This tutorial breaks down the backhand drop knee turn, which is called the “most underutilized turn in longboarding.” The turn is a fundamental, functional move that helps longboarders quickly rotate their body to face down the line, adding critical variety to their backhand surfing.
Key Takeaways & Tips
Three Phases of the Turn
The backhand drop knee turn is broken down into three phases: 1) Stepping backwards (bringing the back foot onto the tail), 2) Leaning backwards (transferring weight over the back foot), and 3) Rotation (making the turn and engaging the rail).
Stepping Back
Take a big step back onto the tail to create a large stance. Ensure the back foot changes from a diagonal position across the stringer to straight along the stringer. The toe must press into the board, with no heel engagement whatsoever.
The Lean (Weight Transfer)
Transfer your weight onto the back foot; do not simply just drop the knee. The knee will inadvertently drop as you shift your chest and hips over the back foot (a little bit of a soul arch position).
Rotation (Backhand)
The rotation always occurs as a drop knee bottom turn (not off the top). You open your arms up wide, slowly rotating your body in the direction you want to go. The shift in back foot position automatically rotates your hips forward to face down the line.
Engaging the Rail
Use your leading arm (the hand closest to the wave face) to gauge and engage the rail. Reach out towards the water: reaching closer to the rail engages the rail less, and reaching further out engages the rail more significantly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Narrow Stance
Using a small, narrow stance for a wide turn makes the turn quite tricky and unstable. Exaggerate your stance to be bigger than you would expect.
Heel Engagement
Engaging the heel of the back foot at all will cause the turn to fail, as the turn requires using only the toe or ball of the foot to pivot.
Dropping the Knee Too Soon
Attempting to do all three steps at once or dropping the knee before the weight is transferred backwards will cause things to go wrong. The transfer of weight must happen first.
Stalling
The drop knee turn can be less suitable in faster sections due to a lag time when shifting weight. For quick redirection, a narrow-stance quick pivot turn may be necessary.