Last week I posted some screen shots from drone footage that my friend Taka took.
You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bkwJpTBfdo&t=39s
People were telling me they never seen that foot out bottom turn technique before.
It is quite common to see surfers drag there back hand in the face of the wave, sometimes to slow down, sometimes to judge the steepness/angle of the wave.
A lot of times they stick a hand out to create a pivot board for the board to swing around on, like during a bottom turn.
But the Foot out, Outrigger, Pissing Dog technique is different becuase you utilize it BEFORE you pop up into your riding stance.
This photo here is the best example I've ever seen.
Notice:
How straight the inside leg is, with toes digging into the wave's face.
Arms straight sort of like when you do "planks".
Back leg up on its toes.
Body is aligned over the inside rail.
And of course, eyes focused down the line.
Think of the leg out technique as how a Stand Up Paddle board rider extends out his/her paddle to help them turn.
Super raw first timers, with their wide legs out paddling style, sometimes drag a foot. They feel more stable if their feet are hanging off the deck. But as you get better you learn to keep your feet ON the deck.
( And now I'm showing you a technique to stick your foot back in the water, Ha ha )
So let's break down the Pissing Dog sequence.
Here I've already caught the wave and gliding in. I raise up my hands out of the water to not disturb the flow if I had kept paddling. I raise my feet up for the same reason.
I sight down the line. My hands go down to the rail and my feet hover over the tail.
I begin to stick out my Left leg, gliding over the water ever so slightly.
Then extend the leg out fully in coordination with my arms straightening out also. Dragging just my toes in the water.
Board angles in to a point how I want it to, so now the process begins to remove the foot out of the water.
Then the Left foot gets placed back on the deck, and the roll from Left rail, to flat bottom to Right rail starts.
Fade Left go Right Bottom turn.
"Couldn't you have just grabbed the water with you hand instead of your foot ?" No, cause then there would be no open space under my chest for the front leg to get under, cause you'd be fully laying down on your stomach at that moment.
The Foot Out, Outrigger, Pissing Dog technique isn't for everyone, and it is super rare to see surfers do it.
But try stick out a foot next time your a bit out of position and need to fade into the pocket a bit more.
Please check out Philippine Surf Report on FB and http://starb.on.coocan.jp/daily/daily0.html to see more.