Bodyboard

Practical

Developed by the California N Tom Morey in 1971, the board is generally used in reclining position (position called preaches ), the bodyboardor making use of a pair of palm S short to facilitate the departure on the wave. The emblematic figure of the bodyboard is the hawaïen Mike Stewart, multiple world champion in the years 1990 and still today among the best, one can quote the Brazilian one then Guilherme Tamega, Stalemate Caldwell, Ben Severson, Spencer Skipper . Australia is today the nation engine of the sport, with riders like Ryan Hardy, Damian King or Ben Player. France knew its first hours of glory thanks to Nicolas Capdeville and late Matthieu Walbrou. The young generation is represented by Cédric Dufaure, Pierre-Louis Costes and Amaury Laverhne .

Others prefer another position, the drop knee , like Paul Roach, Aka Lyman or Matt Lackey to quote only them, which consists in being raised and posing a Genou on the board and the other foot flat. This position is more difficult than the preceding one because of the presence of the palms.

Lastly, the last practice is the Stand Up which him is practiced upright. Few bodyboarders uses this technique. There are nevertheless some large bodyboardeurs, who surfé waves of considerable size in this position. One can in particular quote Danny Kim or Chris Won.

Accessible to all, a few days are enough to start to control its board and to discover the first feelings of slips. The complete control of this sport requires much investment however and the professionals of the discipline make more and more an extreme, air and demanding discipline of it on the physical level. The professionals of the sport attack the most extreme waves of the world, sometimes even inaccessible to the best world surfers and carry out spectacular air figures.

There exists a professional championship, World Tour, the last champion in date is the hawaïen Jeff Hubbard.

The sport still remained today very in withdrawal médiatiquement compared with surfing in spite of a number of practitioners comparable with this last in countries like Portugal or Australia.

Material

The bodyboard is a short board of approximately a meter length and 60 centimetres broad, of which part of the external coating is flexible (foam Polyéthylène) and the inferior part of the board in contact with water is out of plastic to be able to reduce to the maximum frictions.

The choice of sound bodyboard is done according to its size and of its weight (the adapted weight is indicated by manufacturing, for the size, the bodyboard must arrive at the level of the Nombril of the bodyboarder), as well as use of the board. For a follower of the drop knee , the board will be finer and longer. Moreover, the geometry of the rails (edges) specifies if it is about an easier, flexible of use or more reactive board.

The jargon of surfing devotes the name of “ melba toast ” to the board of bodyboard because of its form. This term preserves nevertheless a pejorative connotation for the majority of the practitioners.

The board

The board is made up of several parts:

the nose , the former part;
the deck , the upper part, in Polypropylene or Polyethylene;
the slick , the lower part, possibly dug channels ;
the side rails , parts;
the stringers , carbon slats, inserted between the deck and the slick, intended to rigidify the board.

Figures

Some examples of possible figures in bodyboard:

Preaches : reclining position on the board.
Drop Knee : different style consisting in flat placing a foot in front of the board and knees at the rear, the palm acting as rudder.
Stand Up : different style consisting in flat placing the two feet on the board, so as to slip as on a surfing.
divine Duck or duck , one of the basic figures. Consist has to pass under the wave when the practitioner goes back to the zone of impact of the waves.
Take off : action to leave on the wave.
Bottom turn : turn in bottom of vagueness.
Belly or 360 or spinner : execution of a complete rotation of the board and bodyboarder towards the interior of vagueness. Air alternative, the belly air or the spin air .
Reverse : idem that the belly but starts towards the beach. Air alternative, the reverse air as well as the reverse Re-entry , where the operation is carried out on the lip or the foam of vagueness.
El rollo : barrel carried out while making use of the lip of vagueness like springboard.
Aerial or Projected aerial : consist in projecting itself in the airs while making use of the lip of vagueness like springboard.
Invert air : idem that the aerial by putting the board (and incidentally the body) at back compared to the wave.
Air Roll Spin or ARS : combination of a “ el rollo ” and of a “ belly ” (the whole in the airs).
Back flip : air rotation in the form of back somersault. Alternative, the face flip or gorf , rotation in the form of somersault before (much less used).
Cut-back bitumen : tight turn or the bodyboarder returns towards the interior of vagueness then recovers normally.
Tube or barrel : as of surfing, consists in being introduced and arising from the tube creates when the wave breaks.
Invert rollo : el rollo carried out in the opposite direction of rotation, appears invented by Mickael “Eppo” Eppelstun, bodyboarder austalien, world champion in 1996.

See too

External bonds

International association of the bodyboarders
French federation of surfing which manages the bodyboard

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