Hang Ten

Unfortunately we don’t get many waves like this in Galveston but when I make the trip out to Hawaii or Cali I score.

This is a rather simple surfing maneuver. Getting the right wave here is really going to be the key. You need to get a wave with enough speed and power to hold down the back of the board as you are walking up to front and then hanging it over.

To nose ride you start by side stepping up to the front of the board. Just start in your normal stance and pull your back foot up and around and continue to walk up your plank. Once near the nose hang one foot over and lean back for extra style points. This is hanging 5 or cheaty 10.

From here you got a couple of option. Obviously my favorite is pulling that back foot up, hanging all ten toes off the end of the board, leaning back, and sucking in that gorgeous ocean air as you fly down the line. Another option is to crouch down and hold your outside rail. This is a clean looking option when the wave isn’t as fast. Also from this position you can easily shift your weight to spin the back end around and surf your board backwards. This can be a good cap to a well ridden wave. Gives your surfing a nice style flair.

For a hang ten nothing is going to touch riding Takayama Surfboards. He shapes nearly every longboard and stand-up paddleboard for nose riding and it is evident when you begin to experiment on doing one. Joel Tudor surfboards are also nice for nose riding I hear but no firsthand experience on one yet.

Practice, practice, practice… Those first few times you may fall over the front or slide your fin out but keep trying. You will get it and have one more trick to pull out of your sleeve. I have seen Kelly Slater do it and I’ve done it where you hang 5 on a short board. Not as nice as a longboard but still a cool looking move.

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