The first episode of the series focuses on the basics of the reverse spin with PLC.
What is a reverse spin?
The bodyboarding reverse spin is an anticlockwise spin. It is a spin that is performed by looking towards the beach unlike the belly spin where you look towards the wave.
The reverse spin is a very practical maneuver because it can be performed pretty much everywhere on a wave. It can be done, on the shoulder, in the foam, by hitting the foam (re-entry) or by hitting the lip (aerial).
It is as well a very useful trick to link maneuvers together.
The technique
To achieve your first reverse spin, it is best to do it on the shoulder of the wave. The part of the wave that has a little less energy.
Once you’ve done your bottom turn (the turn on the bottom of the wave where you generate all your speed) you will want to simultaneously raise your hips & legs. Crossing your legs is very important as it will not only give you a better style but will also enhance and smoothen the spin.
Then, your look is very important. To really get that spin motion you will want to look towards the beach and above your shoulder.
Once the spin is completed, release your legs to get back control and continue your ride.
What’s next?
When you’ve mastered the reverse spin on the shoulder, you can now take it to the next step and try to do it as a re-entry by hitting the foam, following a carve or as an aerial by hitting the lip. There are just as many variations of this maneuver as there are different types of sections on waves in the ocean. You can literally never get bored of doing reverse. Just like one cannot get bored of watching reverse spins beautifully performed by riders like Pierre-Louis Costes.