I have been riding my 9,0x22.25x25/8 longboard around the points of noosa for the last 6 months and have been really enjoy being able to just glide onto waves and draw smoother lines etc compared to my shortboard.

However I have not yet been able to get my toes up to the nose for a noseride yet.

I can sometime shuffle forward on the board and then stretch my leading foot out within 1 foot of the nose but never the whole way and it probably does not look as "graceful" as it should.

Whenever I try and cross step I immediatley loose balance and fall straight off so I imagine I am doing something wrong with my stepping compared to not timing my walk to the nose.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cross stepping & nose riding is made to look so easy by the guys who have it sussed & you can have a false sense of confidence if your an experienced short board rider. But then when you have a go most of us get a big reality check haha pretty sure I'm not just speaking for myself here

I have a couple of longboards & get to about the same point about 20cm behind the nose with one foot. The second LB I bought coz a friend about 30kg heavier & 15 years older is getting regular nose time & cross steps with ease on the same model board.

It really just comes down to practice. I've had a few people tell me to practice walking up & back on some wood or taking fins out & putting your board on a matress to practice. Havn't tryed this stuff yet, but the people giving the advice are pretty good. You also need to get comfy doing it in critical sections. Thats the hard part, over coming the fear of blowing a wave.

Reason being (comfy in crit)...you also gotta read waves & try to set your board up so the curl is landing on the back of your board holding it down. My understanding is this is what you really need for those classic toes on the nose shots you see. That or just being a super light weight cross stepping forward & back.

Having waves that peel in a uniform fashion without sectioning too much is a big help. So you do have that advantage, but yep just gotta get out there & practice

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MickPC said...
Cross stepping & nose riding is made to look so easy by the guys who have it sussed & you can have a false sense of confidence if your an experienced short board rider. But then when you have a go most of us get a big reality check haha pretty sure I'm not just speaking for myself here

I have a couple of longboards & get to about the same point about 20cm behind the nose with one foot. The second LB I bought coz a friend about 30kg heavier & 15 years older is getting regular nose time & cross steps with ease on the same model board.

It really just comes down to practice. I've had a few people tell me to practice walking up & back on some wood or taking fins out & putting your board on a matress to practice. Havn't tryed this stuff yet, but the people giving the advice are pretty good. You also need to get comfy doing it in critical sections. Thats the hard part, over coming the fear of blowing a wave.

Reason being (comfy in crit)...you also gotta read waves & try to set your board up so the curl is landing on the back of your board holding it down. My understanding is this is what you really need for those classic toes on the nose shots you see. That or just being a super light weight cross stepping forward & back.

Having waves that peel in a uniform fashion without sectioning too much is a big help. So you do have that advantage, but yep just gotta get out there & practice

Great answer

Then my other one is you don't want to blow a wave. Yet I love to surf marginal wave conditions and just get to the nose....actually that is bad advice because I can get to the nose no problem.....getting home is a injury in the making....

Listen to MickPC

Unfortunately you've come to the wrong place when it comes to nose riding. Haha.

Seriously it has to be your no1 passion to get any good at it

Wish I could help I have made it to the nose but never made it back

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MickPC said..
Cross stepping & nose riding is made to look so easy by the guys who have it sussed & you can have a false sense of confidence if your an experienced short board rider. But then when you have a go most of us get a big reality check haha pretty sure I'm not just speaking for myself here

I have a couple of longboards & get to about the same point about 20cm behind the nose with one foot. The second LB I bought coz a friend about 30kg heavier & 15 years older is getting regular nose time & cross steps with ease on the same model board.

It really just comes down to practice. I've had a few people tell me to practice walking up & back on some wood or taking fins out & putting your board on a matress to practice. Havn't tryed this stuff yet, but the people giving the advice are pretty good. You also need to get comfy doing it in critical sections. Thats the hard part, over coming the fear of blowing a wave.

Reason being (comfy in crit)...you also gotta read waves & try to set your board up so the curl is landing on the back of your board holding it down. My understanding is this is what you really need for those classic toes on the nose shots you see. That or just being a super light weight cross stepping forward & back.

Having waves that peel in a uniform fashion without sectioning too much is a big help. So you do have that advantage, but yep just gotta get out there & practice

Great advice and nail on the head from Mick PC!!!

Nose Riding is a collective series of skills put together for an end result to suit a specific environment ( wave), not a manoeuvre. It's a combination of the wave dynamics,wave selection and understanding, surfboard design, suitability and understanding ( symbiotic relationship between you and board ) and practice, practice, practice.
Your weight and size in comparison to the board you ride can be critical, but if your trim and positioning is right should almost be irrelevant. I proved this the first time today getting to the nose on a board that's shorter narrower and thinner than the board I normally nose ride when I'm heavier than I've ever been (100kg).

So everything MickPC is on the money I would add that using a piece of 4x2 the length of your board is useful to develop an excellent and efficient cross step. Shuffling to the nose worked for me, however is really ugly. As soon as I saw it I worked hard on trying to cross step.Cross stepping gives you better manoeuvrability in relation to weight transfer I.e. You can start moving forward but if it's not right move back before committing to the forward motion in entirety , if that makes sense? It's also more dynamic for turning if required quickly. The 4 x 2 will help you train the body to keep your weight centered inline with the centre of the board of if you like in line with the stringer. Excessive weight distribution over either side of the stringer will compromise the trim stability and as soon as you lose that solid platform provided by a secure trim....forget it.

Board design. Nose concave will provide lift, tail kick and a big fin pushed as far back in the box will certainly make a difference hosing the tail down while your fat arse is up on the nose.

But other than all this, it won't happen over night. You'll need to spend whole sessions working on that and that alone. And when you get there, learning to trim your board with 10 over the nose is another world.

Good luck and enjoy

You need to get the cross stepping sorted . Practice on a beam up and back and just keep at it out in the water . It takes a while .

A lot of people I know are on the nose but not the nose end of a surfboard

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Macaha said..
A lot of people I know are on the nose but not the nose end of a surfboard

i can get to the nose.

but it ends there

Saw a great article on nose riding, by Tom Wegener. See if you can find it online.
He speaks about how different shapes affect nose riding and how to get to the front. He also says that a nose ride is a way of slowing the board down, so you need to get forward on the faster wall sections. Also on a nine footer like yours, sometimes a stall, then go forward quickly creates the speed needed for tip time. Try it when you can and watch lots of clips. Have fun

Yeah I've got nose riding totally sussed out...in theory only

I've been back in the game coming up to my second summer now. Its been my ambition ever since I started riding a longboard to be able to cross step and hang some toes over the nose.

I found that with most things its muscle memory, and spending quiet time away from the prying eyes of the wife and kids while you do a little cross step dance in the kitchen, on the way to the lounge room, garage, helps develop this muscle memory (Pffft that suggestion sounds so dirty!!!!).

But it does help. I still can't run all the way up the board without swan diving off the end, but I can take a couple of steps back and forwards. I also found that it helps with switch stance.

Wasting waves is hard, It seams just wrong to want to stuff up a wave. Especially when you spend a whole winter & summer getting back up on your feet. So I found a good compromise in that on ****ty days I will still head out and practice, because falling off these waves doesn't hurt the pride as much.

As for nose ridding, well Im happy to say that I can get one foot near the edge but at this stage not both...... Its got something to do with being a little heavy round the edges still.

Don't run, walk first.

Further on to the 4 x 2 there are a couple of kids play grounds with the swinging logs or 4x2's, every time I'm with the kids, while they are playing I will spend 10-15 min practicing cross stepping up and back. It adds that little bit more balance required than the 4x2 on the ground

Thanks heaps for the replies guys!

I will definatly try practicing it on a piece of 4x2.

And yeah I totally agree that it sucks wasting the good waves on a noseride fail haha

Some excellent comments above...

This topic has been done a few times so maybe try to search for more info.

But I'll add.
A good bottom turn / setting it up in the right section and controlling your speed is the best place to start.

Practice turning and stalling in the right section and then just practice walking up to the trim spot on your board.
You will feel it accelerate once your in the right spot.
Once you can do that it is just a short step to the nose, or a good place to practice stepping back from.

Taking off and hoping your in the right place is what the majority do but look at the good guys, it's never rushed and always the board is set in a good spot.

A good idea is to watch a few old clips of Dora or Phil Edwards.
Almost in slow motion compared to the good guys today but the technique and set up is really good.

Drop into a drainer and then straight to the nose

Only attempt to nr when the nose is right down in the water

Full speed and the board on plane are the golden rules

Never walk back- thats for cheats

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laceys lane said..
Never walk back- thats for cheats

Boy has this hot weather got to you or what.

Ice bath buddy

Take big steps. the bigger the better

One toe over is close enough. Even if your other foot is on the tail pad

Never attempt nose riding unless its crowded.

Dont waste good uncrowded waves trying to learn to be a nancyboy

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laceys lane said...
Never attempt nose riding unless its crowded.

Dont waste good uncrowded waves trying to learn to be a nancyboy

And never wear a leggie...

Theres a reason why chics are good at nose riding.
Ballet.
Enrol in ballet for mature men today if you want to twinkle those toes

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laceys lane said...
Theres a reason why chics are good at nose riding.
Ballet.
Enrol in ballet for mature men today if you want to twinkle those toes

You're gay.......hahaha

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beachandbush said..

laceys lane said...
Theres a reason why chics are good at nose riding.
Ballet.
Enrol in ballet for mature men today if you want to twinkle those toes

You're gay.......hahaha

your simple or cant read properly

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laceys lane said..

beachandbush said..

laceys lane said...
Theres a reason why chics are good at nose riding.
Ballet.
Enrol in ballet for mature men today if you want to twinkle those toes

You're gay.......hahaha

your simple or cant read properly

Nah I reckon he is on the money.

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Macaha said..

laceys lane said..

beachandbush said..

laceys lane said...
Theres a reason why chics are good at nose riding.
Ballet.
Enrol in ballet for mature men today if you want to twinkle those toes

You're gay.......hahaha

your simple or cant read properly

Nah I reckon he is on the money.

paid.

ill work on the back charge later

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beachandbush said..

laceys lane said...
Theres a reason why chics are good at nose riding.
Ballet.
Enrol in ballet for mature men today if you want to twinkle those toes

You're gay.......hahaha

thats old news.

^ haha