Reef Layer 2
Walk Chains
P rison walk
Layer 1 Parts
Two step walk
Cross nose stc
Front backpedal
Switch stc
Nose stc
Tail stc
Half spinner
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The prison walk is a classic style longboard walking trick where you walk up to the nose and turn around and walk back to the tail. I call it the prison walk because it reminds me of pacing in a small cell. I don't think there is a name for it other than "walking to the nose and back". This walking trick is performed by modern longboard surfers who follow the traditional style like Kevin Conelly and Wingnut. I'm not sure this was done in the sixties. It may have been, and it's certainly a variation on the spinner which is an old trick.
There are several ways you can do this walk. The difficulty would depend on the use of switch stance on the way up or back. I believe this is the easiest way to do it.
Prison walk with nose cross
When you cross step up you want to think ahead and plan where your feet are going to be. If you wind up in nose cross stance you'll have an easier time with the pivot. If you wind up in regular nose stance it will be a harder variation.
The cross step from the middle of the board puts me in a cross nose stance or cross hang five.
From the five I pivot to my left until I am facing backwards. The board continues to roll downhill. From here the feeling becomes pretty strange because you are walking forward on the board but you are walking toward the tail. Technically you are in switch stance, but the walk toward the tail feels like regular stance, once you get used to the backward motion of the board. Prison walks require lots of switch stance and switch walk practice to get any flow in your tricks. Walking against the motion of the board is another challenge.
Front backpedal step
Next is a step facing forward which proceeds toward the tail. I call this a front backpedal step. I cross step regular foot toward the tail. This is a regular cross step but it will feel very awkward you are walking away from the direction of travel. You will feel the board want to shoot away behind you. You must make this cross step very smooth to maintain control.
I uncross and place my left foot on the tail. I then pivot to my right and wind up in switch stance at the tail. I bend my knees and extend my arms to gain extra balance in my switch stance, which is most difficult at the tail.
The last picture is a pivot to set up a half spinner. I turn my right foot out until it faces diagonally to the right. This is a more extreme pivot than the one shown in the Layer 1 Part half spinner, and it puts my right foot in regular stance. One more cross step and half spinner cw will be taken with the left foot. This half spinner will put me in regular stance at the middle of the board.
Bounce off the wall prison walk
This is another prison walk type of step that does not use cross stance at the nose. I call it a bounce because there is no transitional pivot at the nose, you just "bounce off the prison wall." You must return to the tail in a switch walk.
The switch step off the nose is a pretty tough cross step. This prison walk is definitely more advanced than the first.
My first step is a regular cross step, with one variation. The foot is placed straight across the board, not diagonally. I turn out farther than normal because I want to do an early pivot a quarter turn clockwise as I take the next step. This will point me more towards the tail when I hit the nose. It's not necessary to do this, you can do a late pivot. This is a variation that has a bit more style.
Nose tap
The legs are uncrossed and the front foot is placed on the nose. This is a regular nose stance, but with a variation I call a nose tap. My foot is very turned in and not much weight is placed on it. It's more of a tap against the nose rather than a step. My upper body rotates counter clockwise to get ready for the next step.
Bounce front backpedal step
Now the direction of walking reverses. In the prison walk before there was a pivot before the step toward the tail. Here after the quarter turn to the right into the nose tap I just head back toward the tail. My feet point toward the same rail. And yet the stance changes, because it changes from regular to switch in the bounce. The step off the nose toward the tail can be very difficult and may require a lot of practice. In my experience, the switch stance feeling in this bounce step is extreme. With any of these types of advanced walks, you have to try not to get rattled by the awkward feelings you will have. You have to keep your knees bent, transfer your weight smoothly along the board, and never rush.
I cross my left leg in front of my right, keeping my weight toward the nose so the board won't fly forward. I concentrate on landing the foot smoothly without shifting weight side to side.
Next I take an uncross step, moving my right foot to the tail. The feet are now back to a normal tail stance, and the next trick can begin.
