Tips by David Ngiam
Video : Vania Lim
Photo : Guy Tanaka
Also known as the Ollie Frontside 180, it is a good idea to work on your Surface 180s first so that you’re comfortable riding fakie. If you are, then ollie up but don’t rush the 180 turn. Once your tail has released off the water, rotate by swinging your back hip towards your handle while releasing your front hand off the handle. At the same time turn your shoulder away from the boat by looking at the shoreline. Where your head looks, that’s likely where your shoulders will face and the rest of your body follows. Most people have trouble turning the 180 because they only turn the board while the upper body is still squared to the boat. So its important to turn your front shoulder away from the direction of travel.
Its also important not to turn if your board has not released off the water completely. If your tail is still in the water while turning 180, there’s a good chance its just going to get stuck, causing you to go… well… splat. You might also want to keep your toes curled up a little after you pop, just in case you only managed to turn 90 degrees, you can still ride away with another surface 90. Whereas, if you land 90 degrees on your toeside edge, its going to be very entertaining for the people on the boat, but not so fun for you.
Its also important to keep your handle fairly close to you at all times. You won’t have much success with this trick if you arms are all stretched out.