5 top cut back tips
- Picking the right wave. Wave choice is vital to the success of this manoeuvre. The smaller the wave, generally the weaker it is. This means a lack of speed and overall no power to perform a successful cutback.
- Speed is the key to the success of this manoeuvre. The more speed you have the more chance you have to complete a clean, powerful cut back with maximum spray. Enter the move with a medium to high line on the wave face to maximise speed.
- Don’t hold back. Really drive your body into the cutback for maximum power.
- Watch the pros. There is no better way to visualise this manoeuvre done correctly than to watch the pros do it! Check out our video HERE and many more online. Mitch Rawlins is our cutback king!
- Practise, practise, practise!
How to do a cutback on a bodyboard with Rob Barber – Bodyboard Holidays
Performing a well-executed cutback is one manoeuvre that‘ll certainly help your bodyboarding move towards the technical side. There are a few key uses for this tricky but hugely satisfying manoeuvre. Once you’ve put the following into practice, you’ll see your riding step up a gear or two instantly!
The crew here at Bodyboard-Holidays love spreading the stoke on anything bodyboarding related and our key aim is to share our wealth of knowledge with you. We can help you refine your riding on one of our coaching weekends or score the waves of your life with a group of like-minded bodyboarders on one of our bodyboard holidays. Cutbacks are used to control speed in a super stylish manner on either the face or pocket of a wave. When used at the right time, the cutback will set you up to gain the most out of your ride. With this advice article and video, we can help you nail it!
So once you’ve taken off on the wave, dropped in and successfully bottom turned (check video @ 0.29), it’s easy to find yourself out on the shoulder of the wave and speeding away from the pocket where the waves real power lies. This is the part of the wave you need to initiate your cutback.
Ultimately, speed is the key to the success of this manoeuvre, and vital to getting that nice fan of water you’ll be familiar with when looking at those classic images of perfected bodyboard cutbacks. You’ll generate the most speed with a smooth bottom turn and a nice line midway up the face of the wave, aiming towards the shoulder of the wave (check video @ 0.35).
Next, you’ll need to shift your body weight onto your outside rail, and back towards the tail of your bodyboard. Drive your bodyboard through the turn with your front hand, whilst arching your back and keeping focused on the direction that you’re heading (check video @ 0.37).
Now that you’ve positioned yourself and your body weight is over the rail, it is time to engage the cutback. This will start by switching the direction in which you are travelling. To do this you will need to look back over your outside shoulder, towards the direction you were coming from (check video @ 0.38). Always look, lean and lunge through the turn. Hold on tight and watch the fan of spray from the underside of your bodyboard fly into the air and out onto the shoulder of the wave! This is the money shot. The more speed you’ve generated before shifting your body weight and engaging the rail for the cutback, the bigger and more epic the fan of spray from your cut back will be! You need to fight the urge to focus on the spray, instead continue to look through the turn.
Once you’ve performed the cutback and displaced bucket loads of water onto the shoulder of the wave, your speed will have naturally decreased to nearly nothing, which allows the wave to catch up with you. At this point, you’ll need to readjust your body back into the trimming position and continue riding the face of the wave (check video @ 0.40).