Learn to bodyboard with UK legend Rob barber. 12 short tutorial clips that will point a beginner in the right direction (or some handy tips to the more seasoned individual). The tutorials range from the very first steps e.g. Catching a Wave and Duckdiving.. All the way up to one of the most advanced moves in the sport, the Air Reverse.

How To Duck Dive – Tutorial

Learning how to duck dive should be one of your first goals in bodyboarding, the technique allows you to get past the breaking waves and get in position for a “clean” unbroken wave:-

“Paddle towards the wave at speed. When you get about two metres away slide your weight forward and move your hands about 30cm down from the nose, holding tightly onto the rails. Push up into a press-up position with your head directly over the nose of your board. As your board begins to sink, shove your knee into the tail to guide it downwards. Stretch your other leg out behind you. If your timing is good, the wave should now break over you. Now lay flat against your board and look up at the whitewater as it passes over you.”

“When it’s passed, move your weight further back on your board and angle upwards. The whole time that you are underwater you should kick with your fins to avoid being dragged back. The bigger the wave is, the earlier you should aim to become submerged. The main hazard with duckdiving at shallow reefs is hitting the reef by going too deep. Avoid this by keeping your hands flat on the boards deck or by clutching the boards rails – don’t put them underneath.”

How To Catch More Waves – Tutorial

This tutorial focuses on how to paddle into a wave and how to position your body and board to create minimum drag.

How To Bottom Turn – Tutorial

Now you know how to paddle, this clip will teach you how to bottom turn, thus allowing you to keep up with the clean unbroken part of the wave.

How To Do A Cut Back – Tutorial

“Once you’ve negotiated the take off and successfully bottom turned, it’s easy to find yourself out on the waves shoulder and away from the power pocket. Now is the time to initiate a cutback.”

“Step 1: To get a nice fan of water you need to have a reasonabl amount of speed so it’s best to set yourself up with a nice bottom turn. Then gun it down the line positioning yourself about midway up the face of the wave.”

“Step 2: Shift your weight to your outside rail, quite far back near the tail of the board. Lead your board through the turn with your front hand. Arch your back an keep focused on the direction that you’re heading.”

“Step 3: Now that you’ve shifted all your weight onto the rail you should produce a glorious fan of water! The more speed you have and the harder you jam your rail in, the bigger the fan should be. You’ll use all your speed at this part of your turn, giving the wave a chance to catch up with you.”

“Step 4: Now that you’re spent, position yourself back on your inside rail as you would normally ride and continue on down the wave.”

How To Do A Forward Spin (360) – Tutorial

“The 360 is a benchmark move that looks good if done in the right style in the critical section of the wave. They are an important part of many combination manoeuvres, and one of the most enjoyable basic moves to learn.”

“Step 1: Like any move speed is essential but, unlike most moves, it has to be controlled – when you’re learning to do spins, speed can make the move more difficult. Spinners can be performed after a cutback to produce an impressive combination move or on a sloping part of the wave. If the move is performed in a flat section it makes it more difficult (and looks lame). When you’ve gained a bit of speed, the first step is to release the rail. This is done by bottom turning towards the top of the wave, flattening your board out and lifting your legs out of the water.”

“Step 2: The second step is to put your weight on your inside rail and throw yourself into the rotation using your head and upper body while looking over your shoulder at where you’re going. This will initiate the rotation and the spin will begin. At first this rotation will be fairly slow but with practice it will become quicker. It’s really important to cross your legs up behind you and arch your back. You’re aiming to centre your weight in the middle of your board, creating a central point to spin from – like a spinning top.”

“Step 3: To complete the manoeuvre you need to return to the direction you were heading. Stop the spin by dropping your flippers back into the water and returning to the standard trim position – you can then bottom turn back into the trim. If the manoeuvre has been performed on a steep part of the wave then you should shift your weight onto the bottom corner of your board so you don’t nose-dive when you come back down the wave. Once mastered you can start to perform 360s on different parts of the wave and – not only will you have learnt the prerequisite to entering competitions – but you will look pretty smooth to your mate paddling back out.”

How To Do A Reverse Spin (360) – Tutorial

“The reverse is a move that can be carried out more or less anywhere on the wave and can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. As long as you keep your legs crossed and look in the direction of the manoeuvre, it should look stylish no matter where it is attempted.”

“Step 1: As with all manoeuvres, a good bottom turn is important. The reverse is no different, although when first getting to grips with the move only a slight bottom turn is required. If you come off the bottom too sharply you risk being directed off the back before having time to complete the rotation – consequently, the shoulder is an ideal place to practice as there’s no rush to complete the move before the next section breaks. Bottom turn and then, immediately afterwards, move slightly forwards on your board and initiate the spinning motion by simultaneously lifting your hips and legs from the water and throwing your head in the direction of the turn. (i.e. back towards the breaking part of the wave).”

“Step 2: Once spinning, try to keep your legs crossed – not only will the move look a lot better, but you have less chance of a random limb catching the face and digging in. You can control the speed of the spin by how far from the wave you lift your legs and how long you keep them up for.”

“Step 3: When you have spun far enough move back to a normal trim position, place your legs back on to the surface, and look in the direction you want to be travelling next. Reverses make the best of a weak section and are an eye-catching alternative to a cutback or turn.”

How To Ride A Barrel – Tutorial

Lean how to negotiate your first barrel ride (or tube), one of the most sought after views in all wave riding disciplines. This video also includes tips on speed control and using your legs to stall.

How To Hit The Lip – Tutorial

Learn how to hit the lip and do a Re-Entry, the foundation manoeuvre that will send you on the path to larger more technical aerial acrobatics.

How To Do A Prone Air – Tutorial

Once you have mastered the Re-Entery you will want to catch your first air time, the next step towards more technical moves such as the El Rollo or Invert.

How To Do A Roll (El Rollo) – Tutorial

This next clip will teach you how to do a Roll (or El Rollo), the first technical air manoeuvre of your growing bag of tricks.

How To Do An Invert – Tutorial

“Step 1 :For any sort of aerial manoeuvre speed is essential. Put in a solid bottom turn and keep your board flat as you angle onto the oncoming section. The most crucial part of this step is making sure that your timing is perfect to ensure you slingshot outwards – rather than being too late and getting an embarrassing lip to the head.”

“Step 2: You should now be airborne and twisting your body into the invert. Your head should be completely upside down and your arms should be twisting your board inverted. Try to remember that the slower you get into this position, the more stylish it will look. Try to kick your inside leg upwards, this will split your legs and allow your body to twist upside down more easily.”

“Step 3: The next step is the hardest as you should now be in the invert position, where your natural reaction is to pull your board back around for landing. Instead of this you should try and pause for a fraction of a second. This will allow you to keep getting more flight as your body is still arcing through the invert.”

“Step 4: As you feel yourself beginning to drop down towards the wave you should begin to slowly bring your board back around yourself. If you’ve timed it right, the lip should hit the flats just before you do, breaking your fall.”

“Step 5: Throughout the landing it’s essential to hold on tight. Brace your body so that you don’t head-butt your board, then regain trim position as soon as possible. This will help you ride out of the move and ideally – straight into the next!”

How To Do An Air Reverse – Tutorial

Learn how to pull of one of the hardest and most impressive aerial manoeuvres in bodyboarding, the Air Reverse.

How to do and ARS (Air Roll Spin) – Tutorial

“Once the most progressive move in bodyboarding, the ARS is a combination of two maneuvers: the air roll and forward spin. An ability to complete both these separate moves on a regular basis is a good place to start. A wave with a decent pitching lip is required although the ARS’s can be performed as the wave closes out, they almost always look better when landed back onto a clean shoulder.”

“Step 1: The bottom turn is key element in any bodyboarding maneuver – it provides the speed and projection required for the next step. Don’t turn too far in front of the wave as you will lose speed and bog down. You can see that even at the early stage of his turn, Rob is eyeing up the section he wants to hit. It’s important to watch your ramp carefully, as hitting it too early will send you off the back and too late will earn you a lip in the face. It’s also interesting to note how far forward Rob is positioned on the board in the first shot, with his head level with the nose. This is to gain maximum speed, which translates into projection later on.”

“Step 2: As he reaches the lip Rob tenses his body and flattens the slick of his board to the face of the wave to gain maximum projection. After launching out of the lip and beginning the air roll part of the move, keep your eyes open. If you have connected with the lip properly as it pitched you will naturally be thrown into a rolling motion. When you have gone past the apex of the roll (i.e. you are on the way down), initiate the spin by throwing your head inwards towards the face of the wave. You can see in the photos how Rob’s back is arched and his head is looking in the direction he wants to go, forcing the rest of his body to follow; a fundamental principal of any bodyboarding maneuver. The speed from his bottom turn means he has projected up and out of the wave as desired.”

“Step 3: Rob’s board is now in a horizontal spinning position, he has attempted to cross his legs for added style and function. At this point it’s important to centre your body on the board and hold on tight for landing. Keep your legs lifted or you will come unstuck when you hit the wave’s face again. In bigger bowly waves it’s possible to complete the full spin in the air, but often you will have to complete the last part of the rotation on the face or in the whitewater. Your momentum should keep you spinning as you land; the whitewater will also help push you around if you remember to keep looking into the spin. A good tip is to try looking back around at your fins.”

“Step 4: You might feel pretty disorientated after all that rotating so get your bearings and, as you come back onto the shoulder, quickly re-engage your inside rail with the wave’s face and get back in a trim position.”