A prone air is a vital intermediate move that needs to be mastered to ensure a quicker progression with your aerial assault.
Step 1:
For the majority of bodyboard manoeuvres, speed is essential. The best way to achieve this is to pick a fast breaking wave and master an amazing bottom turn that will project you towards the pitching lip. To make life easier I suggest looking for the correct wave to do all the work for you. To pull off this move you will need a bowling or wedging wave that will give you a good ramp with ample speed. As you’re trimming down the line, keep your eyes focused onto the section you want to hit; timing is crucial, too early and you will fly off the back of the wave. Too late you will get a lip to the head. Engage you’re inside rail (wave side) and lean forward whilst simultaneously leaning onto that inside rail focusing on drawing an unbroken line straight towards where you want to launch. Make sure you do not lean so much so that your shoulder is touching the water, the less body parts in the water, the more streamline and faster you will be.
Step 2:
Take a firm grip of your board and make sure that you hit the lip as it is pitching. As your board comes in contact with the lip you want to lean back and peel away from the lip as you get shot out into the air. Turn the nose of your board towards the beach. Remember that a prone air is not an invert or ARS, so resist the urge to twist and tweak for now. Just move your board in an arc towards the beach so that the nose of the board lands pointing straight towards the shore.
Step 3:
By now you should be flying in the air towards the beach. Instead of enjoying the view you need to remain focused on your landing strip. If you have timed the move correctly you should land with the breaking wave in the white water. This will cushion your landing. Hold on tight and make sure that you don’t head butt your board on impact.
Step 4:
If you remembered the key elements in this move; which are speed and timing you should be landing softly on the white water. You’re nearly there; you have completed 90% of the move. Ensure you still have a firm grip of your board. The best way to negotiate through the foam would be to use your legs and kick towards the beach (as if you were paddling to catch the wave). This will help you push out in front of the white water.
