Why pulling into close-out barrels is essential for bodyboarding success
Pulling into close out barrels will improve your bodyboarding ability by making you more confident in bigger waves, and more aware of what to expect from the experience of pulling in to tubes of all sizes. Not only will you often get a memorable view, you’ll also vastly increase your experience in respect to negotiating the lip, the trough, the shock wave and other features of the barrel.
Bodyboard Holiday’s founder Rob, explains in our latest video why riding into close-out barrels is so important for bodyboarding and is such an imperative part of developing your skills as a bodyboarder.
At Bodyboard Holidays we’ve been boosting the skills of our clients since 2003, we have the most experienced instructors and we work with some of the biggest names in the business. Including 3x world champion Jeff Hubbard and APB World Tour Champion Iain Campbell, so read on for some game changing advice which could just see you getting the most memorable wave of your life!
What are the benefits of pulling into a close-out wave?
First things first – you need to know why pulling into a close-out barrel is going to improve your performance. Pulling into close-out waves will enable you to begin:
Getting your perfect line when you drop in on a wave
Practising manoeuvres like bottom turning
Getting inside the barrel under the curtain of the wave and familiarising with that
Getting comfortable in close-outs, setting you up for being a better, braver tube rider
Building confidence and gaining that perfect view from within the wave and ultimately working out how to exit the tube.
By mastering the skill of pulling into a close-out, you’ll find it much easier to catch a wave, execute bottom turns, and navigate inside the barrel beneath the wave’s curtain. Embracing these challenging scenarios will help you become more comfortable with close-outs, ultimately enhancing your overall tube riding abilities. The more you practise pulling into close-out waves, the better a tube rider you’ll become.
Getting the right line on a close-out wave
When you begin pulling into close-out barrels, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the precise angle needed to drop in effectively, as well as the correct line to take to avoid getting caught by the wave’s lip when it closes out.
Getting inside the barrel on a bodyboard
Getting inside the barrel and feeling comfortable means keeping your eyes open and staying relaxed while riding the close-out. The more at ease you become, the better prepared you’ll be for making barrels in the future. For most bodyboarders, getting barrelled is the ultimate goal and thrill, and it’s easy to see why. Being completely enveloped by water while you ride that perfect tubing wave is an extraordinary experience that feels out of this world. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll be hooked for life on hunting down and riding the best barrels you can find. If you want some help finding them, our bodyboarding holidays take in the very best bodyboarding spots on the planet.
Building confidence for barrel riding
Consistently catching close-out barrels is the best way to grow your confidence. Getting into the barrel will start to feel like second nature and will become something you aren’t afraid to go for without hesitation everytime. So when you do start riding bigger barrels you’ll have the confidence to hold on til the end and will have already set yourself up for success.
The view from the barrel
One of the greatest benefits of tube riding on a bodyboard is the breathtaking view it provides when riding into close-outs. As the wave closes out around you, it forms a perfect cylindrical tunnel, offering a mesmerising perspective down the cavern of the wave with light streaming through the lip. These unforgettable views make bodyboarding sessions truly epic. This is why bodyboarders so often head to closed beach breaks and shore breaks, spending entire sessions pulling into massive tubes and having the time of their lives.
Barrel riding manoeuvres
There are numerous manoeuvres you can perform as a bodyboarder in and around close-out barrels, including:
Barrel rolls
Spins
Practising spins inside the barrel and perfecting barrle rolls in close-out barrels are highly beneficial to your overall bodyboarding skills. However, there’s one significant manoeuvre to try with close-out barrels that is going to heighten your whole experience of close-out waves: popping out the back.
Once you’re inside a close-out barrel, you’ll realise that when you finally get enveloped by the lip of the wave and it closes out on you, you’ll emerge through the back of the wave. This is much easier and safer to achieve than trying to turn out in front of a close-out barrel. If you stay within the barrel as it closes out, you’ll end up in the trough (the lower part of the barrel).
Coming out the back of the barrel is straightforward enough if you know what to do. Simply hold onto your board and remain within the barrel, and you’ll pop up out the back of the wave. It might surprise you the first time, but pulling into close-out barrels is not only the safest place to be but also incredibly fun.
If you don’t pull into the wave or if you hesitate in the barrel and end up turning toward the beach, you’re more likely to have the lip of the wave crash on the back of your neck, spine, or legs— an unpleasant and often painful experience. This usually leads to a wipeout, getting tumbled in the wave, and being washed back to shore, forcing you to paddle out again. So, take a deep breath and don’t be afraid to pull into close-out barrels. It’s the safest place to be and it’s epic fun! Believe us it’s a game changer.
Barrel riding in Costa Rica and El Salvador
Want to take your bodyboarding to the next level and try these top tips in real life? Our bodyboard holiday trips to Costa Rica and El Salvador, where these videos were shot, offer expert tuition and excellent experiences. You’ll be pulling into close-out waves, finding epic barrels and tube riding in the warm waters on the best waves Costa Rica and El Salvador have to offer.
Want to learn more secret tips that will take your bodyboarding skills to the next level? Travel with us on one of our unique bodyboarding holidays to learn from the best to become a skilled bodyboarder.
