Surface Hop
The Surface Hop is a relatively simple trick. Here, the judges look for a change in spray so it's not like you need to jump a foot off the water or anything. It takes just a bit more than upweighting to see a change in spray. (I'll talk more about "upweighting" in a future tip when I get into surface turns - could be a few more years for that though!).
You can practice this trick by hanging directly on to the boom where you can "cheat" by pushing off the boom with your arms. I recommend only doing this a couple of times (if you need to at all) and then moving to the 5' line and finally long line.
- As you are riding in your comfortable two foot barefoot position, get your butt closer to the water by bending your knees.
- In one smooth motion, spring up off the water by slowly but firmly and aggressively straightening your knees; not too straight but just enough so that your feet leave the water ("slow" and "aggressive" probably don't belong in the same sentence but I can't think of a better way to describe it!). Again, you don't need to "jump" off the water very far, just enough to show a change of spray (video will show this).
- As you are straightening your knees keep your upper body in it's nice vertical position with your shoulders slightly back. Be careful not to get your weight too far forward or too far back. You are simply going straight up and down with the upper portion of your body; your legs are doing all the work in getting you the "hop" you need to get off the water's surface.
