To master the trick of touching your toe in the water, follow the three tips for all freestyle tricks (do it right out of the gate, get a lot of speed, and stay high on the mast). At least at first, it helps to keep the pump rhythm going.
The pump consists of two phases: pressure and lift, and sometimes after a lift, we can allow some glide time. The sequential steps are:
- Push
- On the next lift, move your front foot a couple of centimeters back and straighten it slightly.
- On the next push, place your hands on the board at the level of your front foot’s toes, just as you push.
- On the next lift, move your front foot back a little further and begin the glide phase.
- Glide. As soon as your front foot touches the board again, your back foot lifts and extends downwards and slightly backwards to reduce drag upon impact with the water. Then, place your back foot back on the board. This will cause the board’s nose to lift because your back foot is positioned further back. Return your front foot to its natural position to stabilize the board.
- This movement of the front foot coincides with the next push. At the moment your foot is properly positioned and applying pressure, remove your hands from the board and stand up. Sometimes, it’s necessary to move your front foot further forward on the next push.
In the end, as always, practice will help you internalize all these phases and build muscle memory that will keep up with the rhythm.
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