Air to Fakie
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Shown for a regular-footed rider. Teal ring + arrow = the rider's facing direction; teal band = the tail; a dot is where a hand holds the board - bright yellow for the front hand, amber for the back one, which is the whole difference between a mute and an indy. Board and rider rotate independently - each follows its own component. Drag to orbit.
How it works
The rider airs straight off the wall without any rotation and comes back down the same wall riding fakie - zero degrees of body spin, which on a transition wall means the direction of travel reverses under an unturned body. It is deceptively hard: with no rotation to organize the air, the board must go up and come down on the identical line, and the fakie re-entry arrives with the ramp behind you. Usually grabbed to hold the board through the weightless apex.
Step by step
- Approach the coping dead straight - any carve will curl the air into a rotation.
- Leave the lip and rise vertically above the coping, compressing with a grab for stability.
- Hold the board level at the apex without turning your shoulders at all.
- Descend on the same line you rose on, tail now leading down the wall.
- Release, press the wheels onto the transition, and pump away fakie.
Body mechanics
| Front foot | Keeps the nose from wandering - its stillness is the trick. |
|---|---|
| Back foot | On the tail, guiding the tail-first descent back below the coping. |
| Shoulders | Locked square the entire time; the discipline of NOT rotating is the hardest part. |
| Arms | One hand grabs; the free arm stays quiet rather than swinging, which would start a spin. |
| Gaze | Straight ahead at the far deck through the apex, then down at the coping as it rises to meet you. |