When riding a 9 ft plus board, the area in which you need to stand at different times (eg. to turn, trim, or adjust your speed) means you need to move up & down your board. And if you’re moving up & down your board, cross stepping is the way to go bc it allows for one fluid movement. As a bonus, it also looks & feels way better than any sort of shuffle.

‍

So, here’s 5 key points to a better cross step:

1. Bend your knees.

I see so many people trying to cross step while standing tall & upright with their legs straight, but if you want to be strong, stable, & balanced in your stance you need to have a slight bend in your knees.

2. Keep your arms at or below shoulder height.

This helps keep your arms from flailing around, maintain your balance, & have a lower center of gravity.

3. Carry your weight in your back leg.

Obviously as you lift a foot to take a step your weight will need to shift from one foot to the next, but overall you want to favour your back leg & only shift your weight forward to complete your step. Be sure to use your hips to shift your weight & not lean! This weight distribution holds true right up until you’re hanging 5.

4. Square your shoulders.

Your shoulders & torso should be facing down the line, not to towards the beach (backside) or wave face (frontside). Pay special attention to this point when going backside as that’s where I often see this not happening (which I used to do all the time 😅).

5. Favour your inside rail.‍

By that I mean put slightly more pressure towards your inside rail as it helps to keep your board more stable.  Your steps should never land on alternating sides of the stringer as that creates a side-to-side rocking motion. Favouring your inside rail will help prevent that.

🙏 Enjoying this series? Share the stoke & buy me a beer! 😄🍻