Japan Air

also known as: Japan

grab parkvert difficulty 6/10
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roll 0° yaw 0° pitch 0° body 0°

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 front hand takes a mute-position grip on the toe rail toward the nose, then both knees fold fully so the board is drawn up flat behind the back while the chest arches skyward - the whole system bent like a drawn bow. The Japan air is essentially a mute grab pushed to its stylistic extreme: the grab is the hinge, the folded knees supply the board's rotation up behind the body, and the arched back is what separates a real Japan from a pumped-up mute.

Step by step

  1. Take off with big amplitude - the fold and unfold consume the whole air.
  2. Grab the toe-side rail ahead of your front foot with your front hand as you compress.
  3. Fold both knees hard, drawing the board up and behind your back while your chest arches forward and up.
  4. Hold the fully bent position through the peak, board flat against your back leg line.
  5. Unfold deliberately: knees extend, board swings back beneath the hips, release and land below the coping.

Body mechanics

Front footToes press the grip as the knee folds, guiding the nose up under the grabbing hand.
Back footFolds with the back knee until the sole faces skyward - it carries the board behind you.
ShouldersArch back and up, chest opening away from the tucked board.
ArmsFront hand grips near the nose as the hinge; rear arm flung up and back completes the bow shape.
GazeUp and out at the peak of the arch, then snapped down to find the re-entry.