. And the body memory from short boarding is not helpful or even detrimental to cross stepping.
Your "first step" advise is fantastic. You start that step off balance and it's all down hill from there.
Well said. If that first step is done correctly, all the other ones just fall right into place! Thanks so much
This is exactly what I was looking for. I have only short boarded my life too and really want to longboard
Awesome! Same here... and once I started longboarding I was HOOKED!
*thanks for sharing!* 🤝
You got it !
"Science" lol. Cracked me up.
haha!🤙
"Science !"
I laughed.
Great video though.
Thank you !
haha thanks !!
Spring Lake. Yessir
😉
so thorough and easy to follow, thank you! really top notch instructionals.
Awesome thanks!!
You are spot on about looking down the line!
Yea that's huge! So much of our problems come from not looking in the right place. This goes for many sports
Gotta be another Aussie below me and yeah just add nine years with a huge gap: when 12 my grandparents bought me my first and totally wrong board to learn on which I had no idea of at the time, add no leg ropes so you/we back then did a lot of swimming which ended up with me on an invalid stick coz I could wear fins, years later a seven foot Hot Stuff (thick and heavy dinosaur) is still the best I’ve ever ridden... bar the 9’6” pop out I now have (it was marketed as hi tech all done by computers) funny looking back, everyone hated on pop outs but the were fast and so many hated on the comp boys for selling out... anyway, my point is, you need to know where you are on the board and most importantly to read the wave while paddling which you pretty much mentioned and put those feet in the right spot when you get up and be ready to put that reading into action... I thought the transition to long boards would be easy but kept forgetting there was around 4’ more up front (no prize for figuring that one) Great vid and clear as.
Wow very cool! Yea that extra 4' makes quite a difference haha. I have a similar story.. started out with a terrible board for beginners. It was a 5'10" thin shortboard. I stuck with it and ended up learning with it, but I coulda learned 5 times faster if I had the right board lol
Surfed with you a couple years ago at L-Jetty! Good to see your page take off! Great content!
Oh sweet! Iv'e been surfing some different spots lately, but I love L jetty.. especially when the middle left is working !
Great waves for long boarding! Looks fun
yea those were my favorite waves of the year so far!
Spring lake! Could recognize it right away :) cool stuff
Yep! One of my favorite towns to surf in
This is a great video for those of us who are trying to progress in cross stepping and nose riding. Well most of your vids are but this one has some great detail and insight. Thanks! Definitely going to try this next when my new log arrives...frothing 🥳
awesome thanks so much! You gotta try this thought process.. been working well for me so far. what board did you get ?
@@LongboardSessions I got a 9'8" log shaped in a fairly classic shape with some modern additions. Got such a big shape to add volume cause I am a little taller and heavier than the average surfer (1.93cm and 92kg) Maybe on this board I can also paddle on my knees. Ha ha
@@claytonkensley203 excellent! I’m sure you’ll love it… maybe you can knee paddle on it 😂
Keep your feet parallel and right on top of the stringer while pointing your hips towards the nose of the board. Makes walking so much easier
I'll have to try and focus on that one day. My feet are typically not very parallel, but when I focus on pointing the hips towards the nose I always cross step way better
Very interesting.
I started on a 9’8” Weber and by ‘72 was on nothing longer than a 7’4”. More action on a short board but I often longed for the days of copying David Nuuhiwa who could hang ten forever and so effortlessly. I’ve never been out over 15’ but I was convinced that to ride 18+ Waimea, I needed an 11 foot gun. Hell, they’re doing it on toothpicks today.
Great vid. Thanks for the memories.
wow quite the opposite of me haha! I went from short to long and can’t imagine ever going back. Hey as long as we’re having fun
I’m just glad I started in the era of fiberglass boards and not Duke Kahanamoku’s time when Koa boards were 12’ long and weighed over a hundred pounds.
As you say, as long as we’re having fun.
Wish you endless summers.
Yea for real! I surfed an old board that was so heavy.. totally different experience
Looks like you grew up in Kauai?
But those perfect noseriding waves look like somewhere else.
I can still feel the drop-in, stall and walk up to the nose after over 40 years.
Jealous.
Way to go!!
Thanks!!
Great video - looks cold! 🥶
Oh it's cold.. but not bad with the suit on
This video should be renamed “The Key to a Healthy & Happy Life” 😂
haha right on!
bro thanks for those videos you r making! Hope I will be able to nose ride someday in the future
Thanks!! You will if you keep at it 👍👍
Every noseride is different. If I know for a fact that the wave is gonna peel I will run to the nose very quickly, leaving little time to get unbalanced. If the section backs off or doesn't cooperate I slowly work my way forward and keep my weight in the best place on the board for planing speed. Im still working on my spinners, but I'm able to walk forward, look back and recover but not a full spin yet.
So true! No two waves are ever the same.. learning how to read what's going on is the tough part. Iv'e never even tried a spinner yet haha
This channel is so good! Keep it up!
thanks so much! will do 🤙🤙
Genius! Thats so helpful, thanks Brian!
thanks !! hope it helps you
Very cool! Love the respect and dedication to this channel and art!!! Kudos
Thanks so much Andrew!🤙
thx for all the awesome videos , science rules
You got it! It does haha
Great video as always!! Btw your surfing has really improved 💯
thanks!! it’s getting there !
Terminology: Note that for some, "board setup" refers to fin position. Similarly, "drop in" refers to someone stealing your wave. KUTGW.
lol Yes very true
Love the structure of the vid and all the tips that you gave! :)
Awesome thanks Beckie!
Another great effort both surfing and vid work, its great to see your enjoying longboards rather than short boards (shark bait). The real value for me is the library of reference material to review after a session - thank you! How much rocker do you have on that board?
Thanks so much! I really gotta start categorizing my videos into playlists. The titles and thumbnails don't often give away what the video is about so it's tough to know what to watch if you're looking for a specific thing.
I dont know how much rocker, but I know it's more than a usual traditional longboard. That's by design to fit into our NJ waves a bit better
Best vid so far buddy🤙🤙🙌🙌
thanks Adam! took me forever to edit haha
You know I love all your vids but this one was really tight and educating🤙🤙
@@noseridesnosedivessurfvlog8634 tight is what I was going for. Not easy sometimes as I get lost in all the writing and forget the point I’m trying to make haha
Tight… and legendary! Your communication skills are epic, and changing the clips almost every 3 seconds… I have seen it 3 times🤙🤙🤙 but I loved the message too. You have lifted the bar bro💪 kudos
Fantastic video! 🙏💛🤙🏼
Thanks Jeff!
These videos are great, many thanks 👍
thanks! You got it 🤙
I really enjoyed watching this video! It’s a 5minvideo but super detailed and very informative! I’ll keep watching your content and keep it up with your great work! :)
Great to hear! Having tons of fun making the videos haha
Red Bank! I’m from there. Neat!
haha sweet!
Yes Brian! love these videos man, you've made me think a lot more about what I am doing out in the water now. thanks for the tips.
Thanks Dillon! Yea it helps so much to focus on things rather than just "go surf". Although, some poeple disagree with me haha
@@LongboardSessions hahah oh I can imagine . Bit m I find myself sometimes just aimlessly paddling for a wave with no idea what I am gonna do so these vids have helped me Not over think but I definitely be more mindful when paddling for a wave.
I have problems with commiting to bigger wave on longboards. You should make a video on this.
Is it because you think you’ll nose dive? Or just that the whole thing feels clunky?
I'm in SoCal and ride up to double overhead. Also, often ride shortboard reef breaks here. Two suggestions: 1) perfect your angled takeoff. You can practice this on smaller waves if you take off from the peak (rather than the shoulder), 2) the power of larger waves allow you to get in much-much earlier. So, litterally way less steep than your smaller waves. Solves the nose dive issue. ...I'll leave a second message below as well.
I like to think of it like "The Trminator" movie its like how Arnold sees every thing with geometry and data analysis in is eyes. Normally, we catch waves at a 45% angle. With larger more powerful waves you can actually paddle it at 35%. Standing by 40%. Make sense?
Also, contrary to how it looks, the maneuvers and turns are much more drawn out and even seem slower on big waves. Because you are covering so much more real estate. Lastly, the only way to learn it is to paddle outside and do it! Remember, to breath and just go for it! Have fun!
@@LongboardSessions Its usually just fear of the drop. Everything is chunky like you said. Nosediving is a huge part of it.
Awesome, I'm moving to San Fran soon, looks like you're around that area?
Oh sweet! No, this is actually NJ. However, i'll be in santa cruz for the month of march.. not too far from san fran
@@LongboardSessions Nice, have fun! I'm liking that wetty hood and empty linup combo 🤙
Gorgeous video! Loved the explanation, music, structure, cinematography and the beginner friendly tips. I’m a new surfer and learning from someone two years ahead of me makes it much more relatable!
Oh and the thumbnail was top notch as well, drew me right in, well done!
Thanks so much! So glad it helps. Not sure where you are in your surfing, but this thursdays video will be a very basic video about turning longboards. Might be helpful
@@LongboardSessions awesome! I’ll keep an eye out for that video, subscribes!
great work
Thanks! 🤙
Great stuff thanks. New sub right here !!
Awesome Thanks!!
Great video my friend 🤙✌️
Thanks so much!
buddy, you should try the carverskate 36.5 inches tyler 777! you will love it!
Oh nice! Yea I need to get a nice carving longboard... or build one
Good advice! If I may ask, how tall are you? + what dimensions does your board have? +Do you place your fin to the far back or far front of your finbox?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks!!
I'm 5'4" 130 lbs. Currently Im riding a 9'6" COS Chingona. It's technically a little big for me, but I did that on purpose to speed up the learning process. Ideally I'd be on a 9'2" or 9'4" I imagine. As for fin it depends. I'm currently using a greenough 4a and have it in the middle. If I have a super stable fin on I'll typically put it all the way forward to help turning and the setup for noserides.
@@LongboardSessions I ride a 9'6'' as well and this summer I realized that the further back I place my fin, the more stable my board becomes when crosstepping to the nose. I also place it further front when I want to add more turning action to my board. Nice to meet you! Greetings from Surfprivate Coaching, Greece! 🇬🇷
@@No1AgiSdik yea that’s the rule of thumb. Further back more stable, further forward looser board. What I find is that on our steep quick Nj waves, having the fin further forward makes quick noseride setups much easier.
Brian, why didn't you mention visiting Kaua'i in 2004 when I told you I moved here (18 yrs ago)from Spring Lake?
hmm who knows?? but it’s a great place ! would love to go back one day
This is so helpful, thank you! What skateboard do you recommend to practice cross stepping on land? I have a 29"
carver now but I can probably do like one step
Awesome you got it! I would try and find the longest one you can... maybe try and get one used. Something that you can get atleast two steps on would be perfect
Great video!
Thanks Luca!
Nice, I still gotta learn how to bottom turn 😅
Keep at it.. you'll get it!
if you fall under the wave turn and runs to the tip you will have the best nose ride you can. Do not walk to the nose. Drop, turn hard and when the board is climbing the wave in its direction go to the nose. See Herbie Fletcher surfing, he almost do this when after paddle.
Yes! I'd love to learn that quick jump to the nose right after taking off.. havent tried it yet
@@LongboardSessions, after a fade curve, when you board is climbing the wave run to the nose, the wave will accelerate you and because you are are the nose you will stay at the critical wave part. The wave will run over your board's tail and sustein you at the nose with some hard tendency to skid sideways.
Check Herbie Fletcher surfing and you will get it easy.
Thank you!
You got it😉
Wow was that the red bank train station I saw in the background?
Yep! Live around there?
@@LongboardSessions so I grew up in Hazlet, NJ. Went to Raritan high school up through my senior year, but moved down to Florida my last year of high school and graduated in 99. Joined the military right after from 99-2006, got out and moved back down to Florida where I still reside with my wife and kids. I grew up surfing everywhere from Sandy hook, seabright, Monmouth beach, long branch, asbury park, 8th-16th street in belmar, hung out at eastern lines surf shop where zappo used to work, and miss ALL of the jetty breaks up that way. Used to surf year round like you and as much as I miss the waves, I don’t miss putting on or taking off that 5mm, boots, gloves, and hood. I used to skateboard my entire life as well, and would always take NJ transit to either meet up with my peeps in long branch, or go the other way to Hoboken to cross over on the path train to get into downtown Manhattan - usually got off at the World Trade Center before the 9/11 attacks. Growing up that way in the 80’s and 90’s was a different world then it is now. Glad to see you switched from short boards to long boards as I made the same transition when I hit like 34-35. Waves down here are mooshy so I’ll still take out a retro fish from time to time snd break out the regular thruster short if it gets super gnarly, but for the most part, and since my kids are 4 and 7 and learning themselves now, it’s longboard sessions these days for the most part. Love your channel and have been a sub for a while, but I’m not always on TH-cam so I miss a lot of your vids. With that said, you are giving awesome advice through your own trial snd error. Growing up we didn’t have the advantage of being able to film ourselves surfing and go pros weren’t around until the latter 2000’s. Keep up the good work my friend and look forward to more of your videos. I just recently got back into shaping after a 10 year hiatus from that, but just love doing it as a hobby. Like I said, keep up the great work my friend and keep pumping these vids out! You’re helping a lot of people
Great video.
Thanks Michael!
Very cool
Thanks!
One more thing, I don't know if you should obsess too much about the stringer. Yes, you need to stay balanced, but sometimes, especially when going backside, I noticed that in the critical sections, I have my front foot on the wave side of the stringer. (I didn't know I was doing this, found out when I made this video.) These waves are well overhead OBX hurricane surf from a few years ago.
Look where my front foot is, and I'm right in the pocket, balanced. I move it in some, when things are less critical.
th-cam.com/video/9elmvcI6yQQ/w-d-xo.html
You’re absolutely correct. What I really meant is getting your next step directly in front of your previous step. Often times this will be on the wave side of the stringer especially on steep sections
That last wave of yours especially… in the critical section the whole time with pressure on that inside rail
@@LongboardSessions definitely on that last wave. A couple of times I scooted my foot back towards the rail.
Amazing what you learn about your surfing when you get to see it.
That was a doozie of a day! It seemed like all the rides were pretty critical. My brother couldn't even make it out the back. I got lucky and punched through (with a little help from good timing).
@@jackquarantillo5192 nice! Yea video footage of yourself is huge when it comes to learning… I was considering making a video on that subject. I think drone footage is the best because it shows off your mistakes the most. GoPro is great for looking at your footwork
Great videos! Keep up the great content! Couple questions. What size is your long board and how do you make it over white water when padding out with a long board? I have a 9ft board myself and always struggle when paddling out over white water or crashing waves.
Thanks
Thanks so much Andy! Check out this video I made. It covers that very subject 🤙th-cam.com/video/wS8L8CfXoTA/w-d-xo.html
you can flip the board over and use your weight to hold the nose down and let the wave go over,then remount quickly.you can use your superior speed to try to charge out between sets
thanks guy!!!
You got it!🤙
Good stuff
Thanks Henry!
When you try to get your foot on the stringer, do you look down?
Not normally. I over compensate the step but don't look down. I than review the footage later and see if it was in line with the other foot. Trying to re train my muscles to do it correctly lol
Nice channel !
Thanks!
You need to keep your head up and rotate your hips. When your board rotates up the wave because you are looking up and your hip is engaged. Uiur board will speed up. Thats whe. U Start your 1st step...after that cross step to the nose and you pau. Keep your head up the whole time
Yea both of those things are huge!
Things I wish I knew before I started walking. 🤣🤣
haha!
The problem isn't your cross-stepping, you step fine. The problem is that you're so focused ON doing cross-stepping that you are not listening to the wave.
I get you're point for sure, but my cross stepping isn't great. It's not bad, but needs plenty of work.
where is that beach in nj?
Monmouth county
Why do long boards have only one fin ?
That's a great question and maybe someone with a bit more knowledge can chime in. In my opinion, 1 fin creates a certain "feel" that you can't get if you have sidebites on. Turning is where it really shines. With three fins, you typically do a more "sweeping" turn. With a single fin, you're able to sweep or pivot the turn and can really whip the board around faster, even though you lose speed doing that. When it comes to noseriding, i'm not exactly sure how the two extra funs could hurt or help you, but they're definitely not needed.
The best way I can describe it is that three fins feels restricting, a large single fin feels like I can make the board do anything I want
This half moon bay?
Nope, this is NJ
Your struggle is not the skills, they are fine, its that the water is way to cold for humans and not nearly crowded enough to inspire you not to make mistakes
haha! So true... I bet If i was a crowded lineup I'd focus a bit more lol
How about nose shape and rocker on how it influences nose riding……….
I do plan on making a comprehensive board guide in the future. Gonna be a tough video to make tho
Liken it
im sorry, where do you surf??...
New jersey!
Whats "in trim"?
That's when you have set the board up to where you're surfing the wave without doing much of anything. Once you set the board in the right direction and your surfing down the wave high up on the face, you're in trim. Kinda a hard thing to explain.
i didnt like the chest pain of a board that doesnt sink so you feel every bump paddling out in chop
hard to stay in the pocket of a big wave.maybe two small fins and a bit of camber so it can wash out/side slip
Yea I hear you.. I basically have permanent bruises on the top of my rib cage that touches the board lol. I'm used to it at this point
Science
Yes!
I surfer in Bolsa Chica, and maybe because the place or the people themselves. Most of them hardly ever improved. Even if they surfed for 10 or 20 years. They got to certain level, and that it for years and years. Surfing is hard and you have to be dedicated: Either you do it or you don't if you want to be good. No weekend warriors only if you just want to have fun. It's the truth.
Love it. Iv'e seen the same thing. People who have been surfing for years and never improve. I was one of them until I really decided to hyper focus on a specific thing each session
Yeah....Kaua'i...
great place !
@@LongboardSessions one of these days you gotta come back and do a vid...
@@NN-og4kj absolutely!
Watch Joel l Tudor videos
Absolutely. Lots to learn from that guy
Feels so weird to see a vlog about cross stepping. Not trying to knock what you’re doing here. Just feels weird to me. An step by step empirical and technical breakdown feels like a contradiction to what logging subjectively represents.
Well, iv'e had a few comments similar to yours since I started my channel. I think surfers approach things differently. However, I surfed most of my life without thinking. It wasn't until I started getting technical that I really started to improve. If you step an inch left or right, it effects the board.. so it is quite technical. Just my opinion🤙
@@LongboardSessions for sure man. I didn’t mean to rain on what your doing here. Good video though.
Oh no worries. I love getting into the weeds with this stuff haha
too technical instinct, ,,, trial and error, not taking it too seriously.... . .. .
Too much psycho babble, it's called " future water " if your not looking down wave enough, your move is usually going late and that's the end of that ride!
how about dont sit out past the peak taking every set wave cuz youre on a boat. most longboarders are absolute kooks
Plenty of kooks on either side. Just be nice to people
Cross stepping is for KOOKS. Get it? Stop doing it, it's embarrassing.
Nah, i'll keep doing it
Idk.. you kinda just walk up the board.. its not.. Science!
SCIENCE!! lol. Well it's not like walking on a sidewalk. If you walked like that, you'd tip over. You have to open up your upper body while at the same time keep your feet in a surfing position. Then you have to step one foot in front of the other. Where your hips are make a huge difference, tilt of your upper body makes a huge difference, size of steps make a huge difference. What i'm getting at is that it's quite technical. However, every surfer approaches it differently and thats what's great about surfing
Way too much thought. Nice shots though.
Why are people trying to learn to longboard from someone who doesnt know how to longboard 😑
I just teach what I learn as I improve which is helpful to people who are in the same boat. Go watch Ben Considine's channel if you're looking for an expert 😉
Here's a longboard secret. Just burn that log as sacrifice to the surf gods and get a real surfboard. Do yourself a favor! You're welcome.
😂