Reef Layer 2

Slide Chains

F ishtail slide

Slide Arc- itecture

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Layer 1 Parts
Counter slide fs
Twist slide bs
Fakey stc

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Fishtail slide

The fishtail is a slide that breaks one way for 90 degrees or so, then is snapped back the other way for a 270. It looks like the tail slides one way and then cranks all the way around the other. The tough part is to not slide too far at first, and to get the slide going back the other way without using a lot of straining muscle. The way I do this is to start with a heavily pre twisted counter rotation. Then after the first slide, I go into a strong, blind, backside twist.

Frontside counter rotation 90

I start by reaching my right (back) arm across my body. This is the start of the frontside counter rotation slide Arc, if you want to look back.

Now I firm up my shoulder position, which gives me the support to push my back leg forward into a left or heelside turn, and break into a slide. This has to be very controlled, because I don't want the slide to go too far. Once past 90 degrees, it's too hard to go back the other way. You could use a twist slide to start this, but I prefer the fine control of the counter rotation.

Now I've got the slide going to counter clockwise. While the board goes to the left, my shoulders have already moved to the right. What fascinates me about this slide is that the shoulder rotation continues in the same direction in one flowing turn, yet the board moves smoothly first in one direction then another!

Backside twist 270

This is the transition point between the two slides. My shoulders are still backing up clockwise from the follow through of the first slide, but now I'm starting to get my leg power going back the other way. Now the board and my shoulders are beginning to move in the same direction.

I now have pressed or even thrown my right arm and shoulder deeply to backside, clockwise, getting the backside twist rotation slide moving. It's important to get your head going to the right, to lead the rotation. I'm now looking backwards, which helps draw the board around. This backside twist slide has to be very strong, because it's a 270, plus it has to overcome the rotation left (ccw) from the first slide.

I ride the slide and let my twist relax a bit. You can go back and look at the backside twist slide Arc if you want to practice just this part separately.

I end in the fakey stance. One thing to note is that I didn't do any shoulder checking to bring the board around farther, I just rode it out. If I had come up short, I would have pushed my shoulders back against the rotation, while pushing the board around more to clockwise to get it straight. Also, if I'd overshot, I would have pushed strongly back, fighting the rotation clockwise, while not pushing the board around any farther. In this slide, all checking was held in reserve and I got to relax for the whole last 90 degrees. Ahh, what a pleasure!

In this fishtail, the shoulders move in only one direction through two turns, which I think is a really strange and cool feeling. That is a continuation feel between the two slides. This is not the only way to do a fishtail. You could also start a slide right by twisting frontside, then that twist would be a windup to snap your shoulders back the other way, to a twist or torque backside. The feeling would be a windup connection between the two slides, a very different feel. It should be more powerful in the second half, and perhaps more out of control. You may prefer that feeling. It will probably be easier to work it out mentally, but harder to do, physically. In the Slide Arcs section I talk about difficult technique and how it often works out that the harder it seems, the easier it is. My preference is for more control and consistency, but that's me. That's why I say to take the different Arcs and mess around Chaining them, to see if you can come up with your own variations.