Surf Tips - How to do an Aerial
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The aerial or 'air' is one of surfing's more difficult and sought after manouevres, so we decided to lend you a helping hand. There are many variations to the aerial so we cover some of the basics with a straight air and a frontside air reverse.
www.tickettoridegroup.com
1. The approach: You need speed to do airs, but contrary to popular belief this doesn’t have to mean racing down a whole wave until you get to the end section, you can generate a lot of speed in a short space of time if you stay right near the pocket of the wave and then let your board loose just before you reach the section. It all depends on the wave but I really don’t recommend racing an entire wave when trying to do an air. So, once you’ve got the speed you do a shallow bottom turn and get low to your board, touching the face of the wave with your hand is a great little reference point. Widen your stance as well to help keep you centred over the board.
2. The entry: The angle you hit the lip for an air is very important, too lateral and you end up doing a floater and too vert you will either not get in the air or just go off the back, see the video, but about a 30 degree angle off the top will make your chances of success better. At the moment you hit the lip your legs should be extended so that the lip can then push the board up in towards your body as you bend your legs.
3. The aerial: Whilst some may say “just do an ollie or a jump” and this is partly true, we want this air to be a power move and not to look stupid of course. When you do a real air (however small) it is the timing of hitting the lip, or the crest of the wave if you do it out of the bowl, that should send you into the air. Then you can bend your legs similar to a jump to help keep the board under your feet. Even if you are doing an air reverse the theory is very similar, of course you have to rotate your body, but the landing is where things change. Whilst in the air you should try and stay as centred over your board as possible and have an idea where you want to land. Keeping your arms lifted near will keep you unweighted and centred over your board.
4. The completion: To land the air you need to now extend your legs and push the board onto your landing spot, this is why it is crucial to have an idea already where you want to land it. This of course all happens very fast! So you push down towards your landing spot which hopefully is a nice little bit of white water enabling an easier landing. Don’t project out into the flats and of course try not to land on the back of the wave. Whilst you are in the air the wave of course keeps moving towards the beach while you are in the air so you do need to emphasise throwing the air ‘forwards’. This is especially important for the air reverse or alley-oop.
5. Recovery: The recovery for most manoeuvres is the same, compress your legs and get low over the board to help you get out of the move and into the next one with maximum speed. With the air you may fall into layback or have a bit of a wobble on landing, so really try and stay as low as possible to ensure a good success rate.
Common Mistakes:
1. Getting the timing wrong when hitting the lip. You need that lip pushing the board up onto your feet and forwards towards the beach.
2. Landing on the back of the wave is something that is bound to happen, sometimes it is just a lack of commitment to the landing and other times it is not projecting forwards towards the
beach.
3. Straightening your legs too early.
Tips:
1. Widen your stance and get your back foot right back when going for an aerial.
2. If you already have a good closeout turn in your toolkit, you can literally just do the same motion but imagine the lip is a foot higher than where it really is.
3. Air Reverse: There are a few really handy tips for the air reverse, you don’t have to do them but they make it a little easier to land. Firstly try not to point your front arm down as whilst rotating, this puts all the weight on your front foot and will result in you ‘almost landing’ a lot of airs; ideally bend that front arm and keep it raised. Another good one is to really try and throw the air reverse towards the beach and not down the line, it helps keep the board under your feet and with the momentum of the wave which increases the likelihood of landing.
4. Trying to keep your upper body relaxed will vastly improve your success ratio of all manouevres.
5. If you really want to get into airs you need to surf waves that allow you to practice them a lot, so find that spot and put in the effort.
If you have any questions or want to tell us what is or isn’t working or any suggestions then please share them below.
Пікірлер: 85
I landed my first air yesterday 🙏🏾
@TicketToRideGroup
6 жыл бұрын
Nice!!!!!
@williammartin2842
4 жыл бұрын
I got my first air 35 years ago!!
@SC0TTKUSHY
3 жыл бұрын
Same, today 🙃
@justsurf185
3 жыл бұрын
Sick!
@jasonbolsoy4577
3 жыл бұрын
Stop the cap
Hey Nick Treiber, for some reason I can't reply to your message directly! Airs in small waves: Now it depends if they are small with power or just weak! Small with power the key is to hang right back in the pocket where the power is and burst out only a few metres before the section. Come out the pocket do a slight scoop up then drop down into the bottom turn for your air! If it's weak you need use your legs to race down the line, the key being not racing for so long that you lose momentum, and not hitting the weak section too early! Backside vs frontside is an interesting one. Landing small backside ones is probably easier, as your board stays underneath you more easily. Backside ones sometimes feel a bit like a hop though, whereas frontside ones usually feel more powerful, but that is from my personal experience, someone may certainly feel differently! If you can do an ollie on a skateboard, or backside 180, it feels very similar to backside airs and surfing. With your back foot, you'll need to be applying pressure as you hit the lip to get the pop and then unweight it as you transfer your weight over your front foot. You then stomp it down as you land to regain control. Hope that helps! Chris Ticket to Ride trip leader
Widening my stance really helps me as well. I definitely see more stompage when my back foot is as far back as possible.
thank you so much!!! this really helped me perfect my Airs. lots of love, guys.
This is really helpful, thank you.🏄🏼♂️
It took me a couple trys but now i have it down thanks i think this helped
@TicketToRideGroup
9 жыл бұрын
Will Scharin Great to hear that you are getting them, one of the best feelings in surfing!
*Making it look easy!*
@TicketToRideGroup
6 жыл бұрын
They sure do! A lot of time went into that, don't happen overnight, but with a bit of help it will happen faster!
Thanks dude!!! Well explained and theres so much to learn by reading your feedbacks too…I'm gonna watch this video every time before i go surfing.
@TicketToRideGroup
8 жыл бұрын
+Ricky M.V Thanks so much, stoked to hear you've found it useful! How are your airs going?
@rickym.v24
8 жыл бұрын
+TicketToRideGroup Bro, thanks again for the tips...im not getting lucky with the right sections...but when the right ones come i will have in mind your teachings... Which surfboard measurements would be the ideal ones for aerials? Once i had a very light surfboard and i could feel the difference but it didnt last long...too fragile
@Tyson007ian
8 жыл бұрын
it's more about the shape and the volume of the surfboard in relation to your weight, for instance im 77kg so I use 27-28 of volume
@TicketToRideGroup
8 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the extra feedback ***** ! The size and volume of a board is dependant on your weight, ability and fitness. It sounded like you were asking specifically for aerials Ricky M.V ? I can't give you a size but I can give you some tips on board shapes for airs! Firstly, yes light means fragile, but it's a price you have to pay sometimes especially when you are learning things! When learning how to do airs, something shorter, flatter and wider will help. Shorter so it stays underneath you, flatter so it goes faster down the line, and wider so you have a more stable and forgiving platform to land one! A square cut-off or squash tail also helps you get more pop while you are learning airs! Once you've got your timing and positioning mastered and landing them consistently, you can take what you're learned and apply it on your normal board! Have fun and best of luck!
Thanks Brother! Great intro into it!
@TicketToRideGroup
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
now i have all the knowledge in how to do an aerial, only thing i need to learn now is how to pop up
@TicketToRideGroup
3 жыл бұрын
Well we've got a pop-up video too :) And a new one coming soon actually!
@TheSunIsMyDestroyer
3 жыл бұрын
@@TicketToRideGroup great, thanks =D
SICK!
Great tips Bro!!!!
Good breakdown
This video is brilliant!!!
@TicketToRideGroup
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks a lot Malcolm!
hey Chris, can I have seen you surf in bali, medewi a few weeks ago? I'm pretty sure I did and recognised you from this video... hahaha
@TicketToRideGroup
7 жыл бұрын
Hey Joris! Yes you're right, I was in Medewi running our Indonesia surf trip!
YES PLEASE! i wanna do it...
Can i ask a silly question? When you do the bottom turn and meet at the lip vertical for the air do you have to kick on the tail to propel you out of the water? Similar to an olly on a skateboard where you kick on the tail and lift your body and feet to bring the skateboard up. Thank you soo much for the videos man!
@TicketToRideGroup
8 жыл бұрын
+Kalza86 Yo, you don't want to hit the lip too vertical when learning airs (read the description), so it is similar to an ollie, but more similar to a transition on a 'hip' than a frontside ollie on a mini ramp!
Austrailans are the best surfers! Great job mate this helped me a lot!
@TicketToRideGroup
9 жыл бұрын
Myka Fullarton Stoked to hear it helped!
@sandag
8 жыл бұрын
+Myka Fullarton umm, he's south african...
@KevinHallSurfing
6 жыл бұрын
Not Aussie with that accent. Either Suid Afrikaanse ... or Kiwi maybe?
@Terencehogben
3 жыл бұрын
@@KevinHallSurfing SAFFA with South Africans doing the airs
What are the type of waves airs could be done on?
How should I go about doing airs in small waves about 2-3ft? also how should i get the speed to do it? last, which is easier backside or frontside... i just always feel more powerful backside.
@TicketToRideGroup
8 жыл бұрын
Hey Surf, did you read the text below the video? I gave some extra information on getting speed! And, 2-3ft waves are the perfect size to learn in, just got to keep in the pocket of the wave, so that you have the speed and power when you hit the lip to get in the air! Small backside airs are slightly easier as you can see your landing and stay over your board more easily! As they get bigger and you've figured them out frontside starts to get easier! But it's different for everyone and personal preference comes into play!
Will learning a ollie on a skateboard help learn to air?
Are you from South Africa?
Any tips on picking the best board for aerials? I know a lot is determined on your size, but on average, what's are some good dimensions for boards surfed in 2-4ft (CA) waves? Thanks in advance.
@TicketToRideGroup
7 жыл бұрын
Hey Anthony, yes I can definitely give some suggestions for air boards. Basically, shorter and wider boards are easier for airs, as well as a light board. I guess the most popular version of this is something like Al Merrick's Dumpster which Dane Reynolds popularised! It would be a couple inches shorter than your height but still enough volume, with width rather than thickness to help you get in the air and a bigger surface area for landing on!
i like this
thanks for the tips
I have a difficult time keeping my feet planted on the board when doing an air reverse. like when i launch off the lip my body is almost parallel to the wave and i end up kicking the board away from me. Help!
@livelikethereshope
9 жыл бұрын
Bend more or try holding on for the lip and then let go a little before the white water
@TicketToRideGroup
9 жыл бұрын
Hi Kian, how are those air reverses going? There are 3 main factors here from what you said. Number one is that you actually commit to it, which leads into the second factor of staying over you board. A lot of people push their board away and just hope something will happen. Committing to stay over your board increases the risk of injury, but also the reward of sticking it! The third factor is where your arms are, try to raise both arms and project them towards where you are going, this helps your body unweight and stat centred over your board. The tips from 'livelikethereshope' are also great, having the lip pushing against your board as you punt helps to keep it stuck onto your feet, and always try and stay low to your board. Good luck and give us feedback!!
thanks
@TicketToRideGroup
9 жыл бұрын
Hey Phillipa, has it helped?
in the ariel When i came to the lip i need to press the pop?
@TicketToRideGroup
6 жыл бұрын
Can you elaborate? As you hit the lip it will push the board against your feet which is when you push with the back foot initially and then bend your legs and scoop the board up towards your body with bent legs!
also what do i do with my back foot? Do I stomp or what
@TicketToRideGroup
8 жыл бұрын
It's a little more like an ollie for your first airs, so you apply a bit of extra pressure before unweighting and transferring the pressure onto your front foot to balance the board and keep it underneath you. For the landing you only need to 'stomp' it if the board is getting away from you so you extend to make it get contact with the wave. If your board is still underneath you you can just extend a little then bend again as you land!
A 'Webisode' if u will
I didn't mean to sound derogatory. I just wanted to add a few things if that's cool. remember to stretch out a little bit, and always stay hydrated. best of luck
@TicketToRideGroup
8 жыл бұрын
Hydrating and stretching are an important part of life! And surfing :)
Chris when you coming to 9 MILES PROJECT
@TicketToRideGroup
8 жыл бұрын
Hey Mekile, so amped to come and hang out with you guys! Am running a trip in Indonesia at the moment will come and see you guys when I'm back!
Wowwwwwwwww
+TicketToRideGroup is a 6'8 funboard too big for airs
@TicketToRideGroup
5 жыл бұрын
Yeah mate - you'd struggle to boost on a board that size. Not impossible, some of the worlds top longboarders can get air, but generally you want a shorter board than usual for aerial surfing
wowwww
@TicketToRideGroup
6 жыл бұрын
You doing those airs?
mikey february ?????
The waves aren't to good today
I will never understand aerials in surfing. Why leave the wave?
sounds easy enough..
@tomlucas9420
6 жыл бұрын
golden_frost u wish
@minimalglitch6675
6 жыл бұрын
being the whole point of him commenting im sure!
mikey febuary
How do you alley oop?
@TicketToRideGroup
8 жыл бұрын
+Cameron David Now we're entering a whole new area, one of the biggest secrets to the alley pop, is to make sure that as you hit the lip you still try and project it towards the beach, not just over the back of the wave! We'll save it for another 'how-to video' though!
@camerondavid8089
8 жыл бұрын
+TicketToRideGroup thanks for the feedback! But yah its difficult to throw an air riding a poly board in florida haha. But ill keep trying for it!
@camerondavid8089
8 жыл бұрын
+TicketToRideGroup A little over one month later and I finally had my first solid air. I was having a drift sesh in Satellite beach with some offshore 4 foot waves today, and I decided to paddle into a running closeout right hander. I had 5 mid faced pumps, lightly bottom turned and waited for the oncoming lip section. It felt exactly like doing an ollie on a skateboard, very similar to popping after kicking the tail down. The easiest part was gliding, to be honest, and I would have landed back into the wave but the wind blew me on to the top of the wave. I have got a little ways to go but it felt sooo amazing to keep the board underneath me and actually ride out of it. Thank you for helping me get over my snap/cutback plateau in surfing, this video really inspired me to give it a solid shot. Also the air probably looks better in my head then it did to everyone else. Haha thank you guys, keep rocking it!
the only way you're going to do an aerial is by practicing the air over and over and over and over again. go Surf stop watching videos
@TicketToRideGroup
8 жыл бұрын
Practice and repetition is how we learn and master all things! Teaching and technique helps us along the way, be it visual or audio :)