The backhand takeoff is crucial for setting up your backhand line on a longboard. While the fundamentals (pressure on rail/tail, correct line) are similar to forehand, body positioning on the backhand is often disrupted. The solution involves adapting your back foot position to enable proper hip and chest rotation for turning.
Key Takeaways & Tips
Heel Lift for Rotation
On your backhand, lift the heel and maintain toe contact with the board. This frees up the back foot, allowing for easier hip and chest rotation in the direction of the turn, avoiding the stiff, squatting motion caused by heel pressure.
Diagonal Foot Angle
Position the back foot slightly diagonally across the stringer (not perpendicular). This allows for good toe contact to whip the turn around off the bottom and enables rotation at the hips and chest.
Pop-Up Directly on the Tail
When taking off in critical sections, you must pop up so that your feet land immediately at the tail. This is necessary because you don’t have time to adjust your feet and must be ready to turn instantly to follow the section.
Use Heel for Deep Carves
The heel can be used for a really hard-driven bottom turn in bigger waves where you have a lot of speed and need control for a deep, swooping, radical turn. For the most part, however, keep the heel off the deck for better rotation.
Drop Knee Turn Takeoff
The fade drop knee takeoff is highly effective on the backhand, as the lifted heel and foot angle allow you to pivot off the back foot and rotate the hips/chest easily, avoiding the awkward, sticky feeling of having the heel engaged.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Heel Down on the Rail
Placing the heel down initially and having it perpendicular across the stringer. This causes the backhand turn to be executed by squatting (pushing weight down) rather than rotating, creating a sticky, unbalanced, and hard-to-control position.
Arching the Back
Instead of rotating the chest, the surfer may arch their back backward to force the turn. This is an unstable position and is often coupled with heel-heavy rail pressure and straightening the legs to turn.
Chest Facing Opposite Direction
The chest staying facing the opposite direction of travel (e.g., facing the beach) is dangerous, as it places a lot of weight onto the heel and prevents the body from rotating into the turn.