The Elusive 360

So you’ve become savvy with staying with the wake and “milking the sweet spot”.  Next up, the elusive 360; most gravitate towards attempting this trick right away but often with the same result of slowly sinking into the water as the boat rolls on.  The rotation is quite simple and often natural once it’s initiated on the wave.  However, the 360 is elusive because the difficulty is not in the rotation, it is the ability to stay within the wave and continue surfing once you have completed the spin.  Here are a few things you should consider to accelerate your learning curve and avoid getting caught up in the turbulence of bad practice.    

Break down the trick:
Practice the rotation outside of the wave so that the spin feels natural.  You may want to eliminate a couple of fins if you have a surf style board or multiple large fins.  You can also try a smaller fin to help with this flat water activity.  

Slow Down:
A common mistake is to over rotate this trick which will take you off balance and off  of your finishing edge. This will slide you away from the wave and out of the sweet spot.  Concentrate on initiating this spin slowly and think about only doing a 180.  The spin will naturally happen once it’s initiated.  

Eyes on the Prize:
Start with your eyes on the boat as you approach and finish with your eyes forward and on the boat. Ultimately this is what you are trying to follow.  You’ll find if you look at the water you will often end up in it.  

Trick Tip:
It may help you to set your edge and stay within the wake by planting your trailing or back hand into the wave to help you stop the rotation and set your edge again on the wave.  

Watch it all come together below.