Nose ride
Encyclopedia
Noseriding is the art of maneuvering the surfboard from the front end.

Next to getting tubed (AKA barreled means placing your whole body inside the curl of the wave), noseriding is the most accomplished move in surfing. Hang ten
Hang Ten
Hanging Ten is a surfing maneuver and is considered one of the most impressive and iconic stunts one can perform with a surfboard. Hanging ten is when the surfer positions the surfboard in such a way that the back of it is covered by the wave and the wave rider is free to walk to the front of the...

 toes, Hang five toes, Cheater five toes, Hang heels, Front Foot/heel hang, Back Foot/heel hang are some of the maneuvers in the repertoire of noseriding. Noseriding is a functional maneuver best performed on waves around head high or less in size, which are found most of the year. Noseriding is performed mainly on noserider style surfboards, which can be short or long in length.

"Noseriding wasn't identified as a maneuver unto itself until the early 1950s, after the surfboard fin had grown big enough to really anchor the tail." wrote Matt Warshaw in "The History of Surfing". According to most surfing historians, the fin was invented by Tom Blake around 1935, for the purpose of giving the surfboard direction from the tail to the tip. One of the first commercial surfboard manufacturers, Dale Vezy is credited with being the first to hang five and hang ten in the early 50s. Noseriding is widely considered the origin of "Extreme" surfing and had become such a popular trick by the late 50s that Surfer Magazine publisher John Severson devoted a regular feature, called "Toes on the Nose", starting with his debut issue of Surfer in 1960.

Mastering the noseride takes years to accomplish. Once achieved, the thrill of the moment gives the surfer the sensation that their feet are simply gliding on water and that they are defying gravity. Noseriding defined the surfers of the 50’s lead by Rabbit Kakai, then Matt Kivlin and Joe Quigg. Then came the champion surfers of the 60s including Lance Carson, Phil Edwards, Dewey Weber, Mickey Munoz, Joey Cabell, Donald Takayama, Skip Frye, David Nuuhiwa, Gary Proper, Claude Codgen and Bob Purvey. Today's generation includes Joel Tudor, CJ Nelson and Chad Marshall, to name a few.

Throughout the 50s and 60s, surfboard designers experimented with a variety of components to make the nose hold up longer and noserider surfboard designs became the hot sellers throughout the 60s. To this day, noserider designs continue to be refined. The combinations of template (outline shape), thickness, weight, rocker, rail shape, concaves, convexs, flats and fins vary with the individual surfer's style and size, and continue to be an experiment. So far the knowledge bank has established certain principles: Concave under the nose creates an air pocket that helps the nose stay up longer; complimenting the concave nose is a kicked up tail that would catch water to keep the tail down. While an accomplished surfer can nose ride even a narrow shortboard nose, a wide nose (about 18 inches to about 20 inches) is considered a better platform for stability and lift. Rail shape can significantly affect the maneuverability from the nose. Rail shapes vary from mostly turned up rails, which are found in most of today's noseriders, to the more extreme turned down rails. Turned-up rails allow the board to turn easier from the tip, while the turned-down rail forces the board to stay in a trim and limits the turning ability from the tip. Placement of the turned up or turned down rail is important. Lighter board weights enable the board to stay higher on the water, so it can travel faster and allow the board to respond quicker. Single fins are preferred, albeit, fin configurations have a wide open frontier.

Noseriding is achieved mostly when the surfer positions themself where the wave is formed into the most vertical wall, just before the wave breaks. "Point-Break" waves are ideal for noseriding because the wave travels from the point to the cove and gives the surfer a long ride where a "hook" is formed with the most vertical wall that travels down the line, like a zipper, from one end to the other. Immediately after the hook is the white water, where the wave implodes. It is best to avoid the white water but with a noserider surfboard, an accomplished surfer can ride through or maneuver around the imploding wave while remaining on the nose. One of the most difficult noseriding maneuvers is to get tubed while on the tip. It is not impossible to stay on the nose while out on the flat shoulder of the wave either. A noserider surfboard with a deep concave can carry a surfer on a wave that does not have a steep wall. Be prepared to back off the nose in this flat area of the wave because it has the least air traveling under the nose, so riding onto the flat of the wave while on the nose could cause the nose to suddenly dip into the water under the full weight of the surfer.

In 1965, Tom Morey (inventor of the "Morey-Boogie": body board) devised the first professional surf contest around timing nose rides. The "nose" area was defined as the front 25% of the board. While success at this sub-genre is grossly measured in proximity to the tip of the board and time spent there, the acknowledged artists move forward and backward fluidly on the board by cross-stepping or "walking" foot-over-foot and/or shuffling with poise and economy of movement, resolving changes in upward pressure with subtle adjustments to their center of gravity using knees, waist and hips (upper bodies ever quiet) and position on the board; never the arms waving.

Clearly, the challenge for most young surfers is to ride big waves and get deep in the tube when swell action happens. When the swell action diminishes and traveling from one surf spot to another is limited, the next best challenge is getting air and practicing some gymnastics at the local break. Before that happens, there is noseriding, developing the skills, discipline and conditioning.

Surfing is riding waves. The easiest method to start surfing is on small waves and on a longboard, preferably a noserider that will stay on top of the water, is stable enough from the tip to the tail, easy to paddle and catch waves, and get to your feet. First you learn to catch the wave, and then stand up on the board, and then maneuver, in that order.

Know your surfboard measurements (length, widest point around the center, width 12 inches from the tail-end and width 12 inches from the nose-end, and thickness). Learn how the tail, center and nose work by feeling their response to you. It takes practice and conditioning to appreciate the feel and understand the timing.

Eventually you will noseride and then the world will be at your feet.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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